AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“All right,” he says after the flirty flight attendant quits giving him googly eyes and starts to actually do her job. “How are we playing this?”
I take a sip of my iced coffee, blinking. “Playing what?”
He leans into me and lowers his voice. “Am I the best friend? Boyfriend? Wedding date? What’s my role here?”
His role?I pull back in confusion. “Uh, my best friend.”
He draws in closer to me. “Just the best friend?”
“Just the best friend,” I slowly repeat.
“Gotcha. If anything changes, let me know.”
What the …?
“Do you want to act like you’re someone else?” I draw out.
“No, I want to make sure you know I have your back and won’t let anyone give you any shit. If they want to know why you don’t have a boyfriend—which, from what you’ve told me, is a regular question from them—say it’s me. I’m game.” He tears open a bag of chips, snags one, and offers them to me.
I shake my head. “I can’t lie to my family and say we’re dating.”
“Sure, you can. Think about it. If you change your mind, I’m all up for role-playing.”
I chew on the edge of my straw. “I’m sure you’re all for role-playing.”
“Eh, it’s usually not my kink, but I’ll do it for you. I have your back if vultures come your way, talking shit.” He tips his head down and takes a sip of my coffee while it’s in my hand.
* * *
“Aw,Carolina brought her best friend as her date. How cute,” Faye, my bitch-faced cousin, announces when we walk into the banquet room.
Dread clouds my mind when she steps in front of Rex and me, her irritating girl squad behind her. Her diarrhea-colored hair is pulled into a high ponytail, and she’s wearing a white dress that hits her knees. Across that white dress is a sash that says,Bride!
How annoying.
Everyone here knows she’s the bride, considering it’sherwedding.
This hell wedding is a weekend affair. Tonight, we endure dinner. Tomorrow, we’ll suffer through lunch and then the wedding.
I slapped Faye in the face when I was fourteen because she’d ripped apart my favorite book.
Got grounded for a month and my phone taken away.
It was worth it.
My parents added that I’d be grounded for the rest of my life if I touched her again. They said that in front of her, so Frightening Faye knew she could bully me more since being grounded for the rest of my life didn’t sound like a party. Lucky for me, she moved away her freshman year.
Unlucky for me, she came back a week during the summers to visit my grandparents. One year, my parents demanded I allow her to tag along with me to Rex’s house. She flirted with him the entire time and made fun of my one-piece bathing suit, so Rex kicked her out, making his mom drive her home. That was when I knew Rex would always have my back. He could’ve easily ditched me and hooked up with Faye, but he knew my history with her. Shoot, he hardly muttered a word to her with the exception of telling her to leave his damn house and never come back.
I stiffen, holding in a breath, while racking my brain for the perfect comeback.
“She brought herboyfriend,” Rex abruptly corrects next to me. His arm wraps around my waist, and he pulls me in closer to him, my hip hitting his.
Faye’s mouth drops open. Her eyes and finger ping back and forth between Rex and me … between my apparentboyfriendand me.When she finally speaks, her words are choked out, “You two are—”
“Dating? In love? Sure fucking am,” Rex says to her with no hesitation. He stares down at me, a tender smile spreading across his face. “We’re much more than friends, but we do agree on one thing: we are fucking cute.” His gaze turns nasty when he looks back at Faye. “I knew you’d be so happy for your cousin to find love. Maybe we’ll invite you to our wedding.” He makes a show of looking around the ballroom. “It’ll probably be less stuffy than this shit, so it might not be your thing.”
Oh my God.
