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Before I could say anything, Lucy pulled me into a big hug, which in my opinion, lingered on a little longer than expected. Edward’s family was very affectionate, but I was a little taken aback at his sisters’ hug and kiss on my cheeks, which I returned so as to not be rude.
“So, Luca, you ready for this weekend? I thought you looked just great in Montreal. Definitely Hermes' most handsome driver, that’s for sure.” Lucy said the words with a wink, giving my bicep a little squeeze before she went back to her drink.
“Umm, yeah, definitely ready for this weekend.” I tried to make eye contact with Edward, throwing him a questioning look, but Edward just kept looking at his sister with an adorable gaze, laughing away at some more jokes as the conversation continued. I was a little shocked at how openly flirty Lucy was during the conversation. I looked around, trying to see if anyone else noticed.
Unfortunately – someonedidnotice.
As I scanned the room, my eyes met with Georgia’s. I felt my stomach drop as her gaze met mine, a pointed look of disgust on her face. She turned around, re-engaging herself in a conversation with Éliott. As I watched them interact, I saw his hand slowly come up behind her, rubbing her back ever so slightly as they continued their intimate conversation.
Fuck this, I thought to myself.Georgia is still my fake girlfriend, and I’m not going to lose her to fucking Éliott Simon.
I quickly excused myself from the conversation with Lucy and Edward. Edward looked a little annoyed, and he called out after me, but I ignored him as I waltzed over to Georgia, Lily, and Éliott, making a point to grab Georgia’s hand and bring her closer to me.
“So, what are we all chatting about over here?” I did my best to keep my cool as I eyed Éliott. If he noticed my annoyance, he certainly wasn’t going to show it, and he kept that stupid grin on his face.
“Éliott and Georgia were just sharing some hilarious stories about when they were younger – some of the pranks they did were hilarious!” Lily was still laughing a bit from whatever previous story the two had shared.
“If anything, I’d say you have calmed down in your old age, Georgie,” Éliott quipped, earning him a little shove from Georgia. As she leaned over to touch him, I squeezed her hand, keeping her mostly in place next to me. Georgia gave me a look that could have cut glass, but I just kept holding her hand and smiling, taking another sip from my drink.
I knew Lily and Éliott could sense the tension between us, and they both quickly excused themselves, but not before Éliott leaned over and whispered something into Georgia’s ear. A subtle smile crossed her face, and she waved him off, giggling at whatever he had said.
Fuck this.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I hissed at Georgia as soon as Éliott and Lily were out of earshot.
“What am I doing?” she said in a huff, pulling her hand out of mine. “What areyoudoing is the real question?”
“Me? You’re basically all over Éliott Simon!” Georgia scoffed at that.
“For the 100thtime, Éliott and I are just friends. Considering you were all over Lucy Davis, I didn’t think you’d care. Already moving on now that you don’t have to be saddled with me anymore, I see?”
I grabbed Georgia’s hand and pulled us outside on the balcony, which was fortunately empty.
“What do you mean saddled with?” I felt exasperated, and I couldn’t hide it anymore. I had no idea what she was referring to.
“You texted me that you wanted to end this!” Georgia declared.
“No, I said I was okay ifyou didbecause I didn’t want you to think I was holding you hostage in this relationship. I wanted to make sure you knew it was okay if you wanted to call it quits, even if I think it’s stupid to do so.” There was a pause between us, and I could see the wheels in her head turning as she assessed my words.
“You think it’s stupid?” Her voice was small and unsure, like she almost didn’t believe me.
“Yes, I do,” I replied quickly. “I think it’s too soon. I appreciate that Hermes and Valkyrie were trying to give us a way out if we wanted it, but I think it would be irresponsible to just come back from summer break broken up. Everyone would think that this was a farce.”
“Me too,” Georgia said quietly. Another moment of silence went by, and I let out a huge sigh of relief – a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
“So, we’re in agreement?” I asked cautiously. My heart started to quicken at the thought that Georgia and I wouldn’t be ending our PR stunt.
“Definitely. I guess when you texted me that, I thought it meant thatyouwanted to end this…” Georgia trailed off at the end, a hint of disappointment in her voice which warmed my heart.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily, Cara. I mean, I still haven’t mastered your coffee skills yet. Not sure how I’d get up in the morning without a cup of coffee brewed by Georgia Dubois herself.” Georgia suppressed a laugh as he let her hand intertwine with mine.
“Okay, so then we’ll tell our teams tomorrow before the BBC shoot?”
“Agreed.”
Georgia flashed me a big smile, and I could see her visibly relax. I had wanted to say more, to tell her how I really felt, but as the words started to form, I stopped myself. This was a big step, and I didn’t want to ruin it by scaring her. I felt like I was slowly starting to win her over, but I needed more time to show her that I was willing to be a better man for her.
* * *
