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Lake flips her dyed pink hair over her shoulders, and I get a glimpse of the faint scar across her nose which she received in a terrible car accident a few years ago. She’s pretty, looking like an enchanted princess, and her cream blouse and pencil skirt are all designer. She looks like she’s about to grab the world by the balls and conqueror it. No doubt, she’s going to work. She owns a lingerie company, named Love Me, that her husband helped her start. She always had a dream of opening her own clothing line since we were in high school, and I wish I had her drive and ambition.
I’ve never been the type to have aspirations in life. The only thing I want is to start a family one day. Have a baby, get married and find a better, more stable job. My mother hates how I’m the go-with-the-flow type, that I’m not the type of person who has their life mapped out for the next five years. I feel as if life is not serious to be taken so hard.
I still don’t have a fake fiancé, and as soon as Lake leaves, I’m going to hop on a dating app, find someone else, and if he flakes out then I won’t have any choice but to go back to Link. If I have to, I’ll state ground rules, and hopefully he sticks to them. I would ask him to be my fake fiancé, but he would want us to actually get married, and I don’t want to be tied down to him. Not unless he gets help with his emotional abuse. That would be one of the ground rules. The thought of going back to Link repulses me and I try not to dwell on it too much.I’m glad I didn’t mention I got dicked down by someone else, otherwise Link would have done something reckless. He never thinks or makes rational decisions. He’s very impulsive.
Even though I’m not around Jasper, I still feel his dominant presence clinging to me like an old stench. I’m not going to tell Lake I slept with him, because I’ll never hear the end of it. She’ll be delighted with me finding someone better than my ex. But Jasper is a playboy to the world, and everyone knows he’s not the type to settle down and play house.
Casting me a curious glance, she crosses her legs and flattens her shirt. “So, tell me how your date with Mason went last night.”
I try to keep the disappointment from growing in my chest like a weed and push my shoulders back, trying to make her see I’m not upset.
“I was stood up last night.” My tone is sharp like a knife.
Her eyes widen, then she rests her hands on her lap. “Meeting men online is dangerous, Poppy. I’m glad he didn’t show up, he might have been a creep, and I worry about you.”
She is absolutely right, so I don’t argue with her. But at the end of the day, it’s my life and I make my own choices. I’ve been safe thus far when I met them from dating sites. I meet them in public places, I make sure we ride separately in different vehicles, and I never go back to their place. “I’m safe, Lake.”
She searches my face as if she’s looking for the right answer in my expression, and her shoulders sag as she rests her hands over mine, squeezing tight. Concern etches her pupils. “I don’t want you to end up on CNN, killed by someone.” Her eyes gloss over with tears.
Pain hits me in the gut. The last thing I want to do is worry her.
Lake has always been the type of person to play by the rules and walk a tight line. She’s been that way since we were kids. I met her when we were in high school and she was getting bullied for her thick frames, so I shoved her bully into the closet and locked her in it, and ever since we’ve been inseparable. She’s more like a sister to me than a friend.
I twirl the end of my hair, then I let go and bite my nails. “It’s fine. It’s no big deal.”
I’m trying so hard not to let her see that I’m worried but, deep down, I don’t know what I’m going to do. And after Link showed up here wanting me back, I need to hurry up and find a suitor, then I can ask them to hire someone to protect me from him, maybe have a bodyguard.
Lake tilts her head to the side like the Leaning Tower of Pisa and folds her arms across her chest. “What really happened last night?”
Of course, she would assume that something happened last night. I forgot to call her after my date. She always insists that I call her so she won’t worry. I don’t want to tell her what happened this morning, because she will worry, and I will worry, then I’ll spend my whole day in a sour mood, and I don’t want to ruin her day with my fucked-up life.
My eyes bounce to the small flat-screen TV on the wall, then to the outside window that has bars on it.
“Nothing.” My tone is light.
A smile paints her face, then she crosses her legs, gently yanking the skirt over her knee.
“You are biting your nails as if you’re nervous.”
I shake my head and lean back on the couch. The air in here is stuffy, thanks to the non-working A/C, and it’s hotter than Satan’s balls. Even hotter than outside. I miss having the luxury of air conditioning. I miss a working fridge. I miss having food in my fridge and I miss buying whatever I want to buy.
My life sucks badly.
She gives me puppy dog eyes. “Tell me, I thought we were best friends,” she pleads with a pout.
I’ll tell her about last night, but I’m not going to mention Jasper. She has a way of twisting my arm, getting the truth out of me and making me feel guilty for keeping things from her.
My cheeks burn and a blush creeps up the back of my neck. “I had a one-night stand.” I try to fight back a grin.
Her eyes beam with excitement. Lake lives through me; she doesn’t believe in having sex with no strings attached, so my stories are so juicy for her. She tried it with her husband before they got married and ended up falling in love with him. I wish I could experience that love, but that type of love doesn’t exist for everyone.
Her eyes light up like the city lights. “Oh. Was it good?”
I nod and sink my teeth into my lip. “It was good—great, actually.”
Better than most, but I don’t tell her that.
She glances at the floor then back at me, smiling. “Did you ask him to be your fake fiancé?”
