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The coffee shop got busy, the crowd gathered to fill the already small space, and Rick felt closed in. He was still reeling from the first act of her speech, but now she was waiting for him to respond.
How did it sound? Absurd, unnecessary, frustrating, and a complete waste of time. But he couldn’t say that to her. She looked so pleading he almost felt sorry for her.
Pretend to date Charlie. It was nonsensical, and he’d never picture himself in such circumstances. What could go wrong? Other than it sounded like the worst kind of romantic movie, it was a risky situation.
Charlie was his brother’s best friend. How was this going to work out? They were going to pretend to date around Alex and Sarah, too? What were the rules? How long was this going to last?
He must have been asking these questions out loud because Charlie answered him.
“I don’t think I want Alex and Sarah to know. They’ll just worry,” she said. “We can set our own rules, and as far as how long we’ll be doing this–I’m not sure, but since you’ll be gone for work in six months, maybe it can taper off from there?”
He didn’t like where this was going. She had nothing concrete planned out. Plus, hehatedlying. Shit always bit him in the ass in the end.
“No,” he said.
“No?” she echoed, her expression wounded. “But…”
He shook his head. That was when he saw the cups of coffee on their table, realizing their server came and went without his noticing. Taking a hard chug of caffeine, he considered his choices.
It wasn’t the worst deal he’d ever been propositioned. Charlie was beautiful and desirable. Any man would jump at the chance to be with her, even if it wasn’t real. But he had principles. She was his brother’s friend, and if he crossed that line, even if it was a charade, it would still leave a mark.
He would be lying if he said he wouldn’t ever consider Charlie in a romantic light, but he never allowed that thought to enter.Now she’d gone and put those thoughts into his head. Temptations he locked so deeply, he was sure she wasn’t his type.
And she wasn’t. Not really.
Despite all that, he was having trouble turning her down. Call it a weakness for a pair of beseeching eyes and plump lips that may have appeared once or twice in his dreams after she left his place.
“I don’t like lying,” he finally said. “There’s always karma waiting to get you when you lie.”
Her look of disappointment affected him more than he wanted. “I understand… I’m sorry I brought it up. This is so embarrassing. I don’t know what came over me. You’re right. This was a stupid idea.”
“It’s alright.” He took out the tickets. “Did you want these back?”
“Oh, no!” She pushed it back, and he felt her warm hand against his. “This was a gift, not a bargain chip.”
They both stood concurrently. Charlie clutched her bag, and he noticed her discomfort by the fidgeting of her hands across her sides. A dull blush colored her cheeks, reminding him of a fraught teenager. The sudden urge to comfort her grew, but he shook it away. This had to be the last time he’d be dealing with this mess.
Eight
Rick spenta full day retouching the bulk pictures he’d taken during his trip to Lake Tahoe. Lost in the zone, he was fully vested in getting his work done. The screen lit amid his room, time passing before he realized. The strain in his eyes alerted him to take a break.
He looked around, eyes caught on the baseball tickets sitting nicely next to his desk lamp. The game was in a few days, and he’d forgotten to tell Nick about it.
With his phone in hand and Nick’s message thread on display, his fingers paused.
The conversation with Charlie the other day still stuck to him, no matter how much he tried to push it away. Her proposal was ludicrous, stupid, and downright immature. But the distress in her face as she talked about the obligations of conforming in her social circle gave him a little perspective on the stress she faced.
If it was only a few weeks ago, his patience with that bullshit would’ve run dry quickly. But since getting to know her a little more, he could see the reasoning, and perhaps even empathize. Charlie wasn’t exactly what he’d imagined, after all.
He couldn’t deny the appeal of her proposition, either. Sinceshe left his place, he couldn’t get the images of her out of his head. Walking in and out of his spare bedroom wearing his old clothes, catching her napping on his couch, and devouring his cooking as if he was a top chef.
Admittedly, having her around was less painful than he’d imagined.
Suddenly, his phone was on the new number Charlie had given him. “In case there was a need.” His thumb hovered over the call button, and he hadn’t prepared what to say before he pressed on it.
Two rings and her voice came through.
“Hello,” she said.
