Page 62 of The Fake Script
His shoulders sag a little. “Well, I have the premiere for my latest movie tomorrow, and I wanted to ask if you’d come with me.”
“Um.” I bite my lip.
“Unless you’re still avoiding me.” He crosses his arms over his chest, making his biceps bulge. Dang it. That shirt perfectly highlights all of his muscles. I hate it. Especially now that I know what they look like underneath.
“Of course I’m not. Sure, I’ll come with you,” I say, then drop my voice to a whisper. “I am your fake girlfriend, after all.”
He stares at me for a second, then nods. “Exactly.”
I force a smile. “Perfect.”
“Robyn says you already have a dress, so I’ll pick you up at five. Oh, and I’ll drive.” He winks.
My throat goes dry. “Great. See you then.”
Crap.Why does this keephappening to me? And why am I still watching him as he walks away?
Without thinking twice, I scurry back into the coffee shop and lock the door behind me. “I need your help. This can’t wait.”
Mari rushes out from the backroom. “Are you okay?”
“No.” I hesitate, wondering how to phrase this. Maybe I just need to say it out loud. Then, I’ll hear how ridiculous it sounds, and the feeling will go away. “I think I’m falling in love with Auston.” There, I said it. Darn it. The butterflies are still there.
“Oh! That’s great,” Beth says, shaking her blonde hair.
“Yeah, why is that a problem?” Mari asks. “Isn’t that the point of dating?”
“Ugh.” I lean my elbows on the counter. “Maybe we should sit down. I’ll tell you everything.”
“Wow.” Beth breathes out once I finish recounting my long and complicated history with Auston.
Mari frowns, nodding, like she’s been doing for the last few minutes. “Okay. Okay.”
“I know.” I grimace.
“So, fake dating is actually a thing?” Mari asks, a curious sparkle in her eye.
I take her hand. “Girl, focus. What do I do? I can’t be in love with him. He’ll ruin me again.” Just when I finally figured out how to protect myself from being hurt. Letting someone in is a breach of protocol. One that could lead to pain and misery. Abandonment.
“Calm down,” she says in a soothing voice, squeezing my hand. “We’ll figure this out.”
“Besides, how can you be so sure he’ll break your heart?” Beth says. “From what you told us, he’s been great, taking care of you when you were sick, and so on.”
I glance at her. “Have you seen Auston Buckley? The man’s a walking red flag.”
“She’s got a point,” Mari says, wincing. “Not to mention, all that history is hard to navigate. And you two live very different lives.”
“Exactly. We live on opposite coasts. I already know it’s a bad idea and that it wouldn’t work out. On top of that, he probably doesn’t even have that in mind. He’s just being friendly and—okay—a little flirty, but that doesn’t mean he’s feeling what I am. I don’t need help getting him to reciprocate my feelings. I need help gettingoverhim. Help me, please.”
“Oof,” Beth says. “That’stricky. And I’m not sure I’m the right person to give out relationship advice. I’ve been so on and off with Lucas so many times, I don’t even know where we’re at.”
I grimace. Exactly the reason why I don’t do relationships. I don’t need this kind of drama in my life. Except, it’s too late. I cast a desperate glance at Mari, who looks lost in thought. Hopefully, she’s cooking me up a speech that will make me fall out of love with Auston.
“Well,” she says, “I’ve got nothing either. Love is a pretty powerful feeling. More powerful than reason.”
I let out a sigh. “Seriously, you guys! That’s all you have for me? I need to go with him to a big premiere tomorrow evening. What am I going to do?”
“Relax,” Beth says. “Just keep calm and pretend you’re the lead actress in a movie. Like, it’s not really you. You’re just acting a part.”