Page 30 of My Fake Fiancé

"Why? I shouldn't stay here anymore. Today was a disaster," she trails off but I've gotten her attention and she sits down on the bed, clutching a shirt in her hand. She looks so vulnerable right now. I walk over towards her and kneel down in front of her, lifting her chin to make her look at me.

"Juliana, look at me." I see a spark in her eyes and I hold back a smile knowing she is about to sass me.

"Well, I kind of have to look at you when you're grabbing my chin, don't I?" She blurts out without even thinking which makes me chuckle. She bites her lip blushing. "Sorry."

"Don't be. It's good to see you've still got some fight left in you. Even if it was directed at me." I let go of her chin and she smiles up at me but just slightly. "I don't entirely know what happened just now but I'm here if you want to talk about it... I don't like seeing you cry."

"I'm not a fan of crying, especially in front of other people." She stands up, calmer now, and wipes her face with the back of her hand. "Okay, I'm okay." She says, more to convince herself than me but I nod and take the shirt she has in her grasp. She releases it reluctantly then turns to grab more clothes out of her bag and replace them into the drawers.

It only takes a few minutes to unpack everything. Once we are finished, I take her bag, look her in the eyes, and place the bag on the very top shelf of the closet where she very much cannot reach it. She watches, her mouth hanging open a little and the edges curling up into a smile. She shakes her head in disbelief and rolls her eyes.

"Wow, that's cool. Sure, okay, okay. Mhm." She rambles on and I can tell she's enjoying herself and that she appreciates the gesture. I smile and shut the closet door.

"Do you want to go out and grab something to eat? I couldn't help noticing that you didn't eat anything at the party?" Once I mention food, her stomach makes a soft growling sound, she lets out a huff like she is upset at her stomach for betraying her. I know she was looking forward to the deli sandwiches but she never had a chance to grab one.

"Yes, I guess I am hungry. Can't deny that."

"I've heard worse," I joke, winking at her before grabbing my wallet off of my dresser. "I'll leave the room in case you need to do anything to get ready. I’ll meet you out front?” I ask. She nods and smiles as a thank you so I exit and shut the door behind me, going out front to give her some space.

"Did you clean up already? I didn't think I took that long." Juliana says as she finds me near the community room. Looking over my shoulder, I take in the outfit change, a bright yellow T-shirt and flared jeans that look like something my mom would wear. Oddly, the look on her brings a smile to my face.

"Ah, no," I say, bringing myself back to looking at the community room. "Our guests were pretty clean. Dave, from my work, also helped clean up a little before he left."

"Oh, well that's nice of him."

"Yeah, he's a good guy." I offer my hand and Juliana takes it and we head out to my car.

Chapter 30

Kurt

"I was thinking," I start as I lock the car after we get out. "Dave mentioned that his wife had talked about us coming over for dinner at their house. We don't have to if that would make you uncomfortable, but it might be nice to make friends as a couple."

"Couple of friends," she smiles. I roll my eyes, trying to pretend I thought her comment was funny. Instead, I watch as she tugs at the hem of her shirt as it rides up exposing her lower belly as she walks and I feel something stirring in my stomach. I shouldn’t be looking at her like that. She shifts a bit when I don’t respond to her play on words. "Sure, that sounds fun."

"Great, I'll let him know we are available whenever they want." She nods and then stumbles as we make our way down the street. The parking isn’t so great around here so I had to park a couple of blocks away. I grab her elbow and keep her standing, then slide my hand down her arm and our hands find their way to each other, intertwining our fingers. It seems natural and she doesn't seem to mind. "Where do you want to eat?" I ask, even though I already have a place in mind.

"Oh," she pauses, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. "I hadn't actually thought about that. I want chicken strips," she says, absolutely sure of her decision.

"I agree, that sounds good. I know just the place. And don't judge it by how it looks on the outside, well, and the inside. But they do have great chicken strips. And fries." She laughs and I see that twinkle in her eyes again.

"Oh, baby, you should know by now that I never judge anyone by their outward appearance," she pats her hand on my chest and smirks a little then skips off ahead of me.

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?" I laugh as I jog to catch up with her. She slows down to wait for me and I drop my arm over her shoulder causing us to jostle together before we figure out how to walk side by side.

“Nothing,” Juliana teases. I roll my eyes but let us fall into a quiet walk. It isn't awkward, it's just peaceful.

Juliana trusts me to lead her in the right direction and allows me to steer her over a few blocks and across a couple of streets. We are nearing the more run down part of town but I stop on the outskirts and lead her towards an old bar with the sign barely hanging from a few rusted old nails. I sense her hesitation as I hold the door open for her.

"What happened to not judging outward appearances?" I tease, then gesture for her to keep walking. And she does. She steps into the bar and I follow close behind, putting my hand on the small of her back and ushering her to a booth near the back. The bartender, Benny, catches my eye as he helps a very drunk older gentleman onto a bench in view of the bar so Benny can keep an eye on him. He gives me a nod and grins before gesturing to let me know he'll be right over.

"So, when and how did you find this place?" Juliana asks as Benny makes his way over to our booth. He delivers a slap on my back making me wince and Juliana smiles up at him.

"Benny and I went to law school together." Juliana's eyebrows draw together in confusion.

"I bet you're wondering why a man who went to law school ended up as a bartender in this dump?" Juliana looks like she is about to protest but Benny's laugh stops her. "Don't worry sweetheart, no offense taken."

"Benny only went to law school because he got bored sitting around in his mom and dad's mansion playing video games. Or rather inventing new ones and selling them off for millions of dollars." I boast about Benny's accomplishments and enjoy teasing my friend while also watching the look of amusement in Juliana's eyes.

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