Page 44 of My Fake Fiancé

“Actually, we have both of their sizes in the blue if you are interested in seeing them wear the same style and color bridesmaid dress?” The stylist looks at me for approval.

“Oh, sure. I’m open to anything at this point.” I shrug and Tatyana looks annoyed again but accepts the dress when the stylist hands it to her. I get up to help again but Mrs. Michaels waves me off.

“No dear, you shouldn’t have to help. Just sit back and relax. I’ll help her with this one.” Mrs. Michaels smiles at me and goes over to help Tatyana. Tatyana gives me a look over Mrs. Michaels’ shoulder, which thankfully she doesn’t notice. I shrug and sit back down.

“Are you having a nice day?” My mother comes to sit beside me. I straighten my back, sitting up, ready to be evasive if she asks about the wedding or the relationship.

“Yes, thank you. It was very sweet of Mrs. Michaels to set all of this up. Even though Kurt and I just got engaged.” I add, trying not to press the matter but still a little confused why we needed to jump into dress shopping so quickly.

“She’s just excited,” my mom says, keeping her eyes on the dressing rooms. “We all are. It was all a little sudden so we were also surprised but this is exciting news. Kurt is a great man.”

“Thanks, I know,” I respond and smile at her. The more I spend time with Kurt the more I get to know how great he is. “And yes it was sudden which is why we’ve discussed taking our time with the engagement. We don’t want to rush to the altar, we want to enjoy living together and getting to know each other better for a bit first. So I hope no one expects us to have a wedding right away.” I say it as politely as I can but try to speak firmly. I really should be saying this with Mrs. Michaels around but I think my mom will also tell her what I said.

“What are you ladies discussing?” Gram comes over to sit with us. She puts her arm around me to give me a hug, I lean into her.

“Juliana was just saying how she and Kurt are probably going to have a long engagement,” my mother responds for us and I clear my throat.

“Kind of. I was explaining that since we just moved in together and we got engaged pretty fast, we aren’t going to rush the wedding.” I offer the half-baked explanation but I’m already tired of lying to everyone. The guilt is starting to eat at me and shopping for dresses has escalated the whole situation. Gram nods in understanding and pats my back.

“Alright, here are the two blue dresses in the same style.” The stylist says as she steps out from the dressing room, pulling back the curtain. Mrs. Michaels pulls her curtain back a second later and she steps out of the way to let Tatyana out. Tatyana and Merrin both exit their respective dressing rooms and come to stand on the platform in front of us once again.

“I need to step outside for a minute,” I say, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by everything. I stand up quickly and everyone looks concerned. Tatyana looks at me, questioning if I want her to come with me but I shake my head. “I just need some air.” I excuse myself and walk outside, leaving Tatyana to cover for me, bringing everyone’s attention back to the dresses. The door closes behind me before I let myself lean against the wall and take a deep breath.

“Did you just come out of that bridal boutique?” A deep voice asks, shocked.

Oh no, seriously? Why do I always have to run into him at the worst time?

Chapter 40

Juliana

“Juliana?” The voice repeats and I force myself to look up and away from the concrete sidewalk.

“What?” I look up and paste on a polite smile. “Oh, hi Callum.”

“Did you just come out of that bridal shop?” Callum repeats, his voice still confused and shocked. I sigh and tug my hair a bit, a headache is starting to grow and quickly at that.

“Yes,” I say but offer no further information. Callum nods and looks down at me.

“So I guess you guys are moving along with this wedding?” Callum rolls his eyes, clearly not amused by the development. When I don’t say anything, and he clocks the glare on my face, Callum smirks. “What? You don’t look happy to see me.”

“Callum, after your childish display at our house party, I would be happy to never see you again.” I stare up at him with a cold look, as hard as I can manage when my head starts pounding.

“Juliana,” Callum starts and I see his hand reaching for me but I take a step back, pressing my back against the wall. I decide I don’t want to be trapped, my back literally against the wall so I sidestep around him and feel freer out in the open. “Look, I wrote that song about you when I was mad at you. And it’s not like I lied about any of it.” Callum looks kind of smug, looking down at me with a smirk on his face.

“That’s not fair, and you know it,” I say, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. “I wasn’t ready.”

“Oh, you weren’t? But you are now?” Callum steps closer to me, his eyebrows raising and his smirk growing. A pit opens up in my stomach and I feel sick, my head is throbbing even more now.

“No. Please stop.” I put my hand up to keep him from advancing but he just leans into my hand until my hand is sandwiched between our chests. He leans down until his face is near mine. I turn my head away from him and stumble back a little because of his weight.

Callum maneuvers me again and my efforts to remain untrapped are rendered useless. He backs me up against the wall of the dress shop and I’m fighting back tears now. I know Callum has a temper and I don’t want to cause a scene by trying to push him off.

When I don’t make any moves, Callum huffs a little. “So, you are ready now but not with me? Hmm, I guess that new guy of yours is better than me, right? Of course, he is. Because I am always the bad guy.”

“Well, if the shoe fits,” I say. My voice wavers a little bit and the phrase is a bit cheesy but at least I was able to speak up for myself. I gesture to his intimidating posture with my free hand.

Callum laughs a little, but there is no humor in it. He stands up straight and takes a step back. He doesn't move too far away but at least there is some distance between us now.

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