Page 22 of My Fake Fiancé

“Yes, I’m okay. I’ll be out in a minute.” I laugh quietly and we both lay in the tub breathing heavily from laughing so hard. “Wow, this situation is so strange.” She nods and leans her head back, letting out a sigh.

“Wanna ditch?”

“Yes,” I answer immediately and we both wiggle around to get out of the bathtub. Tatyana grabs my wrist when we get out of the tub and she looks at the huge ring on my finger. She holds it up to the light to get a better look, making a dramatic show of it. I laugh and yank my hand away. “Yes, it’s real. Trust me, I checked.”

“Damn.” She says and I laugh.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I said. Twice.” I blow out a breath and brush a strand of hair out of my face. I look in the mirror again then over at Tatyana. “How do we get out of here without anyone seeing us?”

“I might have an idea. This is going to be fun.”

Chapter 22

Juliana

“Go, go, go.” I hear Tatyana and see her gesture dramatically, and I try not to laugh as I sneak my way out of the bathroom and down the hallway, popping into rooms when Tatyana gestures or talks loudly to draw attention to her and not to myself. I feel my phone vibrate and see a text from Tatyana.

Tatyana: Go now!

I smile and dash out into the hallway before I see Tatyana making wild gestures and I quickly duck into another room, bumping into somebody.

“Shoot, I am so sorry. I didn’t see you there.” I back up and hear a chuckle.

“It’s okay. Where are you running off to?” I look up and see Kurt watching me with an amused smile.

I cross my arms over my chest giving him a look, trying to hide my embarrassment by acting annoyed. I don’t answer his question and instead walk further into the room, looking around. “Is this your room?” I look at the twin bed in the corner and the shelves overflowing with books. It looks like a teen boy's room, a smart boy though, an intelligent and book-loving one.

He laughs nervously, “Yeah. Don’t judge. My mom hasn’t changed a thing since I moved out for college.” He gestures around the room. “This is all from my teen years. More specifically, high school years.”

I give him a look, smirking a little. “Cute,” I comment and he laughs. I feel my phone vibrate again and I pull it out of my little purse.

Tatyana: Coast is clear all the way to the door! Get out now !

I look up from my phone and Kurt is watching me. I lift my phone and wave it a bit. “Escape plan.”

“Ah,” he nods. “Got room for one more?” He grins at me. I grin back and open the door peeking outside and Tatyana sees me and gestures for me to go now. I pop my head back into the room and gesture for Kurt to come closer. He stands next to me and I grab his hand.

“Ready?” I look at him and he nods. “Let’s go.” I open the door quietly and pull him out into the hallway then we race down the hall and out the front door. He follows me and we crouch behind Tatyana’s car. The car unlocks and I open the door and climb in, sliding across the back seat to make room for Kurt.

“Keep your head down,” I say quietly. Soon, I hear footsteps on the gravel road, approaching the car, and the front doors both open. I see Tatyana and Mike get in but they don’t turn around.

“Are you in here?” She says, pretending to talk to Mike.

“Yes, and we have a stowaway,” I say, mentioning Kurt.

“I owe you guys,” he says. “That was fun.” We all laugh and Tatyana pulls out of their long driveway. “You guys can come up now. I think we made it.” Tatyana says as she finally pulls out of the driveway and Kurt and I sit up normally. I give a sigh of relief and look around.

“No offense to your parents and everyone there, but that was way too much.” He laughs at my statement and nods, agreeing with me. “Oh no, what about your car?”

“I’ll pick it up tomorrow.” He says waving the thought away. I lean back feeling a bit guilty. I try to brush it away and I look out the window watching the trees go by and then watching the buildings when they start to appear.

“So…” Kurt says, hesitating.

“Oh, no. I’ve heard a ‘so’ like that before.” Tatyana says from the front seat and I turn to face Kurt.

“What is it?” I ask, skeptically, narrowing my eyes at him.

“Somehow, my parents… well, they think or rather expect us, to… move in together.” He finishes quickly and I hear a snort from the front seat. I groan and fall against the door, banging my head on the window. I rub my head and look out the window, taking a deep breath before allowing myself to talk.

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