Page 40 of (Not Really) Faking It With My Best Friend's Brother

“I do miss him," I confessed, my voice barely a whisper over the background noise of the café. “He texted me last night to see if we could meet. I haven’t responded yet because I didn't know what to say. I couldn’t stand the thought of you being upset." I paused for a minute, working up the courage to tell Emily the truth. "But I'm in love with him. And I feel like what we have is the real deal.”

I reached into my purse for my phone and opened Nate's video. "Can I show you the video Nate sent me?"

Emily leaned in as I pressed play. Guitar chords filled the air as Nate's face came into focus. He was sitting strumming an old archtop guitar and singing softly. Emily's eyes widened in surprise.

"I didn't know he still played," she murmured.

"Me either." I smiled, pausing the video on Nate's handsome face. "He told me he hasn't picked it up in years but was inspired to start again."

Emily studied the image, seeming deep in thought. When she looked up at me, her eyes were bright.

"I think I may have misjudged. If Nate is opening up in these personal ways, then..." She trailed off, but I could see the shift in her expression.

Emily took a deep breath and reached across the table to squeeze my hand.

"I'm sorry, Susan. I realize now that my reservations were more about our friendship than your well-being. I was scared of losing what we had if things didn't work out with Nate, and I was being selfish."

Her admission touched me. I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze back.

"Let's be real. You're never going to lose me. Our sisterhood can withstand anything. We're like two peas in a pod, except we argue more, and there's less greenery involved," I joked. Emily laughed, her eyes filled with both relief and amusement. "I've missed that sense of humor," she admitted.

"And I've missed our chats about anything other than my love life," I quipped back. We both burst into laughter, the tension finally broken.

"You're right. And I was wrong about Nate. I see how happy he makes you and how committed he is. You have my full support and my blessing." A playful grin spread across her face. "Maybe one day we really will be sisters for real!"

"Oh, I hope so!" I said with an excited squeal. "Can you imagine? We'd be the best sisters ever!"

Emily's blessing filled me with confidence. It was time for me to take the next step and plan a grand romantic gesture to show Nate the depth of my feelings.

"I want to do something special for Nate, just to show him that all the soul-searching this week made me realize how much I do love him," I said, my mind already whirling with ideas. "Something that celebrates our journey so far and all the special moments we've shared. Like a scavenger hunt!"

A spark of excitement lit up Emily's eyes, brightening the entire room. "That's perfect!" she exclaimed. "Imagine sending him on a treasure hunt through all the places that hold special meaning for your relationship, each clue leading to another cherished memory." Her hands flew out with enthusiasm as she spoke, gesturing as if she were already plotting out the adventure.

My heart quickened with anticipation as ideas tumbled out. "Yes! Rosewood Cafe, where we first met. The ice cream shop. The park,” I laughed.

Emily nodded enthusiastically. "Ooh, and the last clue could lead him to a romantic spot for the big reveal, like that gazebo outside the community center near the park."

"I love it!" My hands trembled slightly just imagining Nate's reaction. After bottling my feelings for so long, I was ready to declare them boldly.

Emily squeezed my hand again reassuringly. "He's going to be so surprised. I'm happy for you, Susan. You deserve this."

I smiled gratefully at Emily, my mind already racing ahead to plan this special scavenger hunt for Nate.

"Thank you, Emily. And you're right, the gazebo would be the perfect final stop," I said. An idea popped into my head. "Oh! Since Nate loves astronomy, what if I arrange to name a star after him? I could reveal it at the gazebo as the big finale!"

Emily clapped her hands together. "Susan, that's brilliant! He'll be so touched."

"I'll make each clue a riddle of sorts, incorporating little memories and inside jokes," I said. Emily and I spent the next hour enthusiastically brainstorming locations and clue ideas, writing everything down.

As we pieced it all together, I could hardly contain my excitement. This scavenger hunt would show Nate how deeply I cared by retracing our journey so far. I couldn't wait to see his face when he discovered the star named just for him, a symbol of my love.

Later that evening, after saying goodnight to my mom, I retreated to my room to begin crafting the first clue for Nate's scavenger hunt. I wanted it to be meaningful yet mysterious, piquing his curiosity.

I flipped through the notebook, where I'd jotted down lyric snippets and random poetic phrases, searching for inspiration. A quote caught my eye that seemed perfect! I carefully wrote out a message in my loopy handwriting on a page and rolled the paper into a small scroll shape.

Next, I pulled out the miniature antique telescope. Nate and I had met one day for lunch at the antique store and Nate's eyes lit up when he first spotted it, imagining the stories it could tell. He nearly bought it himself, but I convinced him to leave it for someone else to discover, planning on going back later and purchasing it. It would be the perfect surprise.

I fastened the scroll around the telescope with a ribbon. For the final touch, I added a hand-drawn constellation on the outside, mimicking the stars we'd gazed at together on the couple's retreat.

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