Page 93 of Fake

If that’s true, I’m sorry I called you a whore for clicks.

It is true.

And I just now realized you said you’re not feeling up to talking and I’m making you talk anyway.

When you’re ready, I’m here.

I wait for signs of a response that never come, then lock my phone with a sigh and head to the freezer for another pint of ice cream.

THIRTY-EIGHT

Nathan

I glare at my phone as the last text from Mina comes in.

Mina

When you’re ready, I’m here.

I’m not fucking ready to talk to her and I don’t know if I ever will be. She knew how I felt about Fallon. She knew! I should have been made aware of their friendship from the very beginning.

All those articles.

All those terrible things Fallon said about me.

And Mina just let it happen.

Or worse, she was in on the game.

How many times do I need to get my heart trampled before I fix this idealistic streak of mine? I’m a prime target for manipulators. First Blossom. Now Mina. I’m so ready to believe people are mostly good that all they have to do is pretend to be decent and I’m hooked. I even defended her to Dom when he was trying to keep me from making this very mistake.

Fuck!

I run my hands into my hair and pull.

I wish Nick were here…

The thought is a nuclear blast of anxiety. Nick’s lost. Maybe hurt or dying. Maybe already dead…

And here I am wishing he could make me feel better. How pathetic can you get?

I check my phone in case I missed a call or text with news, then toss the thing onto my coffee table when there’s nothing to see, only to pick it right back up to call Micah.

“What?” my cousin barks, just before the call goes to voicemail.

I lean forward, grimacing. Micah doesn’t bark greetings. “Wow. Okay. Hello to you, too.”

“What do you want Nathan?” Again with the clipped tone. Something’s crawled up his butt and made itself comfortable.

“Why are you being such an ass?” I grumble when what I should have said is what’s wrong?

It’s like I’ve gone back in time and am everyone’s favorite villain again. If I’m not careful, I’ll start spouting the dreaded barbed wire speech again.

Micah scoffs and it’s like anger shoots through the phone to slap me in the face. “Maybe because I’m pissed with you? Your timing could be better, you know. Nick going missing is a lot to deal with. I haven’t slept since we found out. Now we find out you’ve been lying to us about falling in love, faking a relationship. And how did we find out about it? Because some stranger posted about it on the internet.”

“I wasn’t lying.” Even I hear how defensive I sound, so I take it down a notch. “I was genuinely falling in love with Mina.”

Micah sucks his teeth. “So the relationship wasn’t fake?”

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