Page 43 of The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco

I love you, she thought, as if it were a natural response. So natural that she opened her mouth and almost let it spill out into the world. Then, thank God, she caught herself and clamped her teeth together. “Great! That’s great! Fantastic!”

It was, possibly, the first time Aria had ever held back those three little words. She threw love around all the time, especially in the messy relationships she’d once cobbled together and clung to for reassurance. She’d told Simon she loved him, for fuck’s sake. The words had never felt heavy on her tongue, had never felt like a spell that, once whispered, could change everything.

They did now. Because Aria had the unnerving suspicion that she might really mean it. That she might mean it the way she did when she said it to Jen, or to her annoying little sisters, only different. Different in a way she’d heard of but had never really understood.

Fuck.

She backed away from Nik as his friends surged forward to see the tattoo. She needed to wrap it up. But Nik wasn’t an idiot; he wouldn’t let anyone touch what was essentially an open wound. She could leave him here for a second while she ran to the bathroom and tried to figure out what the hell was causing these strange feelings in her chest.

No-one noticed Aria leave—except Nik, of course. He always noticed, always found her in a crowd, always watched her from afar. When she scurried out of the door, she felt his gaze on her like a promise. Like the first promise he’d ever made her, one she hadn’t believed in at the time: “I will find you.”

Somehow, in the weeks that had passed, Aria had grown to trust every single word that came out of his mouth. But was that wise? Was it even real? Or was she doing the thing she always did, the thing she’d tried so hard to stop after learning just how dangerous it could be?

Aria didn’t know. And five minutes staring at herself in the bathroom mirror didn’t help matters. No ghostly breath created condensation on the glass; no secret messages appeared. All she saw was her own face, eyes somehow less tired than usual, skin glowing more than it did back home. Must be the vitamin D.

She kind of wished Nik was here, so she could make that horrible joke aloud and he could laugh as if it were funny.

God, this was worse than any crush she’d ever had—if it was even a crush. It felt like she was falling for him. It felt like she was fucking smitten, but that, Aria decided as she unlocked the bathroom door, was a feeling she couldn’t trust.

“Aria.” Her name, spoken by a voice she barely recognised, was all the warning she had before a big body blocked the doorway, pushing her back.

She was still holding the needle she’d used on Nik, though she’d wrapped it back up in its packaging, ready for disposal. She clutched the little plastic bundle tight as Shenker’s pretty face came into view. He gave her an apologetic look as he shut the bathroom door, closing them in together.

“What the fuck?” she demanded.

He held up his hands. “I’m not trying anything. Swear. I just want to talk.”

“In a fucking toilet? Fuck off before I stab you!”

“Aria calm down. I just need to talk to you without Nik hanging around.”

“Why?” she demanded. “What could you possibly have to say to me that my boyfriend can’t hear?” Boyfriend rolled from her lips far too naturally, but she was too on edge to worry about it.

“I want to warn you,” Shenker said.

The words cooled the rage in her blood like a bucket of ice. Warn her? About what? Suspicion unfurled in her chest, its taste bitter and familiar, edged in sour panic. She’d been right to hesitate, to question her feelings. Nik had secrets. He’d been lying to her. He’d been hiding something. She knew it.

“What?” she demanded. To her horror, tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. She blinked them back furiously and speared Shenker with a glare. “Go on. Tell me.”

He leant against the door and eyed her with what seemed to be genuine pity. “You know he’s just using you, right?”

“How?” she demanded.

“I can tell you’re a sweet girl.” At her derisive snort, he insisted, “You are! A nice girl. A good girl.”

He was saying girl rather a lot, considering she was close to thirty.

“Obviously, Nik couldn’t use his usual tactics with you,” Shenker went on, his tone earnest. “So, he had to try something new. That’s all this is, this girlfriend thing. As soon as he gets tired of fucking you—”

“Oh, seriously? That’s all you’ve got?” Aria rolled her eyes, the panic in her veins draining away all at once. Shenker didn’t know anything, and he wasn’t here to ‘warn’ her. Clearly, he just wanted to talk crap about Nik, maybe to break up their supposed relationship. Aria didn’t know why the two of them hated each other so much, but she did know shit-stirring when she heard it.

“I’m serious,” the blond said. And he really did sound serious. If it weren’t for the fact that, actually, Nik was paying Aria to be his girlfriend, she might even believe the guy. “He’s never stayed with anyone for more than five minutes. You haven’t seen him in action.” Shenker’s lip curled. “It’s fucking disgusting.”

“Oh, come on. His sex life offends your delicate sensibilities? Grow up. This whole house is shagging twenty-four seven.”

“It’s not the same,” Shenker spat. “He can’t even stay with one woman. Or,” he sneered, “one man.”

Understanding dawned. Aria ground her teeth so hard, a flash of pain lanced through her skull. “So, what you’re saying,” she gritted out, “is that my boyfriend’s a cheating skank because he’s bi. Yeah? Is that right?”

---