Page 51 of The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco

Nik felt every ounce of blood drain from his body. His mind searched frantically for ways to control the situation, to fix that haunted, fearful look on her face, to make her see that it was okay. “This was never dangerous, Aria. Everything you thought was happening here, that was real, I just didn’t get the idea until—”

“Until you needed a way to trap me,” she finished, striding over to the wardrobe. He could see, in its reflection, that her look of horror was gone. It had been replaced by a grim determination that sent a chill of fear down his spine.

“Aria. I didn’t trap you.”

“You lured me over here with all your fucking money, so you could have a chance at screwing me,” she clipped out, “because you knew that if you asked, I’d say no.”

“You still could’ve said no,” he burst out, rising to his feet. His words tumbled over each other, rapid as the beat of his heart. “I just wanted to be around you. But this happened between us because we’re good together—”

“This happened between us,” she said, shoving on a T-shirt, “because you wanted it to. Because you orchestrated it when you paid me to fawn all over you for a week and sleep next to you—God, I’m pathetic,” she ground out.

Nik threw up his hands. “How are you pathetic? Don’t say that!”

“Don’t tell me what to fucking say! I’m pathetic because I’m so bloody desperate for affection that I confused fake feelings with actual emotions. I’m pathetic because this whole ridiculous plan worked, and you brainwashed me into wanting you!”

“Aria.” The word fell from his lips like a dry, dead autumn leaf. A jagged look of pain crossed her face, and he stepped forward, needing to comfort her.

But she held up a hand and said, “Don’t. You stay right the fuck over there.” She yanked a skirt up her thighs. “Jesus, what is wrong with me? Do I just scream ‘easy mark’?”

He’d never felt so helpless in his life. “What the hell are you talking about? I love you!”

“I’ve loved a lot of people myself,” she said. “But I didn’t care about them very much.”

“What does that mean?”

She gave him a sad smile. “It means I want to go home. Now. Without you.”

Chapter 10

A Mind of Hearts and Flowers

Aria’s best friend opened her fancy front door and beamed. “You’re home!”

“Hey, Jen.” Aria tried for a smile. She could tell, even without looking, that it was more of a pained grimace. Maybe because she’d cried so much on the journey home—first in the car with Georgia, then alone on the plane, then awkwardly not-quite-alone in the taxi. Perhaps her face was stuck in a frown now.

Or maybe it was just hard to fake happiness when it felt like your chest was cracking open. She should’ve gotten that hole looked at, back when she was in therapy. Before Nik came along, and saw it, and used it, and broke her in two.

“Wait,” Jen said as Aria stepped into the house. “I thought you were due back tomorrow?”

“I was.” Aria dumped her luggage. She hadn’t been home yet. She couldn’t go home yet. “Jenny. I… I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Jen stepped forward, frowning, and pulled Aria into a hug. “What’s happened? Why do you look so…”

The awkward way Jen trailed off almost made Aria laugh. In fact, she managed a bitter puff of air that might have been a chuckle. “So terrible?”

“Oh, no,” Jen said firmly. “You don’t look terrible. You’ve got a cracking tan.”

This time, Aria did laugh. Even though it hurt her head and her heart. Even though it felt unnatural, as if she’d never done it before. Even though tears were streaming down her cheeks again. That, Aria supposed, was the power a best friend held.

She buried her face in Jen’s soft cloud of hair and admitted, “I lied.”

“Oh,” Jen said, her voice suspiciously high. “You did?”

“Yes. I didn’t go on holiday with some weird new boyfriend you’ve never heard of.” Aria pulled back and met her friend’s gaze as she confessed. “I went on holiday with a professional footballer who hired me to be his fake girlfriend.”

“Goodness me. Um… let’s go and sit down, shall we?” Before Aria could process that suspiciously calm response, Jen grabbed her hand and tugged her through the house.

“Aria’s home!” Jen trilled to her husband, Theo—who was sitting in front of a perfectly good TV, reading the paper. The finance section, of all things. Aria really did wonder about that man.

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