Page 69 of It's Not All Fake

“No, I’m looking for Chloe.”

“Ah,” he nods in understanding. “Ashley’s over there.”

I almost laugh—I ask for Chloe, and he points me to Ashley. He gestures to the other side of the bonfire, closer to the ocean.

“Her?” I ask, pointing to a blonde clinging to some guy.

He nods, and I thank him.

I make my way towards Ashley, Chloe’s best friend. This is important, and I know it. I need to make a good impression.

As I approach Ashley, she pulls away from her guy and eyes me with suspicion.

“Hey Ashley, I’m Liam,” I call out. “I’m looking for Chloe.”

“You’re the boyfriend?” she asks skeptically.

“That’d be me,” I confirm, extending my hand.

She purses her lips and rebuffs my gesture. “I don’t think so,” she says, her tone icy. “Follow me.” She brushes past me, nearly knocking me off balance.

Her companion raises his eyebrows, clearly as stunned as I am. “Good luck, man,” he says, backing away.

Reluctantly, I follow Ashley away from the fire and the other partygoers. This is not a good sign. Chloe mentioned that Ashley wasn’t a fan of our relationship, but I didn’t expect this.

Ashley stops when we’re out of earshot. The dim light from the fire barely illuminates her, and I hear the surf crashing in the darkness.

Here we go.

“Ashley—I know you’re worried about Chloe, but I have the best intentions,” I promise.

Ashley folds her arms and stares me down. “Okay, what are your intentions?”

“Well, I love spending time with her. I want to keep dating her,” I answer honestly.

“Do you want to date her for real, or are you planning to keep paying her to fake date you?” Ashley confronts me.

She knows about our arrangement. My mouth opens, but no sound comes out. Chloe told her our secret. I’m too stunned to decide if I should be angry or upset.

“Um—” I stammer, struggling to formulate a response. My silence seems to be answer enough for her.

“Let me clue you into something,” she starts, her tone steely. “Chloe has been fucked with in relationships and has faced a lot of loss. You might not think you’re screwing with her head, but you are, and it’s not going to end well for her.”

I get it. She’s protecting her friend, but it rubs me the wrong way. “I don’t think you’re giving Chloe enough credit. You’re making her out to be some fragile victim, and she’s not,” I counter. “She knows what she’s doing.”

“Does she?” Ashley doesn’t miss a beat. “Because she called me a complete mess, ready to break things off a few days ago.”

What? My head starts spinning.

“When?”

“Right before she got on a boat with you.” Ashley raises her eyebrows, as if expecting me to confess to brainwashing Chloe into coming with me.

The day after we first had sex, I realize. She had enough doubts to plan to end it? This shakes me, making me question my judgment in this situation with Chloe.

Is she still conflicted about our arrangement? I worry, the uncertainly gnawing at me.

Ashley studies me, clearly seeing the doubt creep in. She decides to go in for the kill. “Did you know Chloe’s parents got married four days after their first date?” she challenges.

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