Page 59 of Faking It with the Off-Limits Doctor

When I pull up outside Mark’s house, I’m angry. He must have confronted Alex. It’s the only thing that makes any sense. And as much as I want to find out the truth before I lambast him with all the reasons none of this was any of his business, I can feel the rage boiling as I reach the top step. I don’t even knock; I just walk straight into the house.

“Are you in here?” I yell.

Mark strides out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. He eyes me with a scowl, and I scowl right back.

“What did you do?” I demand.

“I could ask you the same question. I know you and Alex sat here on that very seat and lied to my face. I don’t know who I’m more disappointed in.”

“I don’t care,” I cry. “Who the heck do you think you are, sticking your nose into my business? I’m sick and tired of this ridiculous big brother thing you have going on.”

“Hang on,” Mark says, tossing the towel aside. “I’m not the bad guy here.”

“Did you tell him?” I demand.

“You’re the one who lied to me, Dara.”

“Did you tell him?” I repeat.

“He’s my best friend, and you’re my sister.”

“Did you tell him?” I bellow, teetering on the verge of losing my sanity.

“Yes!” Mark yells back. “I told him. I told him that I knew it was all fake.”

“Did you tell him that it was Astrid who told you?” I ask, my voice now close to breaking.

Mark nods again. He seems a little calmer now, which I think has a lot to do with the fact that I’m on the verge of breaking down in tears.

“Dara, what’s going on?”

“He’s gone,” I whisper, my voice breaking. “He’s gone and he won’t ever come back.”

I can’t hold the tears back any longer, and breaking free, they trickle down my cheeks. Then Mark has his arms around my shoulders, and I’m sobbing into his chest.

It’s a little later when I calm down. Mark has already lowered me onto the sofa and remains by my side. Ever the protective sibling, with his arm still around my shoulders. He moves his arm and turns to look at me head on.

“You want to tell me what’s going on?”

I do. I tell him everything, from the very beginning when Alex offered me a job, to the proposal of the fake relationship. I tell him why it was so important to Alex, at which point, Mark looks more than guilty. I explain that lines have become blurred in the last couple of weeks, and I tell him what happened between us last night.

“So, you see,” I sniff, “it might have started off as us pretending to be together, but as time has gone on and we’ve spent more time together, we discovered we actually do like each other. A lot.”

“And I messed all that up with my big mouth,” Mark said, looking remorseful. “I’m sorry, Dara. I should have spoken to you first.”

I shrug. “It doesn’t matter now. He’s gone and he never wants me to contact him again.”

Mark shakes his head. “I’m not willing to accept that, and neither should you.”

I frown up at him with a quizzical expression. “What?”

He gives me a half smile. “I think we can still fix this.”

23

Alex

I could have answered the call. I was driving, but the phone was connected to the Bluetooth in the car. But once I saw Dara’s name on the screen, I couldn’t do it, even though I was half expecting her to call.

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