Page 60 of The Match Faker

‘Great. Don’t fuck this up.’

I ended the call.

At least she was convinced that me and Mia were together. Like I’d predicted, the photos had come out well. We looked like we had serious chemistry. And I knew Geena wouldn’t be the only one to notice I’d been seen with Mia more than once.

For anyone else, that wouldn’t be a big deal. But me being spotted with the same woman twice was verging on serious relationship status. I wouldn’t be surprised if the tabloids started talking about wedding bells.

That meant that I was good at my job. I knew how to make the audience believe I was the character I was playing. As for things going any further, hell no.

I admit: I’d had a few weak moments around Mia yesterday, but I had it under control. I was keeping out of trouble, just like Geena told me.

One date down. Only three more to go.

How hard could it be?

23

Mia

As I sat back on the bus, a wide grin spread across my face. Today had been great.

The date for the Happily Ever After Awards home interview was confirmed. Liam was leaving for a fragrance shoot and meetings in Paris on Thursday morning, but said he’d be back by Monday afternoon.

My phone had blown up with texts and messages from friends and family saying that I was a ‘dark horse’ and gushing about how happy they were that Liam and I were together.

Even Aunty Doreen had called to offer her congratulations. Anyone would think I’d invented a cure for a serious disease.

Still, I wasn’t complaining. As sad as it was to admit it, I was happy. Relieved. Not just that the plan was working, but also because I felt accepted. I’d even got a few excited calls from people in the industry.

The press had been surprisingly nice. The articles had complimented my outfit. That was two articles in a row that’d been positive, so I’d worried over nothing. Journalists weren’t so bad after all.

And maybe I might get a decent new client or two off the back of this exposure, which wouldn’t hurt. I needed all the business I could get.

A message notification sounded. It was Alice in our family group chat. I thought maybe she’d messaged about me and Liam being ‘together’, but when I looked, it was a photo of her and Jack on a beach in Bali.

Alice

Can you believe this was taken two years ago! Such wonderful memories!

Mum and Dad had replied with gushing comments. I supposed if I was madly in love like her, maybe I’d be wrapped up in my own life too.

Alice was lucky to have found her perfect partner. When she’d first brought Jack to meet us not long after she started university, I was surprised they’d hit it off because I never would’ve put them two together. He was quiet, reserved and into heavy stuff like politics and watching historical documentaries, whereas Alice was more outgoing and into fashion and parties. But I supposed in their case opposites did attract.

They got married when they were twenty. Some people said they were too young, but they proved the haters wrong. Alice was lucky that Jack was ready to commit so quickly. I was with Boris for more than a decade and he always put it off.

First he suggested we wait until we lived together. Then he said it made sense to do it after we bought our own place. After that it was “don’t you want to wait until we can really afford your dream wedding?”

He used to make me feel guilty by saying, “You keep talking about marriage… am I not enough for you as I am? I’m starting to think you care more about being able to show off a diamond ring than about us just being happy together.” Which of course wasn’t true.

Oh, and then there was the time he said, “My parents got married, then divorced eight years later. Mum’s been with her partner for twenty years since then and they’re not married—which would you prefer?”

Arsehole.

Anyway, he’d done me a favour. I was better off without him. One day I’d find someone who shared my values just like Alice had.

After typing out a quick reply to say what a lovely photo it was, I pressed the bell to get off at the next stop. The bus pulled over and I stepped outside. The temperature had plummeted. I pulled my scarf tighter around my neck and headed towards my street.

My thoughts drifted to Liam and when he’d dropped me home. Given the choice, I’d never have let him see where I lived, but he was insistent that he wanted to make sure I got home safely, which was sweet.

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