Page 81 of Reeling in Love

I turn my back to him so he can’t see me blushing and reacting so strongly to his presence.

“Yeah, right,” I say, stepping back and pulling out my phone as if to take some photos. “Your charms don’t work on me, Mr Fake Boyfriend.”

Chapter 34

Gabriel: #FakeIsReal

Last night, after Nora went to bed, I spent a long time thinking. About us, our future, our past. I thought about her and what she wants and what I want and why we are the way we are.

One thing I now know for sure is that I love her. I’ve always loved her.

She’s the reason I’ve had no steady relationship, because I was already in a relationship with her. We called it friendship, but it was always more than that. She was the one I went to when I had to celebrate something. She was the one I wanted by my side when I felt low. The person who knows all my intimate secrets. The one person with whom I can always be myself without fear of judgement.

She has always been the one for me. Always.

How have I been so foolish never to have seen it? It took a fake relationship to make me see it was real all along. Wow!

But does she want the same thing? I don’t know. She’s never believed in soulmates or love or happily ever afters. And after the day’s events, would she still want to be in a relationship with me? We’ve had sex, and it was awesome. I know she’s physically attracted to me. I know she enjoys being with me and I believe I’m her go-to person, just like she’s mine. But would she be willing to take a chance on ‘us’?

One thing I know she would say is that Mom doesn’t want us together. And she would never go against family. Hell, she even met Rick’s family before moving in with him. But Mom likes her. She doesn’t want me to marry anybody except Sophia, because my marriage is linked to her inheritance.

Is there something I can do to sort this out? I go over Mamie’s conversation and suggestion and come up with a plan for the next day.

I couldn’t fall asleep on the couch, so I quietly made my way to the bed and, cuddling Nora, fell asleep within minutes.

I woke up and saw her slipping out from under my arms. Even though I want to seize her, I let her go. I don’t want to hold her forcibly. I have to make her come back into my arms herself.

She spent quite a bit of time in the bathroom. That was good, actually, because it gave me time to talk to Mamie.

Then Nora told me TruthSeekerBob had apologized, and I saw Mamie written all over it. She also wanted to tell everyone that our relationship was fake. Somehow, I hold her back on that disclosure. Because what if it wasn’t fake?

The rest of the day, we prepare for my meeting. Nora was helpful, as always, but I couldn’t figure out where she stood regarding us. So I sought help again. This time, a little before we went out for the evening.

I called up her mom and told her what I felt about Nora. Somehow I’ve always been able to open up to her mother more than my own. It was Sunday afternoon in Boston, so thankfully she was available. Even though Sundays are a hectic day for the restaurant at which she works, she usually takes the day off so she can spend time with Carla.

“I’m sure she feels the same, Gabriel. In fact, I know she loves you. I think she knows it too. But whether she’s ready to take the plunge is something I can’t be sure. Maybe she just needs someone to hold on to when she takes the plunge, to make her feel safe,” she said when I told her.

“That’s all I wanted to hear. That’s all the assurance I need. I’ll wait for her as long as it takes for her to come around. Even a lifetime, if that’s what it takes.”

“Stop being melodramatic,” she chided, half chuckling. “She needs a little push. I’ll try to give her that, don’t worry. You do your job. But do it after I call her.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you. I know you’ll give Nora all the happiness she deserves, and there’s nothing more satisfying to a mother than to see her children get the best in life. I’m glad you finally realized the truth and I’m sure once Nora sees it too, you both will be very happy together. You’ll be complete.”

As we stand outside the Eiffel Tower, I can’t concentrate on anything. I have something in mind, but my anxiety is getting the better of me and Nora sees that. Poor girl. She thinks I’m cranky because I’m still upset over what she said to Mom and Sophia. Nothing can be farther from the truth.

Her mom finally calls her up, and my heartbeat increases. The countdown has begun. I don’t know what her mom said to her, but I hope she’s given Nora the push she was talking about.

This anxiety is a new feeling for me because I’m usually very comfortable and confident around girls. But today, I feel butterflies in my stomach as if I’m going to an investor’s meeting.

We go up the first elevator and then the second one. I keep checking my phone.

“Why’re you acting weird?” Nora asks or something to that effect.

I tell her I’m not. Out of habit, I begin my usual flirt routine, except that this time it’s true. But she turns her back to me and calls me ‘Mr Fake Boyfriend’.

Shit! She thinks I’m fake. Maybe her mom couldn’t really talk to her. I message her mother. “Should I strike? Have you spoken to her?”

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