Page 42 of Reeling in Love

The next day, I wake up late and take an even greater amount of time to freshen up. It’s almost lunchtime by the time I’m done.

Gabs is in a surprisingly chirpy mood, which is funny because throughout the week he’s been behaving as if he’s in a perpetual state of consternation and disquietude. We’ve barely spoken since that night at the bar. I’ve helped him a little with his social media, and he’s taking to it like duck to water. In this week itself, he’s had one viral video which has resulted in a huge uptick in his follower numbers.

But it’s the weekend now and we have to drive to his home for dinner and obviously that means we’ll have to talk. Is he in a good mood because of his visit home? That’s unlikely. I’ve never seen him eager to meet his mom, especially if it’s an occasion like dinner or some party.

Has he met some girl he hasn’t told me about? I get a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach as I consider this possibility. Whatever! It’s not that we’re really dating. It’s all fake. He can meet whomever he likes and sleep with whomever he wants.

I watch him from the corner of my eyes. Something’s definitely up. Has to be some girl. Maybe he slept with someone last night. At her home. He did come home late last night. Perhaps that’s why he’s in such an uplifted state.

He looks at me with a tilt of his head. “Hey babe. Slept well? You seem upset as if someone just died. What happened?” He walks over to me, and before I can react, kisses my cheek.

His mere touch sends bolts of lightning throughout my veins. It’s as if I’m sitting on top of a volcano.

“Babe? What’s wrong with you?” I retort, coming back to my senses. “And I’m not upset. It’s you who’s extra chirpy. What’s that about? Slept with someone last night?”

His forehead crinkles a little. “No! Who’ll I sleep with? I haven’t had time to meet anyone the entire week. And, babe, we’re a thing, remember?”

“Again babe? What’s with you?” I turn the other side so he can’t see the blood rushing to my face as he calls me ‘babe’.

“Sorry, I should’ve prepped you. I hope you’re not backing out of the fake girlfriend thing. I thought it’d be good to practice when we’re alone so that we can play the part in public. No?”

I spin around to face him. Does he really mean that? He probably does. I mean, there’s a lot at stake for him and our relationship better be believable. Though whatever we do, I somehow think no one is gonna buy it. I mean, it’s him and me! No one who knows us would believe we could be a couple. But we can at least try.

So I go up on my toes and give him a quick peck on the lips, something I’ve been dying to do since that night. It takes a hell of a lot of willpower to leave it at just a peck.

“I slept well, though I missed your warmth when I woke up.”

His jaw slowly falls open and his gaze freezes on my face, eyes almost popping out.

“Too much?” I ask.

“Did you ever say that to Rick?”

“No,” I shrug. “But then I never really missed him in bed. He used to snore like a freight train, so I preferred if we slept in separate rooms. Coming back to us. We also need to have some ground rules. Do we kiss in public? Do we hold hands?”

“Um. What do you suggest?”

I see his lips and want to say we should practice a little kissing as well. But then I remember I’ve told him I remember nothing from that night. So as far as he’s concerned, he thinks I think we’ve never kissed. Wow! Too complicated.

“Holding hands should be fine. Kissing might be weird. Right? But depending upon the situation, we can improvise.”

“Okay. As you say. Then there’s the question of who all do we tell?”

“Right. For now, I’ve told no one anything. Other than Daphne, of course.” I roll my eyes. That stupid statement is what has led us to this situation that has the potential to endanger this entire relationship. But I’m determined to not let that happen. Whatever it takes.

“We’ll need to tell our friends. It would be weird if they didn’t know we were dating. Right? How do you want to tell them? Over a call or in person? I can tell Alex and Ryan over a call.”

I think about it. Telling Lily and Eva over the phone might be a good idea because then I can zone off or disconnect if it all gets too weird, especially if they’re not ready to believe it’s true. But then, if this were true, I would tell them face to face. So, that’s the quandary, right? If I tell them in person, I run the risk of their figuring out that it’s fake and if I tell them over a call, the act itself might reveal that it’s fake.

“Wouldn’t Ryan and Alex expect you to tell them such big news in person?”

“Nah. Alex told me about Lily over a call, I think. Guys really don’t make a big deal out of relationships. You think you need to meet them and tell them?”

I nod and shrug. “I guess. Or they might think I’m joking. I mean, it’s us, right? No one who knows us would even think we could be in a relationship.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Really? Maybe so.” After a pause, he continues. “If you don’t feel comfortable alone, we can meet them together at Kelly’s before we leave and let them guess it. We’ll hold hands or look at each other in the eyes, something couples do. If they guess it themselves, they’ll believe it.”

I’m impressed. “That’s smart. Okay. I’ll tell them I’m going to Cambridge for the weekend, so let’s meet at Kelly’s before that. I’m sure they’ll come over. They adore the hot chocolate there.”

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