Page 112 of Always You

“No.” My molars grind together at half the lie, then I confess. “But she kissed me.”

He chews, disapproval dripping from his face.

“Don’t you start as well.” It’s bad enough to have Jason up in my game the entire time, telling me what an idiot I am for agreeing to this publicity thing in the first place.

“She’s into you, Hunt.” He rears his head back to the TV. “You might not be willing to commit, but she sure as hell is.”

Laurie and I did click. I have to admit that. I didn’t expect it, but if you look past the whole girly shit, she’s cool. Our first “date” went smoother than expected, and she wasn’t awful to hang out with. Definitely better than the girls in high school. Well, except for one.

“Do you like her?” Jensen drops his empty plate on the coffee table, propping his heels on top of it.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Hmm, convincing.” He pins me with a taunting smirk, then grabs my knee in a painful grip. “Word of advice? You have to let one of them go, or you’ll lose them both.”

“What are you talking about?” I scoff, becoming really good at pretending.

“You know what I’m talking about.”

I know.I just wish I wasn’t.

41

“I’m sorry, but this is bullshit.” Julie throws the tabloid on the counter, and I don’t even have to look down behind my glass to know what it will show.

“It’s not real, Jules. It’s just pretend.”

She hangs her upper body over the marble counter, skepticism written all over her expression. “Yeah, you keep telling me that.”

I glance down at her, taking a big gulp of my sweet tea. “What, Jules?”

“Nothing.” She lifts her torso until she’s standing straight again, her blonde hair falling over her sunflower tank top.

I tilt my head a little with a dull look to call her out on her bullshit. I know when she’s got something to say, and in this case? I’ll be lucky if she keeps it shorter than a Shakespearean play.

“It’s just that…” she starts, dropping her gaze to the photo of Hunter and Laurie on the cover, then flips it back, her brown eyes radiating with reluctance, “have you talked to Hunter lately?”

“Yeah, we talk every week.”

“I mean, about Laurie.” No, definitely not about that. I keep up a non-affected front, but I’ve been successfully avoiding talking to Hunter about his newgirlfriend, fake or not. I don’t trust myself to stay in the best friend role if I have to pretend it doesn’thurt. It does. Kills me inside, but if I tell him that, I risk blurring the lines again.

“We don’t have to talk about Laurie, because it’s not real.”I hope.

“Are you sure about that?”No.

“Positive.”

“Charlie, I—”

“I know what you’re about to say, okay?” I cut her off, turning around to grab her a glass from the cabinet, then filling it with the pitcher of sweet tea in front of me. “I’m not blind. I see the photos just as much as you do, but he promised he’d tell me the important things. If his fake relationship turned serious, he would’ve told me.”

I shove her glass forward, locking eyes with her. Her features soften, her tongue darting out to lick her lower lips as she assesses my attempt at holding a stoic expression. The fact that she doesn’t argue with me tells me I’m failing miserably.

“I just don’t want you to get hurt again.”

I push the oxygen from my lungs, mustering a smile. “I know.”

That makes two of us.

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