Page 49 of Marrying Off My Husband

Finally, I convinced her to try Street Fighter, promising we’d play the computer, and I’d help her. I took two buttons, and she took two.

The game counted down to our fight, and we commenced slapping buttons like crazy. With her working the center buttons, I wrapped my arms around her to play the two ends, peering over her shoulder at the display.

“Uh-oh,” she said as our on-screen avatar took a few too many hits.

“Faster on your right,” I encouraged.

We managed to pull it out, slamming the opponent to the ground just before we ran out of energy.

“Ha!” She hopped in the air, spinning to face me to celebrate our collective achievement.

But I hadn’t stepped back yet, so we came intimately close, our faces a hair’s breadth from one another.

This was one of those moments in the movies where the couple usually kissed, caught up in how much they liked each other, but I was completely overwhelmed by the sudden proximity.

With the atmosphere charged between us, I felt the heat rising in my cheeks and the trembling in my hands before I stepped back, running a shaky hand through my hair.

Eve flicked her gaze to the floor, and I, again, felt sorry for her being involved in this ridiculous situation with me. She really deserved so much better because she was a nice person.

“Ah, we probably should go,” I said, my voice a low whisper.

“Right, yeah,” she said with a nod.

I hesitated, wanting to be the guy who said something profound, but I simply wasn’t. Instead, I just motioned to thedoor like a complete loser and walked her back to the car in relative silence.

When we arrived at her apartment, I said, “Well, that was fun.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, her voice soft.

“And, uh, I’ll text you about Tuesday. You know, a time and where to meet and all of that.”

“Great, sounds good.” We reached her door, and she unlocked it, stepping inside. “Good night, Spencer.”

“Good night,” I said before she closed the door.

I slid my eyes closed, a mix of guilt and frustration washing over me. I wasn’t being fair at all to her or myself, probably.

I could have kissed her, maybe, I thought as I made my way to my car. “No, you couldn’t have,” I said with a shake of my head as I aimed for home. “Because you’re fake dating her, dummy. Youhadto tell her it was all fake. And now she expects it all to be fake. You can’t go around kissing your fake girlfriend, especially when no one’s watching.”

I smacked my hand into the steering wheel.

“Who says she even wanted to be kissed?” I countered. “She’d probably slap you. She’s just making the best out of a bad situation.”

I, on the other hand, was making a mess out of every situation. I hoped that when I arrived home, I wouldn’t have to talk to Louise. I wasn’t sure I could handle it.

My own emotions were all over the map, and I wasn’t certain I could clearly articulate anything to her or even cover my feelings with a lie.

I hoped to slink to my bedroom and lock the door behind me to try to get a hold of myself. Feelings were growing that shouldn’t be, and I wasn’t at all certain what I was going to do about it.

CHAPTER 13

LOUISE

Iwaited at the door, my fingers drumming against my forearm and my lips tugged into a pout. Spencer had given me the slip earlier at the date, and I wasn’t happy about it in the least.

I needed to know how his date went, though a small voice in my head whispered that I may be pushing too hard. But how else would he find love if I didn’t give him a little shove in the right direction?

The sun lowered in the sky, and I started to wonder if he was giving me the slip. Would he just drive around aimlessly after his date until he thought I’d be in bed?

---