Page 102 of Fake It 'til You Make It

She didn’t look at him the way she looked at me. I know that. But she still searched for him. She still cares that he’s here.

I may have been a fool when it comes to Fleur and I might not have the most extensive experience of relationships with women, but I’m not fool enough to think that the three weeks we’ve known each other can compare to the years Abbey and Andrew were together. Their shared experiences. The way they must know and understand each other.

And I’m Mike.Fecking Mike.

I’ve made an absolute disaster of this.

The heat of the day is cooling off and some of the trees are providing shade as Abbey’s dad makes a speech, followed by Nate. There’s no cake cutting but there is going to be a first dance and it’s the string quartet who announce the song andask the newly re-vowed couple to head on up to the dance floor.

Terry doesn’t strike me as someone who naturally wants to dance in front of others, but he lets Anna lead him onto the purpose-laid floor and as the quartet begin to play, he twirls his wife under his arm.

I can empathize. I’m not a very public person and I have two left feet in any event. But Mike would dance at a party. He’d be the first person on the dance floor, even at a vow renewal. That’s my job today; it’s my return favor to Abbey.

And for the part of me that isn’t a lie here, I can’t miss an opportunity to hold Abbey in my arms and do what I’ve been wanting to do all day: kiss her.

As other guests begin to move onto the dance floor, I make for my fake girlfriend and the girl I’m fairly certain I’m falling in love with.

She looks up to me and beams when I hold out my hand, making me feel like I’m finally enough for someone, more than enough. ‘I’m not much of a mover but I’m not going to miss an opportunity to dance with the most beautiful woman here.’

Her lips grow wider and my heart skips at the thought that I made that happen. She slips her hand into mine – finally, I can touch her – and we head onto the dance floor, where other couples have started to dance alongside Abbey’s parents.

I pull her into me and, at last, my lips are on hers. She’s still Abbey from yesterday, even if we are one day closer to this being over. The woman I fell for in the mountains is still here now and kissing me back like she feels as much for me as I do her.

I don’t question it or overthink it, I just lean in.

We dance through two or three more slow songs, kissing, touching, twirling, until the quartet declare they’re done for the day and will be replaced by a DJ for the evening.

I’ve pulled my seat up to the top table now to sit with Abbey and share a glass of champagne. Her mom declares she’s going to change out of her outfit into something she can ‘boogie’ in and Terry stands to pull out her chair – nice touch.

None of us are expecting to see Andrew, with some woman following behind him, charging toward the top table.

And he’s making a beeline for Abbey.What the actual?

I’m not worried for her safety but I don’t like the look of fire in his eyes, so when Abbey stands, I rise with her, noticing as I do the magazine in Andrew’s hand.Fuck.

‘Have you seen this?’ he snarls at Abbey, shaking the rolled-up magazine angrily, his steps faltering. He’s drunk.

‘Seen what?’ Abbey asks calmly, though I hear a tremor in her voice. She’ll hate this scene, the conflict, but more than that, she’s going to hate what Andrew is about to expose.

‘Him,’ Andrew snaps, pointing now at me.

‘Andrew, don’t do this,’ I beg him. ‘Not here. Let’s go somewhere?—’

‘He’s no baseball player, Abbey,’ he yells. ‘The only thing he’s playing is you. Look at this.’ He casts the copy ofGQdown on the tabletop.

Terry steps to Abbey’s side. ‘Calm yourself down, Andrew. This isn’t the time or the place.’

‘Oh it is, Terry. She needs to know right now. His name isn’t even Mike. It’s Theodore. Theodore Thomas and he’s a tech developer, not a sports star.’

Andrew steps right up to us now and I’ve never wanted to smack another guy in the face as much as I do this jerk. I’ve never hit a man or anyone in my life. But the rage that slams into me like a bullet train is indescribable. I understand what peoplemean when they say a red mist descends. It feels like a fire has engulfed me. For the first time in thirty odd years, I want to hit something, someone.

‘He’s been playing you, Abbey, and you’re so trusting and unsuspecting that you’ve been a doormat to him.’ He leans his head to one side. ‘Abbey, he’s making a fool of you.’

Fuck, fuck, fuck. ‘Abbey, I can explain.’ Can I? Right here? Now? I’m not sure I can.

In all my calculations of how and when this whole thing could implode, I did not envisage it happening like this.

Andrew is shouting at us from the other side of the table and every person in the room is looking our way. Abbey’s dad tries to weigh in. I want to tell him not to. I don’t want to get him tied up in this, too.

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