Page 17 of Fake Engagement with my Brother's Best Friend

“Sorry,” I say quickly, shaking my head to clear it. “What were you saying?”

Emily gives me a curious look, her smile faltering just a little. “Are you okay? You seem… distracted.”

I bite my lip, trying to find the right words. I want to tell her, to confide in her the way I always have, but how can I? Telling Emily the truth about my fake engagement with Logan would mean revealing everything—the lie, the confusion, the mess of emotions that I can barely sort out myself. I can’t do that to her, not now, not when she’s so focused on her wedding.

“I’m fine,” I say, forcing another smile. “Just a little tired, I guess. It’s been a long few days.”

Emily doesn’t look convinced, but she nods, clearly deciding not to press the issue. “If you say so. If something’s bothering you, you know you can talk to me, right?”

I nod, my throat tight. “Yeah, I know.”

We go back to discussing the wedding, but the weight of what I’m not saying hangs heavy between us. I wish I could be more excited for her, to share in her joy the way I should, but the whole Logan situation has ruined my mood. It’s hard to focus on flowers and menus when all I can think about is how everything between us has gone so wrong.

At some point, Emily starts talking about the rehearsal dinner, asking if I think the seating arrangement is okay. I give her an absent-minded nod, but my thoughts are a million miles away,caught up in the whirlwind of everything that’s happened over the past few days.

“Grace,” Emily says gently, placing a hand on mine. “Are you sure everything’s okay? You don’t seem like yourself.”

I swallow hard, the urge to spill everything rising up in my throat. I can’t do it. I can’t ruin this for her. So I force another smile, squeezing her hand in return. “I’m fine, Em. Really. Just tired, like I said.”

She gives me a long, searching look, but eventually, she nods. “Okay; promise me you’ll take care of yourself, too. I don’t want you burning out before the big day.”

“I promise,” I say, though the words feel hollow. I know I’m not taking care of myself—not really. I’m just trying to hold it all together, to keep up the facade, even as it’s crumbling around me.

We finish up the wedding tasks for the day, and Emily heads off to meet Joseph, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I stare at the neatly organized seating chart in front of me, but all I can see is the mess I’ve made of things with Logan.

We finish up the wedding tasks for the afternoon, and Emily gathers her things, giving me a warm smile. “I’m off to meet Joseph,” she says, her excitement bubbling over. “We’re going to finalize some last-minute details for the rehearsal dinner. You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I reply, forcing a smile that I hope is convincing. “You go ahead. I’ll just tidy up here and maybe grab some fresh air afterward.”

She gives me a quick hug before heading out, leaving me alone in the quiet event room. The door closes behind her, and thesilence settles in, thick and heavy. I stare down at the neatly organized seating chart in front of me, but instead of seeing the carefully arranged names, all I can focus on is the mess I’ve made with Logan.

I can’t stop replaying our argument, the way his words stung, the way my own words came out so sharp, like a defense mechanism I couldn’t control. I should’ve been honest with him, with myself, but instead, I let my pride and my fear get in the way.

Before I can sink too deep into my thoughts, the door opens again, and Emily pops her head back in. “Hey, Grace?”

I look up, surprised to see her back so soon. “Yeah?”

She steps inside, her expression a little more serious than before. “Joseph is busy, so I thought… there’s something I wanted to talk to you about, actually. It’s been on my mind, and I didn’t get a chance to bring it up earlier.”

My heart skips a beat, anxiety tightening in my chest. “Sure, what’s up?”

Emily sits down across from me, her gaze soft but curious. “It’s about you and Logan. The whole engagement—it came as a bit of a shock, you know? I mean, I’ve always thought there was something between you two, but still.”

I swallow, trying to keep my expression neutral. “Yeah, I get that. It was… unexpected for us too, I guess.”

She nods, her fingers idly tracing the edge of the seating chart. “I mean, I understand why you wanted to keep it under wraps until the wedding. It makes sense, with everything going on. You know, I think you two are really cute together. It was only a matter of time before something happened; but I don’t want you rushing into anything.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, but I force myself to smile, to keep up the act. “Thanks, Em. We’re fine, promise.”

Emily nods, studying me with that knowing look she gets when she’s trying to figure something out. “Honestly, I’ve always kind of suspected there was something more between you two. The way you bicker, the way you look at each other—it’s different from how you are with anyone else. I just never thought you’d actually get together.”

I feel a lump forming in my throat, and I swallow hard, trying to keep my emotions in check. “Yeah, well, sometimes things just… happen, I guess.”

She smiles, oblivious to the turmoil going on inside me. “I think it’s great, though. Logan’s a good guy, and you two make a lot of sense together. You balance each other out. I’m really happy for you, Grace.”

Her words, meant to be reassuring, only make the knot in my stomach tighten. I’ve spent so long pretending that this engagement is real, that it’s easy to forget sometimes how much of a lie it really is. But hearing Emily talk about it like it’s something she’s genuinely happy about, like it’s something she’s been rooting for, makes it feel even more like a betrayal.

“Thanks, Em,” I manage to say, my voice a little too quiet.

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