Page 34 of Fake Game

“Oh, I’ll take some wine while you’re at it,” Stevie jumps in.

Which means I obviously have to join as well. “I’ll take some wine, too. Or a seltzer.”

He levels me a glare, but I just grin even though I’m a little miffed. He didn’t mention having a date tonight when I talked with him this morning. I’d thought that since he is the one who stubbornly brought me here that maybe he did consider us friends. But no.

Nope, we aren’t even close enough for that.

Jackson plops the two beers, a bottle of white wine, and a cherry seltzer on the coffee table.

“What, no glass?” Stevie cocks her head.

“Do I look like your butler? Get it yourself.”

She lets out a tsk and swings her legs off her boyfriend. “Definitely a bad date.”

Jackson continues to grumble as he cracks open the beer and takes a long sip. Curiosity gets the better of me.

“She wasn’t nice?”

“She was fine.”

“She wasn’t hot?” Aleks reaches for his beer.

“Aleksander,” Stevie chastises, sinking back down on the couch next to him and pouring a healthy glass of wine. “Be nice.”

Jackson holds his hand out to me, and I stare at it in confusion. He nods, angling his chin down at the controller in my lap. “The date was fine, she’s just not my type. None of them are.” The tips of his fingers brush against my thumb as he tugs the controller from my hands.

The boys start a new match, but I struggle to keep my attention on the screen, my gaze slipping to Jackson over and over again.

“What?” His eyes clash with mine.

“That was, like, your fifth date, wasn’t it?”

“Didn’t realize you were keeping track.”

“It’s just morbid curiosity, like watching a plane crash.”

“Sure.”

I take a sip of the cherry seltzer, eyeing him over the can. “It’s a pity. All those good looks and you can’t even land a girlfriend.”

His brows pull together and he starts to open his mouth but Aleks’ voice cuts in. “Sucks to suck, loser.” Jackson flicks his attention back to the screen, and he lets out a curse as Aleks rains a parade of bullets at his character and continues to mock him. “You’re really off your game, bro. Literally and figuratively.”

“Let me get one thing straight,” Jackson uses the controller to punctuate his words, “I could date any of those women if I wanted to. I just don’t.”

“Then why bother with the dates?” I ask.

“Because I have to. At least, until my grandmother gives up.”

“Dude, your grandma is even more stubborn than you,” Aleks chuckles. “You’re going to be stuck going on dates until your dick shrivels up.”

“That’s not…” he trails off. “Fuck.”

“See.”

“Why don’t you just date one of them for a little while, get her off your back?” Stevie’s suggestion turns the fizz in my stomach sour. “You could break up after like a month, but at least it’ll show you tried.”

“I thought about that,” he admits.

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