Page 2 of Nothing Left to Lose

Because my dearest best friend won an all-expense-paid weekend in a contest for newlyweds, that’s why.

Yep.

Newlyweds.

That’s where the stupidest shit comes into play.

Because the unrequited love of my life entered us into a contest to win the said fully paid-for trip to Vegas. He thought it’d be funny. He thought I needed a vacation. I’d been stressed lately, he’d said.

And yeah, that was true.

See, we had some photos taken at my sister’s wedding. Of Brody and me in our suits, looking all kinds of handsome.

Looking all kinds of coupley.

Looking all kinds of newly married in the church, and then when we danced at the reception.

We always looked like a couple.

People always assumed we were a couple.

But nope.

Brody was straight.

The fact he’d hold my hand, or hold a door open for me, or stand closer than he probably ever needed to, didn’t help.

Most of my potential hookups took one look at the way Brody was with me and assumed I was taken. I mean, he’d come to gay bars with me so I wouldn’t have to go alone...

It certainly didn’t help me and my hopeless heart.

So yes, this was stupid.

Because now we had to act like a newly married couple. Just for three days, and just in front of the hotel promo people and contest organizers. The rest of our time would be free for us to do whatever we wanted. And there was a gay pool party I was interested in.

But anyway, it had disaster written all over it.

Brody thought it was hilarious. And he thought I’d have no problem with it. And normally I might not have. To be fair, we acted like a married couple most of the time.

But I’d been struggling with it lately. Every time he’d smile at me, or laugh, or put his arm around me, or take my hand...

My heart ached.

And I was tired.

Tired of pretending it didn’t hurt.

Pretending I didn’t want to have what we had... but for real. I wanted him to look at me and know. I wanted him to lean in and press his lips to mine. I wanted him to love me like I loved him.

So yes.

Pretending we were married for the sake of a free vacation in Vegas was a stupid idea.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

There was no way this was going to end well.

CHAPTER TWO

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