Page 60 of Surprisingly Us

I distract myself from the thought by reaching into the bag to pull out the set of markers and the notecards I started making earlier. “Notecards for our likes and dislikes, interests and hobbies.”

“And why do we need those?” Rhys asks.

Because I refuse to be in a situation where I don’t have control.

I ignore the pesky thought and give him a less vulnerable answer.

“So, we can get to know each other more quickly. Appear to be a real couple. Chloe told me that’s what people do when they’re fake dating.”

“You told Chloe St. Clair that we’re fake dating?” he asks.

“No, I just asked about her and Barrett. How they navigated the fake dating thing. She was an excellent resource.”

“She told you to make flash cards?”

“No, this is my own process. I like that they’re small and can fit in my purse.” I hold one I’ve already cut up for him. “And be easily referenced.”

He takes the notecard.

“I color coded them. Yellow for me. Blue for you.”

“Why do I get blue?” he asks.

“Yellow is my favorite color. Blue is yours.”

Rhys shakes his head. “Blue isn’t my favorite color.”

My brows lift. “It was when we were younger.”

“I liked blue back then, but I’m older and more mature now.”

“So, what’s your favorite color now?” I ask.

A sly grin spreads across his face. “Pink.”

I laugh because it’s unexpected. “Seriously?”

“Yes. Men can like pink.”

“Yes, of course they can.” I can’t help but smile at his insistence. “And why do you like it?”

He laughs. “Because someone once told me I couldn’t and I thought fuck that. Now, it’s my favorite color.”

“A rebel without a cause.”

He nods. “I wore a salmon-colored suit to the board meeting last week. My cousin, Jerrod, was personally offended so it was worth it.”

“Fine. I’ll make note of that here.” I hold up the favorites card, which includes color, food, drink, scent, movie, musician, and book. “But I’m not changing your color scheme. I already made the cards.”

“Aren’t these all things we’ll learn as we go?” Rhys asks.

“This speeds up the process.”

He takes the stack of cards I’ve made for him to fill out. The mention of his cousin has me wondering exactly what has been going on between them.

“What’s the situation with you and Jerrod? I thought you two were close growing up.”

Rhys scoffs. “Close competitors.”

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