Page 53 of An Engagement Pact

“I know. But you’re a really nice guy. And an incredibly good-looking man. That’s enough to get someone interested.”

“Incredibly good-looking, am I?” He looks way too pleased by the compliment.

I giggle. “Now your ego is way ridiculously inflated.” I stretch up on tiptoe to give him another quick peck before I get into my car. “Okay. I really do need to go. I’ve got hungry dogs waiting for me.”

He grabs me to kiss me once more before I sit down behind the steering wheel. Then he closes the car door for me and watches as I pull out of the parking spot and drive away.

***

I’M IN A GOOD MOODfor the rest of the day.

Averygood mood.

Not even once for the past few weeks has Dan mentioned the impending end of marriage. Not once has he acted like our relationship is anything but real.

He made it clear in Las Vegas that he didn’t want a one-night stand with me, and we’ve been having sex and behaving like a real couple ever since.

So maybe that’s what we are.

It’s what I want. No question about that. I’ve fallen for him all the way, despite all my warnings to myself. But it doesn’t feel as dangerous to me as it did before.

If we’re together for real, then I’m allowed to be crazy about him. It’s not wrong for me to feel this way.

According to our initial agreement, we will stay married for a month and then get the marriage dissolved, so by that timeline, we only have one week left. It would make sense for me to actually bring up the topic so I know whether he’s intending to go forward with our plan, but I’ve still been too scared. There’s always a chance that things won’t be what I’m hoping they’ll be, and then I’ll be utterly crushed.

Sure, it might be better to know that now, but it would take a surge of courage I don’t presently feel capable of.

Dan hasn’t mentioned it either. If he wanted to clarify things, surely he would have.

So maybe we’re both simply enjoying how things are right now and don’t want to dampen it by defining it.

It does make me a little nervous, but most of the time I’m too happy to care.

I go through my normal afternoon schedule, relieved I don’t have any extra duties this week. I finish up on Thursdays at four thirty, so I have time to drop by Jim and Esther’s to pick up more clothes and chat with them before I return to Dan’s and fix some simple fish tacos for our dinner.

After we eat, Dan asks if I want to go downtown and get some dessert.

I have absolutely no reason to object to that plan.

We have a great time, splitting a cupcake and then wandering around some of the cute shops and boutiques, strolling the sidewalk hand in hand.

Anyone seeing us would assume we’re a real couple.

It feels to me like that’s what we are.

Surely it feels that way to Dan too.

Maybe I should just bring it up. Get it out in the open. Calm the lingering questions in my mind.

Next week will be the prescheduled end of our marriage and our agreement. It’s lurking there in my mind like a warning.

I open my mouth a couple of times to initiate the conversation, but that jittery fear keeps closing my throat.

Dan appears to be having a great evening. He’s smiling and relaxed and affectionate. After a while, he nods toward the coffee shop. “Looks like some of the others are there. You want to go say hi?”

“Sure. That sounds good.” I’m happy to hang out with his friends. I like them a lot.

I’ve never had any sort of real social circle before, and it’s really nice.

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