Page 27 of The Fake Play

“I wouldn’t say you’re a mess,” she replies.

“It’s okay. I am. This way it will be a lot simpler for you. You can rein me in without anyone thinking twice about it. It's just my girlfriend getting on my back. Completely normal.”

“You think it's normal for girlfriends to be on your back?”

“Isn't it?”

She lets out a little laugh. “I don't know, I've never really hassled a boyfriend for his bullshit. Maybe I should have. I might still have one.”

I wonder how long she’s been single. “Don't you date much?”

“Why would I do that to myself?”

“For fun, to find love, to build a family.”

She rolls her eyes. “For the time being, I am focused on my career. All that other stuff is just noise. Distractions. No point in dealing with any of that right now.” Her bitterness is obvious. Something went very wrong with someone she dated.

I don’t want to get into that now. We need to continue talking about the plan going forward. “The point is, people will think I'm head over heels for you, doing my best to change for you, and the press will love it. You don't even have to do much, just be seen with me and play the part. You get to keep your eye on me everywhere I go and keep me in line.”

She lets out a breath, her gaze dropping to the floor for a second while she processes it. “I'm not sure what's worse—that I know that this can work or the fact that my brother will absolutely lose it.”

“First, we tell Whitney. We have to keep her in the loop so she knows what’s going on. She'll get it. And your brother…” I pause, giving her a look that I hope will soften the blow. “He's not the one who has to keep my reputation afloat. He doesn’t need to know the details.”

She raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed with that answer. “That doesn’t mean he won’t notice.”

“I'm sure he'll notice but?—”

“He will definitely notice, and he will definitely have something to say about it.”

“Okay, fine, but celebrities do this kind of thing all the time. I mean, my parents practically invented the idea of fake dating to keep up appearances. Trust me, they're living testament to how well this kind of thing can work. It'll be fine.”

Her skeptical expression softens. “Wait, what do you mean? Your parents fake dated?”

“Pretty much.” As soon as the words are out, I realize this was more of my past than I had shared with anyone outside of my family. But something about Keke feels different. Safe. I know she won’t share what I’m about to tell her or sell it to the tabloids. I trust her. “My dad is gay.”

“Really?”

I nod. “When he started in the business, being out wasn't an option. He wanted a career and to be taken seriously, to land leading male roles. He needed to protect the career he was building at the time.”

She listens intently, her expression thoughtful but gentle. She nods, waiting for me to continue.

“He and my mom became fast friends. They had met at a Hollywood party where everyone's someone, or they’re trying to become someone. She was an actress and they just clicked. One thing led to another?—”

“But he’s gay.”

I smile. “He kissed her at the party to keep everyone thinking otherwise. Once they got to his car to go hook up…” The memory of my dad recounting the story hits me hard. He would always get choked up whenever he told it. “He said something in him told him he could trust her, and after that, the dam broke. He told her everything, even knowing she could destroy him. Instead of destroying him, she proposed.”

Keke blinks at me. “What?”

“Mom was still trying to get her foot in the door in the industry, so she suggested they publicly date for a while to get to know each other. If after six months they still got along, they could get married. She’d protect his reputation and he’d help her get roles by introducing her to everyone he knew, including his agent. That was key for her—she’d been trying to get a meeting with him, but she wasn’t a big enough name yet.”

“Wow. She sounds ambitious.”

I chuckle. “Oh yeah. While they were dating, they developed a strong bond and became the best of friends. He made good on his word, and she got a fantastic agent. They threw a huge wedding that solidified them as the new “it” couple for a while.”

“That’s amazing.”

“I think the important part was they both had their eyes open going into it, so they came up with a plan that would benefit each of them.”

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