Page 14 of The Puck Decoy

His stare trails over me from head to toe, so slowly that I feel my knees wanting to buckle beneath his glare, as he starts to smirk. “Come on, Tink, we both know you can’t stay mad at me, you’re not capable.” He’s right, because of course he is, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it, which is why I smile right back at him as sweetly as I can manage as an idea comes to mind.

“You’re right, Joshua, I really can’t,” I purr, reaching up so I can bring my mouth closer to his ear. “I like to get my aggression out and then move forward,” I whisper, before bringing down my fist and slamming it into his groin, relishing in the deep groan he lets out as it’shisknees that buckle.

“Fuck,” he yells out, dropping down and bringing his hands to his no doubt now aching balls. “Hallie, what the hell?”

I bend down beside him, and shove his shoulder to push him onto his back so he is looking at me as I say, “I warned you I’d hit you in the dick, so you only have yourself to blame. Now remember that I’m doing you this huge favor and that you need to start being nice to me, okay?”

He throws his head back into the grass and closes his eyes with a long groan, a groan that has me thinking of the other ways I could make him make that noise, yet still I stay silent. “I forgot how fucking crazy you are,” he gasps through his teeth atme, bringing his eyes back to mine. “Fucking hell, Tink, I’ll make sure you’re the happiest wife in the history of the world to make sure you don’t do that to me again.”

I nod with a smile, satisfied with his answer before standing to my full height and saying, “Now, be a good boy and go home and plan our wedding.” I once again don’t wait for his response, turning to leave and heading up towards the house.

When I enter I hear music coming from the living room, and find Maddie sitting on the sofa by the window with a glass of wine. She doesn’t look up at me from the magazine in her hand, but she does ask, “Is there a reason my brother is out there on the grass writhing in pain?”

Dropping my bag by the other sofa, I sit down facing her and shrug. “He was being rude to me,” I tell her simply, and her eyes flick up to mine in question, but I don’t elaborate.

Maddie just laughs, shutting her magazine, and reaches out to pour herself more wine. “And to think I’ve been worrying about you, when I should have been worrying about him.” She watches me carefully, closely, as if she is trying to see something before she asks, “You’re home late, have you been with Josh this whole time?”

I know she means since class ended, considering Wednesday is usually the day we both get home early, and I nod. “Josh and I had to sort some stuff out,” is all I respond, not really having the energy to get into it right now, but of course my best friend doesn’t relent.

“Hallie, are you really doing this?” she asks, discarding the magazine by tossing it on the table so she can sit forward on the sofa to look at me. We haven’t talked much in the last week, we’ve not been alone much, so I guess now is finally time for our one on one interrogation.

“Yes, Maddie, I am really doing this,” I grit back, getting tired of being pushed on this. It’s my life, my decision, a decisionmade between me and Josh, and I am already sick of people questioning it.

“But why?” Her question throws me, not because she is asking it, but because of how she is asking it, like she knows the answer, the real answer. The one where I am secretly in love with her brother and would do anything for him including becoming his fake wife.

I could tell her the truth, I should tell her the truth, but that honesty would ruin everything, so instead I give her something else. “You’re my best friend, Madeline, you have been by my side since I was nine years old, but there is no you without him. He’s my best friend too.” I see the disbelief in her eyes at my words, and I understand it. Josh and I haven’t exactly been making friendship bracelets for one another these last few years, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still consider him my best friend.

“You guys fight all the time,” she says in defense, as if that argument alone is reason enough not to do this, and I almost laugh.

“So? Four months ago you and Nova absolutely despised each other, but look at you now.” It’s a low blow, we both know it, but surely she has to understand where I am coming from.

“But what Nova and I have is real.” I can hear the conviction in her words, see the sparkle in her eye at just thinking of her boyfriend and how they came to be, but still she has to understand.

“And you’re basing the decision to be with him on the last couple of months. You trust in it, which you should, I have never seen you happier, but I’m basing my decision on the last ten years. Our marriage might be fake, but our friendship isn’t, and that’s what I’m putting my trust in. That, and him.”

I see the moment she realizes that I won’t back down on this, not even for her, and I watch as she takes a deep slug of her wine before she stands and moves to sit next to me. “I guess I justdon’t understand how you can do this,” she tells me honestly, and I get her concern, I really do, but it won’t stop me.

“You don’t have to understand, but as my friend you do have to support it.” I ensure my voice remains strong and clear, despite how I feel inside, and I see her entire body deflate.

“Hals, you’re my best friend, I’ll support you through anything, you know that.” Words I’ve heard a million times, yet I really needed to hear them again now, and I smile a little as I reach out and pull her hand into mine.

“Then you know why I have to do this,” I tell her, squeezing her hand gently.

We stare at one another for a few seconds before she sighs in defeat. “Then I guess you’re not just my best friend anymore, but my sister-in-law too.” Tears gather in her eyes, and I feel my own burn with emotion as I laugh.

“Well that’s what they tell me these things mean,” I say, holding up my other hand to showcase my newest accessory, and her jaw drops.

“Oh my god, he got you a ring?” she squeals, snatching my hand up in hers, and studying it closely. “Hallie, this is real, like real,” she gushes, and I have to laugh considering her reaction is similar to what mine was.

“Yeah I know, Josh said it’s like Tinkerbell in a ring,” I repeat his words, and her eyes snap to mine, a curiosity in them that wasn’t there before, but she hides it with a smile.

“Well, it’s beautiful, really, and it suits you.” Her words have me examining the ring myself, still so foreign feeling on my hand given I never usually wear any kind of jewelry, and it's definitely going to take some getting used to. “So let me guess, you guys are having a spring wedding?” She stands, rolling her eyes, clearly knowing her father better than he would like, and it reminds me so much of her brother. They are so alike.

I follow her into the kitchen, cringing a little as I say, “Actually we are getting married on Saturday.”

Maddie stops abruptly and I almost slam right into her, like Josh just did to me, and when she turns around, her mouth is open. “On Saturday? As in Saturday, meaning like, the day three days from this one?” She rambles, and I nod slowly, before quickly explaining that she was right. Her dad did try to force the spring wedding on us, but we are taking back the power and doing it our own way. She looks at me in disbelief before she laughs. “Of course he did, god he’s such a fucking asshole, no wonder Josh gave himself over to him. He’s always been smarter than I am, smarter thanhim, if anyone can ruin him it’s his own son molded in his shadow.”

Her words have me pausing because she’s right, Josh has a heart of gold that was turned to stone when he grew up and realized the type of man that was raising him. And instead of following in his footsteps, taking the easy route and privilege available to him, he's done the opposite. He’s stepped up, stepped in, and done whatever he can do to protect his sister from their father and his cruelty, and now he’s willing to risk it all to show everyone just what kind of man their Mayor is.

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