Page 54 of (Un)Expected

“Relax,” she laughed. “I’m kidding…mostly. My mother claimed she was the reincarnation of Elizabeth Taylor. Her advice was always to get married. Probably why I’m never going to.” She stood, shaking the empty wine bottle on the table. “I’m going to run to the bathroom and then get us a refill. Does anybody need anything else?”

“We’re good,” I answered.

As soon as the bathroom door closed, Calla and Javi dropped their smiles, turning to face me as Calla spoke. “Okay, spill. I know you’re hiding something, and Javi knows it too. You’re not leaving this room until you tell us what’s happening.”

My eyes widened, flashing down the hall. Javi stepped into view. “If you don’t want Everly to hear, then I suggest you hurry up.”

“Guys, I can’t tell you. I would if I could.”

Calla’s eyes widened to the size of quarters. “What? What do you mean? Are you in danger? Oh my God! Are you pregnant?”

“No andfuck no! I haven’t had sex in almost a year.”

“A year?” Javi snapped at me. “Damn, girl. That’s almost criminal.”

“Table that for another day,” Calla said, silencing him with her hands. “What do you mean you can’t say anything?” Her eyes flashed with hurt. “Do you not trust us?”

“You know I do.” I ran my hands over my face. “More than anyone in the world. But what you’re asking about…it’s not my secret to tell. Not really.”

Calla shifted forward, taking my hands in hers. “Okay.”

“What?” Javi said, leaning back as he glared at Calla, his eyes widening. “I thought we were having an intervention tonight.”

“We promised to make sure our friend was okay.” She turned back to me. “If you can’t tell us, we won’t push, but remember, we love you, and we willneverbreak your confidence. If you decide you want to talk, we’ll always be here for you.”

My eyes darted between her and Javi, heart so full of love (and cheap Moscato) that it felt like I might cry. With that simple assurance, all my walls broke, unable to keep the words inside for a moment longer.

“Adam and I aren’t really dating.”

The words came out jumbled in my haste to spit them out, and Calla and Javi looked at me with twin confused faces. Javi turned toward Calla. “Did she say they’re hibernating?”

Calla shook her head. “I think she said it’s liberating?” She glanced down at her glass. “No, that can’t be right.”

“No,” I snapped. “Adam and I aren’t really dating. This whole thing, our relationship, it’s an arrangement. It’s all fake.”

A couple hoursand several bottles of wine later, Calla and Javier sat in my living room, processing everything I had told them. After I dropped the initial bomb, Everly fluttered back into the room, and the conversation ended just as quickly as it began.

But I knew my timing was dwindling. When Everly yawned and declared she was crashing in my guest room, Calla and Javi wasted no time asking for all the details. Once everything was out in the open, they stared at me with twin looks of shock and confusion.

“Wow,” Calla sighed, leaning against the couch and rubbing her temples. “I knew something was up after that awkward as fuck date, but I didn’t think it was going to be this deep. What the hell are you going to do?”

“I’m going to keep up my end of the contract,” I said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. “Enough people have let Adam down. I’m not going to be one of them.”

Javi’s eyes darted to Calla, and she tucked her lip between her teeth, the telltale sign that she was holding something back. My brow raised. “What?”

“Look, I didn’t want to say anything because I wanted you to figure out by yourself that Adam wasn’t the guy for you. but if you’re saying it’s not real between you guys…”

Wait…what? Calla thought Adam was wrong for me? Of all the people in my life, I thought she’d be the most crushed by the fakeness of our relationship. I was prepared for tears and possible anger, not this strange sense of relief.

“What’s going on?” I said.

“Well…” She sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “I think there’s another person you should consider before you go all in with Adam.” My heart beat wildly in my chest. “You should consider…Cole.”

There went all the air in my lungs.

I shook my head, standing up to wash my glass. No more wine tonight. It made me forget about silly little things like NDAs and how Theo could sue me for my life savings if he found out I spilled.

“Nothing is going on between Cole and me,” I said.

---