Page 62 of Fourth Wall

“Don’t get me wrong, last night was fun, but I’m still really fucking pissed at you,” Maeve said as she tightened her ponytail and practically stomped into the living room. I quickly chased her and grabbed her elbow, whipping her around to face me.

“Let me take you out.”

“Where?” She shook her head like I had just asked her to go grocery shopping with me.

“On a date.” More silence. All of a sudden, laughter filled the air, but this wasn’t the same as her normal joyful sounds.

“Christian. We can stop pretending now. Tyler left. The fake dating charade can stop.”

I grabbed her wrists and pulled her tight to my chest. I leaned down so my mouth hovered over hers. I took two deep breaths in before I said anything.

“Firecracker, does this feel like fake dating to you?” I leaned down closer. “Did last night feel fake to you?”

31

Maeve

“I-I just don’t—” I stopped. Did it feel fake? No. Nothing about last night felt fake. Nothing about sitting with Christian while he told my ex that he would help out with my kids schooling so that I looked better to the court felt fake. But the truth was so much scarier than the lie we were trying to play off.

He inched closer to me. “This is real to me. Please go out with me, like a proper date.”

I took two breaths and paused for a moment before looking back up at him. “I’m scared.” My voice was barely above an audible whisper. My hands were glued to my side, but I felt them shaking beneath me. “I thought you didn't date.”

He pulled away from my face and looked me up and down like he was taking me in.

“I don’t.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I want to try it with you.”

Fuck. Fuck. This would mess everything up, but it already had been.

“I can see your brain thinking over there, firecracker. Stop thinking, just do.” I nodded slowly.

“Okay. A date.” He smiled one of those genuine smiles that filled me with pride and joy.

“Wear something you can get dirty.” He dropped a kiss on my lips so quickly and naturally that it felt normal.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I asked as he bounded up toward the stairs.

“Nope, but we’re leaving in a few hours.”

I sat in my room and contemplated what to wear for what felt like hours. I ended up wearing a pair of ripped straight jeans, my favorite Keds, and a white sleeveless bodysuit. I added a few stacked necklaces and matching earrings. I called Chels, who guided me through curling my hair.

I looked at myself in the mirror and wanted to rip everything off and hide under my covers for many reasons. The biggest one being that I was going on a freaking date.

I called Tatum. I was panicking, and I didn’t want to leave this room because then I would run into Christian…because we shared the same house. I huffed.

“Hey.” Her voice was breathless as if she had been running.

“What’re you doing? Why do you sound like you have no voice?”

“Nothing.” I heard her giggle and then Julian in the background.

“Ew! Tatum Marchetti, are you having sex while you answer this phone call?”

“Maybe? Is this important?”

“Yes. Hurry and finish up and come over.” There was silence on the other line.

“Give us five minutes,” Julian said, and I made another disgusted noise before hanging up.

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