Page 4 of Love's Unexpected Surprise

Sarah opens her mouth to say something else, but someone behind her shouts her name, and she glances over her shoulder with a reluctant sigh. She looks back at me and rolls her eyes. “It's nice to meet you, Alexei. I'll be pulling you aside to chat later, so don’t sneak out of here without saying goodbye. After all, I have to make sure you're good enough for my baby sister. But host duty calls. You two have fun!”

We make our way deeper in the party, nodding our heads casually at people we encounter along the way, and a few people stop to chat with Amelia. She introduces me as her boyfriend every time, so I do my best to make it look real. It's much easier than you would think. We fall into a natural sync, and I find it comfortable.

I've never been one to fall in love or settle down, but as we chat with some of her family friends and relatives, I can easily imagine a life with her. It's strange how quickly that feeling comes, and a part of me wants to push it away. Maybe it's crazy to feel this way so soon, or perhaps I've just been waiting for the right person this whole time.

“Amelia!” We both turn around to see a man waving at her across the living room. Amelia looks at me with a wary expression on her face, and I have a sinking feeling in my stomach.

“Remember the guy I was talking about, Greg? That's him.” She turns and waves at him tentatively, careful not to give him too much attention before turning back to me and focusing her eyes. “Is he coming over here?”

I look over her shoulder and nod, seeing him scramble through crowds of people to approach the two of us. Seeing how she reacts to him, my blood heats, and I subtly take a deepbreath to calm myself. I can tell she's nervous about whatever he has to say, which doesn't sit well with me.

He stands right behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder to forcefully turn her around to face him. It takes everything within me to hold back and keep from reaching over to grab him by the throat and shove him against the wall. Who the hell does he think he is?

“Did you hear me calling you?” Greg asks, a dumb smile on his face as he looks at Amelia's outfit in awe. Looking at him up close, I can't imagine why her mother thought these two would be a good match. Amelia looks like a goddess, and Greg is mediocre at best. He's scrawny and an inch shorter than her, with oily skin, thinning hair, and his shirt partially untucked in the back. He looks disheveled and out of place. “Your mom said that you would be meeting me here.”

There it is. Her mom set her up with this guy, and I can see on Amelia's face that she feels betrayed. I can’t imagine how many times she told her mother she didn't want to go out with him, yet this is still an issue. My veins constrict as the anger rushes through them. I clench my fists at my side and bite the insides of my cheeks to keep from scowling at the man.

“I'm sorry, that must have been a miscommunication then. I'm here with Alexei.” Amelia looks at me with pleading, desperate eyes. She's embarrassed and anxious, and this is the last place she wants to be.

Greg stares at me with a raised eyebrow, the smile on his lips fading as he turns back to Amelia. “I can't say I'm not disappointed. The two of us could have had a very good time tonight, and by the way you're dressed, I wouldn't have been able to keep my hands off you.”

Amelia backs away from him a bit while he stares at her, licking his lips and nodding his head. I've seen that look before. I know exactly what's on his mind, and it doesn't do anythingto calm me down. I step forward, my knuckles white as my fingernails dig into my palms, and stare down at him with a stern look.

“She's here with me,” I say in a voice low enough that other people can't hear, but Greg catches every word. He stares at me with a nervous look in his eyes. “I'll give you three seconds to back the hell away from her before I make you.”

“Are you serious?” Greg laughs incredulously at the demand.

The countdown begins. “One.”

“What are you going to do? Hit me?” He looks at Amelia as if to silently sayCan you believe this guy?

“Two.” I feel Amelia's hands on my arm, pulling me away from Greg. I look away from him for a moment to see Amelia shaking her head at me with a silent plea in her eyes.

“He's not worth this,” she whispers. Greg continues to stand in front of us, and I squeeze my fists a little tighter, wishing I could smash them into his skull.

He's watching us while I nod my head and back away. The fury in my blood is raw and palpable, and I want nothing more than to knock him to the ground and beat him until he's bloody. How dare he insinuate something about Amelia right in front of me? I think about him putting his hand on her shoulder, and my blood heats even more.

“Hey, it's all right,” Amelia says, pulling me away from Greg and putting a hand on my face to turn my attention to her. “Take a few deep breaths and try to calm down.”

I do what she says, almost afraid I'm not going to be able to. In my life, my anger has always gotten the better of me. That's how I came to be the man I am.

But staring in her eyes, watching as the smooth, chocolatey brown of them soaks up every ounce of light and reflects it back like glitter, I start to calm. The red in my vision fades, and all Ifocus on is the soft smile on her lips. How is that possible? How can I possibly feel the anger fading away just by looking at her?

How is it possible for her to call me down this way when nothing but violence ever does?

3

The rest of the party goes by in a blur. Dozens of people approach Alexei and me, asking us questions about how we met. I've never lied so much in my life, and a stone forms in my chest with every continuation of the fake story. People believe it, too. I never would have imagined I would be such a natural liar. I guess that's not a good trait to have.

After the Greg fiasco, he lingers around the party chatting with other women to try to find someone to take home at the end of the night. I know that most of the people here are in a relationship, so he's probably won’t have any luck. Every now and then, I can feel his eyes on me, and it makes my skin crawl.

Bold of Mom to set me up with that perv and not even show up herself... She and I need to have a word.

I've been hit on by guys before, and it's always made me uncomfortable. But having Alexei here to stand up for me and get Greg to back down is a nice change. Throughout the night, he surprises me even more. He's charming and witty, the perfect date to bring to something like this.

He holds me close all night, keeping his hands tight around my waist, moving to my lower back every so often. I keep findingmyself wishing he would touch me more. Every time I feel him, my skin heats up, and I feel feverish. I had no idea a fake boyfriend would feel this incredible. Maybe it's time I give the real thing a try.

“The party was lovely,” I say to Sarah as Alexei and I make our way to the front door.

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