Page 5 of My Fake Neighbor's Valentine

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious. She caught them. Seth, their wedding was like in six months.”

“Calling an asshole was nice of you,” I say.

“It was that or asking you to commit murder.” I hear her say over the sound of the shower.

I chuckle as I search for her beige duffel bag. It is better if she has the bag ready in her car instead of having to come here to make an overnight bag. If she needs it, she will have it already, and if she doesn’t need it, then there’s no harm. I pull most of her comfort clothes, the ones I know she likes, and she uses often around the apartment.

“What are you doing?” She asks, a towel wrapped around her wet body.

I have to take a deep breath to control myself. Grace’s focus is to comfort her best friend, whose five year long relationship ended in such a nasty way. I can take care of myself after she is gone, and I can fantasize about her wet, naked body.

“Making you a bag. You don’t know in what state you’ll find her. You might want to stay with her for the night. Safe yourself the drive back.”

“You are one smart cookie, Seth,” Grace says after pecking my lips.

She pauses and before she overthinks her actions; I chuckle and finish packing her bag. She turns and dresses behind me. I walk Grace to her living room before I hand her the overnight bag. “Give Soraya a big hug from me. She is a wonderful woman and deserves so much better. I’m gonna take a quick shower before I go back to my apartment.”

Grace tilts her head; her lips press into a thin line. “I’ll let her know. See ya later.”

I feel the sudden awkward air between us. I want to kiss her goodbye, but now I’m not sure I should. I nod and watch her walk out of her apartment.

I take a quick shower, leaving the fantasy about her wet body for another time and in the safety of my bathroom. Once in my place, I try to distract my brain from overthinking the sudden awkwardness just before she left.

Three

Grace

Ilay the breakfast I bought at my favorite bistro while I recounted the strange look the cashier at the liquor store gave me when I bought a bottle of rum and mojito mixer.

“Did he really looked at the clock before ringing you up?” Soraya asks, grabbing the nearest chocolate croissant to her.

“He even pauses as if to give me time to walk out of the store without the liquor,” I chuckle.

“Wow, I’m sorry I made you look like an alcoholic.”

“No need to be sorry. Now, do you want to talk about it or do you just want to watch romcoms in the hope you can believe in love again?”

“Romcoms please. I’ll tell you eventually, but I need to distract my brain for some time until the urge to bawl my eyes out diminishes.”

“I’m so sorry, friend.” I lean in and give her a side hug. “This hug is from Seth and he says that you are a wonderful woman who deserves so much better. His words, not mine.”

Soraya frowns at me before it morphs into a smile. “Grace Stewart is jealous that her fuck buddy complimented me.”

“Who is jealous? Not me. I would never.”

“Honey, you can lie to yourself all you want, but I know that tone. You said all that as it if pained you to do it. If I didn’t know better, I would swear you hate me.”

“It’s impossible to hate you. For the record, I’m not jealous. I’m simply practicing my girlfriend’s tone.”

“What does that mean?”

I sigh and explain how now me and Seth are pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend to my little sister, who shows up unannounced in my apartment while he is in the kitchen. Soraya shakes her head and chuckles. I glare at her for a second before laughing, too. Soraya is the witness to a lot of my crazy shenanigans, and this new one is not the exception and will not be the last one.

I look at my best friend and I’m grateful to have her in my life. She is one of the few good things that comes from the little mountain town my family loves. We meet when her family move into Clear Springs after both of her parents got a job at the Haven Springs Resort. Her parents, like mine, are still there. The difference is my family has been in Clear Springs for generations. My mom married into the Stewart family and breathe new life into their coffee shop and bakery. All of my siblings live there too, except Maggie, who is here in Maxwell College for her degree. I’m the only one who never feels like Clear Springs is home.

Soraya and I went to an out-of-state university together and landed jobs in Maxwell. At the very beginning we live together but when her, now ex, boyfriend asks her to move in I find a place for my own. Somewhere it feels like home. I love my apartment and my building. My neighbors are wonderful. The same year I move into my current apartment, I change jobs andmet Seth. He not only is my upstairs neighbor, but his business office is in the same building complex the start-up company I work in has their offices.

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