Page 67 of Play Pretend

So, I called the second-best person I could.

The line rang and rang. So many times, I was worried he wasn’t going to answer. But then loud music and voices filtered in, and I rolled my eyes.

“Hey, everything okay?” Theo asked, shouting over the background noise. “Trinity alright?”

“Yeah. She’s fine.” I paced back and forth, my stomach twisting. “I don’t know why I called you.” It was stupid. I’d hit his name before I could fully think about it.

“What’s going on?” The noise slowly disappeared, like Theo was finding a quiet place to talk. “You okay?”

“You’re busy.” I sighed. “Forget I?—”

“Come on, man. I’m already on the phone.” He huffed out a breath. “I was about to seal the deal with a girl, too. So this better be good.”

“I’m fake dating my neighbor, but I’m realizing that I might actually like her, and it’s a disaster because her journal said she doesn’t trust men. And I’m a man, so how could she possibly ever trust me?”

All the words came out in one breath, blending into one.

Theo was silent for a long moment. “Okay, back up,” he finally said. “Start at the beginning. What do you mean you’re fake dating her? Does she know about this?”

“She’s the one who asked me.” I sank into my chair and rested my forehead on my palm. I told him everything, and he silently listened. When I was done, I waited for him to berate me, to tell me I was being an idiot for playing this game with her.

But he just huffed out a laugh. “I owe Trin fifty bucks,” he muttered.

“What?”

“She said you’re dating Willow, but I said there was no way. Seems she was right.”

“Well, it’s not real,” I countered, my voice a low, displeased grumble, and he laughed again.

“Ro, everything you just told me screams you like this girl,” he said, sounding amused. I tapped my heel against the floor.

“So, what do I do?” I asked softly, like I was scared she could hear me through the wall.

“Tell her you want to be with her,” he said simply.

“She doesn’t trust men.”

“She doesn’t have to trust all men; she just has to trustyou.”

He made it sound so fucking easy. And for him, it likely was. But for the rest of the male population, making a girl trust us, making one want to be with us, was damn near impossible. For Theo, he flashed them his sparkling white smile, batted his baby blues, and got anything and anyone he wanted.

That never worked for me. And I knew it wouldn’t work on Willow.

“Take her on a romantic date,” he suggested, and I shook my head.

“I can’t push her too hard, too fast.”

“Then take her on a non-romantic date.”

“Why did I fucking call you?” I grumbled. “You’re the worst.”

His laugh was deep and happy, and a smile tugged at my mouth. I never realized how much I missed my older brother until moments like this. “You love me.”

“That’s questionable.”

He laughed again and trailed off, clearing his throat. “You have her journal?”

“Yeah. She gave it to me so I could read all the lies?—”

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