Page 30 of What If I See You

“Oh, my God we…I…’Tainted Love’,” she says.

I nod. “Yeah.”

She points to me, her eyes like saucers. “And then you…”

“Yeah. I did. I’m sorry.”

“And then we…” She looks around the room, the covers strewn everywhere. Our clothes are lying all over the floor. And then her gaze goes straight to my junk.

“Oh my God…”

“Yeah, but Layken we didn’t…” I shake my head. “We didn’t really…”

“Right!” She gasps, pointing to my crotch again. “Because you…”

“I mean we were pretty drunk,” I laugh nervously not wanting my poor penis to take all the blame. “That doesn’t happen all the time.” I shrug my shoulder trying to save face. “I mean any other night everything would wor?—”

“So, we didn’t really sleep together then?” she asks, her eyes pleading for the answer she wants to hear. And though I’m happy to tell her the truth knowing it will relieve her, a part of me feels some type of way that for the first time ever, a woman is happy that I didn’t fuck her.

“No. I don’t think we did.”

Her hand to her heart, she releases a sigh. “Oh, thank God.”

“Wow. Yeah. That stings a little, not going to lie,” I mumble, rubbing away the heaviness in my chest.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like?—”

“No, it’s okay. I’m just…it’s not every day a woman is glad to have not slept with me.”

She cocks her head sympathetically. “I’m sure you’re very good.”

My responding nod may be a bit overenthusiastic. “Oh, I am!”

“Right. Yeah. I’m sure, but anyway…”

Anyway? How can she flip the subject so easily when we’re literally discussing my proclivity for sexual encounters?

“Okay so this marriage thing.” She waves it off like it’s no big deal. “I’m sure it’s not really a real thing. It was just for fun.”

Turning back to the table where I found the key to our room, I pick up a piece of paper that was underneath it. I read the top heading and then shake my head as I take a seat next to Layken on the bed.

“Uh, I’m not so sure about that.”

CHAPTER SIX

LAYKEN

Griffin hands me the paper he lifted from the table. At the top in bold print it clearly reads MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE – State of California.

Both of our signatures are written at the bottom plain as day.

I swallow back the instant nausea as Griffin says, “I think this might be the real deal, Layken.”

Oh God.

I think he might be right.

He clears his throat. “And there was, um, this article that went out this morning…”

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