Page 83 of The Enemy of My Enemy Is… My Fake Boyfriend?

"What do you know about Chase Harrington?" he surprised me by asking.

What did I know about Chase? Jesus. I could write a fucking book about all the underhanded shit Chase had done just at boarding school alone.

"How much do you want to know?" I asked.

"Everything."

"It's about fucking time," I blurted without thinking.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Ah, fuck. I'd overstepped, but at the same time, I didn't give a shit, because in my opinion, Aria's parents hadn't done enough for her. She one-hundred percent deserved to have a family that backed her and supported her, and so far, they hadn't really done that as much as they could have.

All of Mr. Stratton's ire, those dangerously narrowed eyes, were pointed in my direction now.

"What it means is," I leaned in, carefully enunciating every syllable, "Chase has been getting away with everything short of actual murder since forever, and because he looks like a prince and acts like one in public, everyone believes he walks on water, that he can do no wrong."

Mr. Stratton stared at me then blinked, then blinked again, while I sat there wondering what he was thinking, what was going on in that lawyerly mind of his.

Aria's hand landed on my thigh and she whispered in my ear. "Hey, my mom and I have to go check on something. Are you okay?"

Turning away from Mr. Stratton, I faced her, honestly almost forgetting she'd been there, so caught up in the conversation with her father and defending her honor.

She studied my face, squeezing my leg at the same time.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I assured her. "Really."

A smile took over her face before she gave me a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll be back soon."

I took a breath as she left. This was getting too real, and for about the millionth time, I had to remind myself this was fucking fake. All of it.

Wanting to return to my previous conversation, I turned back to Mr. Stratton, but I was distracted by Annalise sliding into Aria's empty seat.

"Those two can never stop working," she said. "Even though they're not technically running the show tonight, they have to get involved."

I smiled, not quite able to muster up a laugh.

On my other side, I heard Aria's dad get into a conversation with someone else, and I focused on my plate for a minute, the food growing cold. I sensed Annalise had something to say, and I was right because a few seconds later, she nudged me in the elbow.

"I hope you're treating her right despite, well, you know..." Her voice trailed off at the hidden meaning behind her words that our relationship was a charade.

"Does she say otherwise?"

"Um, no. But she also thought Chase was her dream man, so there's that."

"I am nothing like that piece of shit. Nothing."

Her eyes were assessing as she studied my face. She didn't say anything, but I sensed she approved, even if only slightly.

"Time will tell," she finally said, swirling the red wine in her glass before taking a sip.

"Yep," I agreed. "Time will tell."

There was really nothing I could say to convince her. Only my actions and time, like she'd said, would prove that I was a decent guy, even if Aria and I weren't in it for the long haul.

I took another bite of the chicken, my eyes scanning the room for Aria or her mom, wondering how long it'd take for them to finish. Sitting by myself with her family wasn't my idea of funexactly, and I didn't like the empty feeling I had once she'd left the table.

Looking for that dark red dress amongst the sea of black should have been easy, but I still didn't see her.

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