Page 12 of Bodied

He laughed. “Thanks… babe.” It felt so weird to call her by a romantic endearment. He wasn’t sure how well he’d be able to fake this.

Lauren paid for his suit, and they headed out for lunch before the screening. Wesley couldn’t believe they’d just spent the entire morning shopping. He was already tired and the day was only half over.

“Should we get our story straight?” Lauren asked after their food had been brought to them.

They were eating at a local bistro Wesley hadn’t tried, and he had to admit, it was a nice treat. “Sure. What’s our story?”

“Okay.” She sipped her soup from her spoon before continuing. “Are you more comfortable with public displays of affection or playing a long-term relationship? Because it would be easier to be a new couple — then we don’t have to know everything about each other — but new couples are clingier. So it does kind of matter.”

It was a legitimate question. Wesley considered carefully, and the conclusion he came to was his least favorite option. “Playing a new couple would be a safer bet,” he said. “I still don’t know you well enough to get all the details right. If we’re a new couple, it would make more sense if I get a few things wrong.”

“If you say so.” She gave him a knowing look. “Just remember, when you decide you hate it, that this was your choice.”

* * *

Wesley had never been to an early screening before. Although his roommate had sometimes worked in security for other types of celebrities, Wesley had only ever had political clients. He was used to standing behind his client, listening quietly to speeches, and ignoring the circulating hors d'oeuvres no matter how hungry he was. So, when they walked into the receiving area with all its cameras flashing in his face, he automatically fell in line. He stepped just behind his client and had as flat an expression as he could manage under the circumstances.

Without turning around, Lauren grabbed his wrist and pulled him beside her. “Smile,” she hissed. “They’re taking our picture.”

He obeyed immediately, but it felt so fake that he doubted he pulled it off. Lauren seemed so much more comfortable in this environment than at her mother’s events. Her smile was so much more genuine. She practically sparkled, even though he could tell she was still holding back. It must have been so hard for her to keep up her fake persona all the time. No wonder she wanted to go to this screening so badly. She could let a little of herself shine through.

Also, she was beautiful. It didn’t help that she was wearing a low-cut, fitted purple dress that showed off all her curves in all the right ways. For some reason, that made faking it even harder. The last thing he wanted to do was catch feelings because he put on too good of a show. Especially with a client. That would be unforgivably unprofessional.

Wesley was so distracted by his fake date, he lost track of almost everything else. If anyone had asked him what the film was about, he wouldn’t have been able to answer. Partway through, Lauren leaned over and said, “Put your arm around me, ya dork. We’re supposed to be swooning over each other, remember? This is a new relationship.”

He hesitated. Maybe he should have chosen the old-relationship option. Suddenly, trying to remember random, memorized details about her life seemed far less dangerous than putting his arm around her. He took a deep breath and stretched one arm across her chair back.

She leaned over again and whispered, “Really? That the best you can do?”

He grimaced and lowered his hand until it rested on her bare shoulder. From that point on, nothing on the screen registered with him. All he could feel was the warmth and softness of her bare skin against the palm of his hand. His heart beat way too fast, and his head began to spin. He told himself it was just nervousness caused by how unused to physical connection he was. After all, it had been many years since he last dated, and his roommate wasn’t the hugging type. But nervousness didn’t explain the urge he had to pull Lauren into his lap and kiss her until she, too, was unable to watch the movie they were there to see.

Wesley told himself to stay professional, even as he curled his fingers just enough to caress her skin for a split second. The way his body reacted had him slouching in his seat, despite his usually having impeccable posture. Lauren reached over and aggressively tugged him closer, resting her head on his shoulder long enough that he could smell the perfumed product in her hair.

After the show, he tried to pull away when she held his hand. This was getting dangerous, and she had no idea. Wesley was mentally beating himself up for being too weak-minded to feel the difference between a fake relationship and a real one. But his brain and body were not cooperating just now, and he had no way to let Lauren know.

The entire event went about like that, with Wesley avoiding physical contact and Lauren insisting on it. Her expression revealed her confusion and, if he wasn’t misreading her, a little hurt as well. He wished he could just tell her the truth, but he could already hear the ridicule she would throw at him for being too immature to handle a fake relationship without getting emotionally confused.

So he stayed quiet. And he held her hand. And he tried to muffle the sound of his own pounding heart.

CHAPTER6

LAUREN

The entire event was a disaster. Lauren wished she could have done something about the potential that it would fail as badly as it did beforehand, but how could she possibly have predicted it? How was it this hard to pretend to be dating someone? Had Wesley never dated anyone in his life? Because that was what it felt like at the screening. It was so bad Lauren had insisted they leave early. Now they were back at her place, and she couldn’t stop pacing.

“How?” she nearly shouted. “How are you this bad of an actor? I thought everyone had at least a little ability, but you seem to have stage fright without even being on stage!”

He shrugged. “Which is why I’m not out there trying to be an actor. Don’t be surprised when you have a landscaper cook you dinner and it doesn’t taste like it was made by some famous chef or something.”

She spun on him with a hard glare. “Weren’t you ever in any kind of school play or anything?”

“I flunked out of drama.”

“I…” She fumbled her words for a moment, too shocked to respond right away. “Okay, that’s impressive.”

“I mean, most people would think it was a good thing that I’m terrible at lying. I’ve never been in a situation where lying was not only desired but required.”

“Acting and lying are not the same thing,” Lauren said. “In fact, a method lots of people use is to reach back and find something real that made them feel the same way. Then they can use that feeling to empathize with the character they’re trying to play. Haven’t you ever been smitten over someone in the past?”

---