Page 21 of Bodied

“Why are you still here?” Lauren said.

“Because if I’m going to be your fake boyfriend, I’m going to be agoodfake boyfriend, damn it. I take some pride in my work.”

But that was only a partial truth. The whole truth was he didn’t want to let her cry alone, only he didn’t dare say it. The whole truth was he cared for her, and the thought of her sad and alone hurt him just as much as the thought of himself sad and alone. Wesley missed her smile, her enthusiasm, her playful nature, and he wanted to bring them all back however he could.

“Wear shoes you could hike in and layer everything else,” he told her.

Lauren was still too exhausted to sass him, which was another thing he wanted to give her back. Even that part of her personality, he missed. She slouched and shuffled into her room. When she came out again, she was dressed for a hike. Wesley filled a backpack he found in her coat closet with snacks and water, and then he dragged her to the elevator and across the street to his car.

“Where are we going?” she muttered, clicking her seatbelt into place.

“It’s a surprise.” He started the engine and drove. As soon as he saw that she’d missed her morning jog due to her depression, he knew exactly where he was going to take her. “It’s somewhere I go when I’m feeling down. You’ll like it. Trust me.”

Lauren didn’t respond. Instead, she leaned her head against her window and stared out it for the majority of the trip. Wesley drove them to his favorite hiking trail. It was not an easy trail, which would be perfect to distract her from her troubles. And it was the most rewarding trail he’d ever hiked, with an unbelievable view at the peak. What he hoped was that she would be handed a few endorphins from the hike, and then be dazzled by that view enough that her problems would be put into perspective. That’s what it always did for him anyway.

He pulled into the lot feeling hopeful, and then he felt kind of good about himself for knowing her well enough to think of this.

The hike started out quietly, and Wesley allowed the quiet to sink in before he tried to talk to her about her troubles. Eventually, though, he brought it up. “Lauren, you need to know how talented you are. Please, tell me you know how talented you are. Those acting lessons you gave me before the audition? Those were amazing. And I heard you reading your lines. I’m no expert on acting, but I’m pretty experienced in being human. You read those lines like you really were the character. How do you say it? You brought that character to life. You made her seem human, and I would have believed you were her if I hadn’t known you were reading lines. Surely that counts for something.”

He heard Lauren sigh behind him. “Sure. I’ll just write that on my next resumé.My mom’s bodyguard thinks I’m good.I’m sure that’ll win them over.”

“The point is to winyouover,” he said. “So you don’t give up. Nobody succeeds without failing a little first. You’re good, princess.” He turned back to see her smile a little when he used the nickname he’d given her. That made him smile, and he quickly turned back again so she wouldn’t see how much it affected him. “You’re great at what you do. And they’re going to notice it sooner rather than later. Believe me.”

Again, she heaved a deep sigh behind him. “You’re wrong,” she said, “but it’s still nice to have someone believe in me. Even if he’s only a farm boy.” She chuckled a little, and Wesley considered it a win. If she was laughing — even if it was at him — she could be cheered up.

“I’ll put my money where my mouth is, then,” he said. “You’ll get a big role sometime in the next year, or I owe you… a hundred dollars?”

She laughed. “Is that all? You really are poor, aren’t you?”

“Dirt poor, princess. But I’m proud to manage with what I have.”

She went quiet again, and Wesley let her take the lead. This way he could know where she was at all times without needing her to do a lot of talking.

By the time they reached the peak, Lauren was actually panting. “Jeez,” she said, doubling over with her hands on her knees. “You trying to kill me or something?”

He shook his head. “I jog with you every morning. I know what you can handle physically.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “Interesting way to put it,” she said with a grin, and Wesley actually blushed.

“I didn’t mean?—”

“It’s fine.” She laughed again. “We’ll just say you were playing your boyfriend role extra well.”

“Right.” He sat down on his favorite boulder. “Now, here’s the point of the hike. Look. The sun is setting.” He pointed to the horizon and then patted the spot next to him, inviting her to sit.

She joined him and stared out at the sunset. It really was beautiful. Even the more mediocre sunsets looked gorgeous from this spot. Tonight’s, though, was particularly gorgeous. The sky was a golden orange color, fading to pink in the clouds overhead, and when the sun finally dipped below the horizon, all the colors deepened to reds and purples. But Wesley couldn’t help looking away from the colors to steal a glance or two at his hiking partner, who frankly put the sunset to shame.

“Feel better, princess?” he asked quietly.

She nudged him with her elbow. “Yeah, I do. Thank you. This really is beautiful. You weren’t kidding. Well, that or I’m exhausted from the torture you just put me through and hallucinating the whole thing.”

“Would it matter?” he asked.

She smiled. “Not really, I guess. As long as you’re seeing the same thing I am.”

“Don’t worry. I am.” For some reason her last comment touched him. On some level, it was just friendly banter, but on another, she was thinking of him. Even in their joke scenario, she was thinking of him. He really had misjudged her, assuming she was some spoiled little rich girl. She was always thinking of people other than herself. Even the way she lived her life was more for her mother than it was for herself.

One more time, he turned to steal a look at her with her short hair mussed from the hike and the sweat glistening on her shoulders. She wore a fitted tank top under her sweatshirt, which she had recently removed and tied around her waist. He couldn’t help noticing her figure and felt a little guilty for it. But before he could look away, she turned back to him. Their eyes met, and he held her gaze a few seconds longer than he should have.

---