Page 30 of Between Here and There

“You’re really committed to this bit, aren’t you?” I tease.

“I’m not one to half-ass things, babe,” he says. My heart involuntarily leaps.

We continue walking with our arms around each other. The weird thing? It isn’t weird. We fall into step so easily. The air at this time is hot, and the streets are quiet except for the occasional honk of a tricycle. For a moment, it’s peaceful, and I almost forget that everything about this situation is a lie. And that’s what worries me.

It’s only been a day, and I’m already on the verge of breaking my rules. I can’t be that girl who catches feelings for her fake boyfriend—no matter how swoon-worthy he may be. I’ve never been too influenced by my emotions before, and I’m sure this time can’t be any different. Besides, feelings are not caught, they’re developed over time. And definitely not in a span of two weeks. I remind myself again that this is temporary, and I can enjoy it while it lasts. But I won’t ruin it by wanting to make it real.

After a long bath, I change into a short pink dress. I miss wearing summer clothes. New York summers are still too chilly for my liking, so I hardly ever get to wear shorts or mini dresses. But here, I can finally embrace the warmth.

I check my phone to see that Joshua made some edits on the note I shared last night. I open it to see my altered list.

I chuckle as I head over to the Santiagos’ since Bon is still getting ready. I swore to secrecy with Kate and Haley that I will keep Bon occupied today, so I make sure she doesn’t make any detours.

“Hey, Em!” a familiar voice calls out behind me.

I turn to see Richard jogging up, his tie slightly loosened and his usual confident grin in place.

“Richard!” I say, throwing my arms around him in a quick hug. Richard and I have always been close. Well, we’re all close, but he and Rob were the only guys around our age growing up, so naturally, we hung out more. And who could forget prom? He was everyone’s last-minute date after their plans fell through. Meanwhile, I didn’t even have a date—I was too busy with college applications.

He steps back and gives me a look. “How’s it going?”

“Oh, you know,” I say with a shrug. “Still alive, functioning. Nothing headline-worthy.”

“And dating Joshua,” he adds with mock seriousness, nodding like he’s evaluating a major life achievement. “I gotta say, no one saw that coming.”

“Believe me, neither did I,” I reply, squinting at him. His polished corporate look—button-down shirt, tailored slacks, and a messenger bag slung over his shoulder—makes him seem way too put together. “But more importantly, where are you off to? Are you auditioning for a ‘Business Casual’ fashion spread or something?”

He laughs, tugging at his tie like it’s a noose. “Law school stuff, obviously. Gotta look the part, even if I’m suffering on the inside.”

“Right,” I reply. “Almost done with law school. Good—this town’s going to need you years from now when Haley finally gets arrested for who-knows-what.”

He smirks, his eyes glinting with amusement. “You’re giving her years before that happens? Optimistic.”

“That’s fair,” I say with a grin. “She’s overdue as it is.”

He chuckles, shaking his head. “Where are you off to?”

“I’ve got my own very important thing to do today: keep Bon occupied and make sure she doesn’t escape.”

“Oh, good luck with that,” he says, raising an eyebrow. “You know she’s like a cat when she doesn’t want to do something, right? Impossible to catch, impossible to reason with.”

“Don’t remind me,” I groan dramatically. “If I don’t come back, tell Kate and Haley I did my best.”

Richard laughs, giving me a playful salute. “Will do. Good luck, Em. You’re gonna need it.”

With a final wave, he heads off toward whatever law school adventure awaits him, and I walk toward the Santiagos’.

I enter their home without even ringing the bell, and decide to wait in their giant living room. Just as I’m about to sit down, I hear the front door creak open. I turn around, and—oh my god.

Josh steps in, a toolbox in one hand and a towel in the other. He’s shirtless, glistening with sweat, and his tattoos are fully on display, winding from his right arm up to his chest—intricate and distracting. Terribly distracting. His skin is a golden tan, though his hands are darker, with a faint tan line from the shirts he must wear on-site. He should really think about using sunscreen to even that out.

I try to focus on anything else, but my eyes betray me, lingering on the way his muscles move as he wipes his forehead with the towel. It’s like he’s in slow motion, and any minute now, trumpets will play in the background.

“Captivated, baby?” Josh’s voice snaps me back to reality. There he goes again with his flirting. It suddenly occurs to me that I never quite flirted back. Maybe I should. After all, he did add a ‘JUST flirting’ amendment to our rules.

“You wish,” I reply, trying to sound indifferent.

He smirks, his eyes twinkling. “You look pretty in that dress, Emily.”

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