Page 75 of Counterfeit Boyfriend
32Gwen
My eyes foughtto stay open, and I covered my yawn with a hand as I pushed inside Doc Lovejoy’s Vet Clinic and Grooming Center. Lately, I hadn’t been sleeping much. Too many thoughts of a certain guy, which left me irritated about the fact that I couldn’t just forget about said guy.
He’d stopped calling five days ago. Which was what I wanted?
Shoot, even in my head I put a question mark on that. While theoretically it would help me try to get over and move past everything that’d happened, I hated how much disappointment I experienced over him giving up already.He doesn’t think I’m worth fighting for.
Which was an unfair thought since I’d been the one not returning his calls, and I still didn’t know if I could ever forgive him, and yeah… Long story short, I hadn’t been sleeping and my mood tipped toward the constantly-discontent side of the spectrum, which made me feel not like myself. To make matters worse, I didn’t have time to stop for coffee this morning, so I didn’t even have the caffeine I needed to fake being my bubbly self.
“Morning, Gwen,” Dr. Lovejoy sing-songed, and I pulled out the plastic smile. Usually she was the tired one who took an hour or so to fully wake up and I was the one giving out chipper greetings first thing.
“Morning. I’ll get you those reports—I did them last night, I just wanted to doublecheck them when my brain was fully awake and functional before I emailed them to you.”
My boss was giving me this weird smile I didn’t think I’d seen on her before. “No worries. Er, I mean, yeah. Get right to your computer so you can do that.”
Oh-kay, then.
I rounded my desk, and warmth somersaulted through me. My boss had gotten me coffee from Sacred Grounds. I didn’t even know she’d been paying attention to where I bought my coffee. A brown bag sat next to it, too, and I opened it up, my mouth watering when I spotted the chocolate muffin inside.
As I dug it out, a folded yellow paper came along for the ride.
Since I had my priorities, I took a bite of the muffin and then lifted the note.
Gwen,
While I love your caffeinated hurricane mode, I also love those few minutes in the morning where you’re just a pinch grumpy and words don’t come as easily. I figured that I’m probably responsible for you being anything less than happy, which kills me, but I was hoping that coffee and a muffin would help.
I’m not asking you to call me or text me yet. I’m asking you to give me today to show you how well I know you.
Also, I figured that I should share a few things you might not know about me.
IHATEblueberries. The reason why involves a puking story, and since I don’t want to ruin your breakfast, I won’t go into any more detail than that. I will say that if you’d agree to have breakfast with me, I’d eat every blueberry muffin Sacred Grounds has.
(Just give me a heads up if you’re going to take me up on the offer, because I might have to go in early, buy up most of their blueberry muffins, and force them upon random passersby.)
*side note: did you see how I used the correct plural form of passersby? That’s what a ridiculously expensive education does for you. Teaches you how to be a lawyer, and how to sound pretentious all in one!
Ethan “Not Evan” Haynes
I accidentally laughed out loud at the pretentious part. Imagining him buying up all the muffins also made me smile, even as that gaping hole in my heart pulsed to life, reminding me of how Evan and Ethan’s lies had put it there.
“The guy who brought that in was very handsome,” Dr. Lovejoy said, leaning against my desk and reminding me that she was there. “Is he your boyfriend? The one you’ve clearly been holding back details about?”
How did I even go about answering those questions?Oh, no, he’s totes not my boyfriend. He’s actually my ex-boyfriend’s twin brother, and I might be in love with him, but because I can’t just let people lie to me, I also can’t be with him.
I don’t think.
I re-folded the note and ran my fingers over the crease. “If I open that can of worms, then there’d be early birds in here trying to catch them, then the cats and dogs would go crazy, and isn’t this place enough of a madhouse?”
My boss blinked at me, wearing the confused expression a lot of people did when my random rambling kicked into hyperdrive.
“Looks like the caffeine’s kicking in.” I lifted my coffee in a sort of salute, then took a gulp that was hot enough to burn my tongue and make me wonder how close I’d been to catching Ethan at my desk.
I’m asking you to give me today to show you how well I know you.
I didn’t know whether to be excited or afraid. Honestly, both emotions bubbled up inside me, and I found myself glancing at my phone.
Then a customer came in, saving me from doing something I might later regret. It was crazy how strong the urge to talk to Ethan had been, not fading with each passing day, but growing. Hearing his words in the letter brought the temptation to call screeching to the surface.
