Page 4 of Dear One Night Stand
Those last two words are enough to wipe the smug smile of Baker’s face. He looks down at Chris’s outstretched hand. For a moment, it looks like he isn’t going to take it, but then the fake smile I've seen him use a thousand times while we were dating appears, and he takes his hand.
"Nice to meet you," he says to Chris but looks at me. “I wasn’t aware that Annie was seeing anyone.”
“Why would you?” Chris asks. “You two haven’t seen one another since, well—”
Baker has the decency to look uncomfortable at Chris’s words. Chris doesn’t waste any time continuing the charade and wraps his arm around my waist and pulling me close to him. The warmth of his body and the scent of his aftershave makes it harder to remember why I was so worried about seeing Baker tonight.
"There you are," Marnie says, looking at me and then down at Chris's hand resting on my waist. She’s quick to hide the look of confusion on her face. She may not know what is going on, but she has enough sense not to ask questions in front of Baker. “I thought you said you were only going to be five minutes.”
I look from her up to Chris and then back to her. “Sorry, I was having a quick drink with my boyfriend to catch up on our day before heading back.”
“Your boyfriend?” Marnie mouths behind Baker and his date’s back.
“I’m Nadine,” Baker’s date says, and all of our gazes turn to her.
“This is my fiancée,” Baker blurts out as if he'd suddenly remembered that she's been standing next to him this whole time.
Baker proceeds to introduce Nadine to all of us, and as soon as he finishes, there is an awkward silence that settles around us despite standing in the middle of a crowded restaurant, but Marnie is the first to break the tension.
“We have a private room,” she points over her shoulder. “Everyone else is already here. Maybe we should all head back?”
"Sounds good," Baker agrees and starts heading back with Nadine.
Marnie lets them by her but holds up her hand to stop me from moving.
“You two aren’t going anywhere until you explain.”
“It’s not what it looks like,” I say.
“It looks like you found yourself a fake boyfriend in the five minutes I left you alone to get a drink at the bar.”
“Okay. That's exactly what it looks like."
“What is your plan here?” she asks.
I look at Chris, and he seems just as curious to hear how I will answer this question from Marnie.
"I hadn't thought much past this moment, to be honest."
“It’s my fault,” Chris interrupts. “Annie did me a favor with my blind date, and I thought that I would return the favor when her ex showed up.”
Marnie looks curiously between Chris and me.
“Okay, I will go along with this, but only because I know that she—“ Marnie points at me. “Will bail on tonight if I don’t.”
“Full disclosure, I have a gig later tonight at a club down the street, so I’m going to have to duck out early.”
“Perfect,” I say and turn back to Marnie. “That gives me some time to say hello and then I have the perfect excuse to duck out early. No one will begrudge me for leaving early if I'm just a supportive girlfriend."
“Fine, do what you want.” Marnie sighs and turns around to head back to where Baker and Nadine were headed. “I’m done trying to make you stay.”
Chris lets me go and turns back to where we were sitting, dropping a few bills on the bar, and grabbing his guitar case.
It's weird, but I already miss him holding on to me. It's like our bodies are two pieces to a puzzle, and it feels like we fit together. I've never felt so much of an instant connection with someone before. Chris takes my hand in his like he's been doing it forever and leads me back to the private room.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” I ask him.
He squeezes my hand. “You mean getting to play the role of boyfriend to the most beautiful woman in here? Yeah, I think I’m okay with it.”
