Page 503 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 11
“Not funny,” I said.
“It’s a little funny.”
The limo driver opened the door.
“Oh. I get. Now is homecoming?” Natalivanka asked and reached for the zipper of her dress.
“Babe, not until we’re in our hotel room after the dance,” Liam said and caught her hand.
Wait, they were getting a hotel room tonight? Did my parents know about that? What the actual F?
As everyone else started climbing out of the limo, Jacob came and took RJ’s abandoned seat.
“You’re giving me that look again,” he said.
“What look?” I asked, even though I knew exactly what he was talking about.
“Like you’re mad at me. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I’m thinking it’s time for us to dance.”
He just stared at me.
“Oh.” My heart sunk. “I mean. Unless you’re not planning on dancing with...me.” I sounded so pathetic. “Because you don’t have to, obviously. If you’d rather dance with Olivia. Since this isn’t real.” I gestured back and forth between us.
He raised both his eyebrows.
I needed to say something to fix everything I’d just said. “It’s like you’re trying to make me jealous or something.” I cringed. Well...sayingthatdefinitely wasn’t what was going to fix it.
“Are you?” He put his hand on my thigh. “Jealous?”
My dad poked his head into the limo. “Are you two planning on staying in there all night and just talking? If so, your mother and I will be happy to join you.”
Dad!“No, we’re coming.” I hurried out, happy to not have to look Jacob in the face.
But he quickly caught my hand.
I stared straight ahead at the dark purple carpet laid out on the steps leading up to the hotel. It was usually a red carpet. And forthe life of me, I couldn’t remember what the theme for this year’s dance was.
With Olivia nowhere in sight, and Jacob’s hand in mine, it should have felt like I was in a movie again. But I’d just said a whole bunch of stupid words. And my mom and dad were trailing our every move.
“So...” Jacob said. “Are you?”
I looked over my shoulder at my parents. “Can we maybe not have this discussion right now?” I hurried up the steps so we could catch up to our friends. I’d been to this hotel dozens of times for different events. And homecoming was here every year. But when the doormen opened the doors, it was like we’d been transported to a planetarium. There were thousands of stars being projected onto the ceiling. And the fancy chandeliers almost looked like falling stars.
Everything was dark purples and blues and blacks. And I was actually happy that the decorations made it a little darker than usual.Better to hide from my dad...
“It’s almost as good as the decorations at the annual Caldwell Halloween party,” I said.
“Almost,” Jacob said with a smile. “Speaking of which...we need to decide what we’re going as.”
“What?”
“We need a couples’ costume for my grandparents’ party.”
The Halloween party was a month away. Was he still planning on keeping this charade up that long? Because I was kind of thinking it was time to throw in the towel. It hadn’t worked. Not even a little. And my heart was already messed up enough. Fake dating Jacob any longer was just going to make me fall even harder for him. And he’d just keep on not falling for me. I didn’t need him to tell me for a second time that he wasn’t into me. I’d heard him loud and clear the first time.
“There you guys are,” Sophie said. “Having a quickie in in the limo?” She winked at me.
