Page 91 of Say You Remember Me
I stuffed my hands into my pockets, unsure what to do with myself. Maybe this was my cue to leave. The day had been long for everyone, and while I’d wanted to be there for Maddie, Iwasn’t sure how much help I could still be. She was with her family now, surrounded by the people who knew her best.
And yet…I continued to stand awkwardly off to the side, pretending to scroll through my phone because even though it was close to nine o’clock in the evening, I didn’t want to leave.
There was something grounding about being here, about watching Maddie interact with the people who clearly meant the world to her. It made me want to know her more, to be part of that world in a way I hadn’t anticipated.
I shoved my phone into my pocket, my thoughts flickering back to the whirlwind of the last two days. The news about our so-called engagement was still buzzing somewhere out there, no doubt gaining traction.
I’d avoided scrolling through social media all day, knowing exactly how these things played out. Today’s viral sensation would be forgotten by next week, replaced by some other headline or drama. I wasn’t exactly a household name, and the corner of the internet that actually cared about my life wasn’t all that big.
Honestly, as long as the board didn’t have a problem with my name in the headlines again, I wasn’t too concerned about it.
At least…I wouldn’t have been, if the stories were only about me.
Sadly though, Maddie’s name was also being dragged through the mud.
And that changed everything.
She hadn’t signed up for this kind of attention. She hadn’t asked to be dragged into internet gossip or have strangers speculating about her life.
She’d been holding it together so far, probably because her dad’s heart attack had taken up all her focus. But I knew that as soon as she had a moment to breathe, it would hit her.
The stories. The rumors about her being pregnant. The assumptions about our so-called engagement.
It was all complete nonsense, and it was my fault she was caught in the middle of it.
I was such an idiot for thinking I could get away with a fake engagement at such a big conference and not have it come back to bite me in the butt.
“Yay! We did it!” Grant cheered, bringing my attention back to the present. “I knew it was ‘thumb’!”
And when I looked over to the group to see them giving each other high-fives for figuring out today’s Wordle word, I caught Maddie’s eye.
From her somewhat surprised expression, I wondered if she’d forgotten I was even here. But then she smiled faintly and excused herself, weaving her way over to me.
“Sorry you’ve been here so long,” she said softly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “You must be bored out of your mind.”
“No, I’m good,” I said, not wanting her to be worried about me. “I’ve been keeping busy.”
“Yeah?” she asked, like she didn’t believe me. “Because you can head out if you want. I know you have a lot of important things you can be doing instead of hanging out in a hospital waiting room.”
“No, it’s really fine. I want to be here.” I didn’t want her to think I was put out at all. “But I was wondering what you wanted to do tonight. I know your dad’s place is about an hour from here. Were you and your siblings planning to stay there tonight? Because I’d be happy to book hotel rooms for everyone if you’d rather stay close by.”
“Oh, you don’t need to do that.” She shook her head, waving the thought away. “We were hoping to stay in town, but wecan take care of our own arrangements. You’ve already done so much.”
“It’s no trouble,” I said quickly. “Really, I have so many points on my credit card that I’ll never use them all.”
“I’m sure you probably racked up a bunch of points with our shopping spree yesterday,” she said, laughing lightly. “But we can take care of our hotels.”
Was it weird that I found her independent stubborn streak attractive? Because I did.
And because I’d known she’d probably turn down my offer before I even asked, I brought out my phone, pulling up the booking app where I’d already selected four rooms at a nearby hotel. Then, with a single tap, I finalized the reservation I had queued up.
“Oops,” I said, holding up the screen so she could see it. “I accidentally booked them. Non-refundable. Guess you guys better stay in them so they don’t go to waste.”
“You’re impossible.” She narrowed her eyes at me, but the corners of her mouth twitched. “But thank you,” she said, her voice softer. “You really didn’t have to do that.”
“Well,” I said, slipping my phone back into my pocket, “I don’t know if your family has heard anything about us yet, but it’s the least I could do for my future in-laws.”
A laugh escaped her and she shook her head. “Oh, man, we’re in a mess, aren’t we?”
