Page 34 of My Fake Relationship With the Popular Boy
“Okay, now face each other,” she directed. “Really look into each other’s eyes.”
I struggled not to laugh at the directions and at how serious she sounded as I did what she asked. It was even harder not to when I had to look at Jaxon, who was clearly doing the same. We awkwardly held the position while she took a few photos. I hoped that would be the end of it but then she said the words that I never wanted to hear in relation to me and Jaxon Andrews: “Now kiss!” Madison said.
“What?” Jaxon and I asked in unison. We both looked at her. She looked at us in annoyance.
“A kissing photo!” she said like it was obvious. “Trust me, it’ll be cute!”
“She’s right,” Eli chimed in.
“I think we have enough photos,” I said. I gestured toward Eli and Sabrina, who were standing behind Madison. “And they probably want to take photos now, right guys?”
“Nope,” Eli said. He stuck his hands in his pockets, looking very amused.
“We can wait,” Sabrina said. She clasped her hands behind her back and bounced on her feet softly. Her black and grey plaid skirt shifted down her hips a little, exposing a belly button piercing I didn’t know she had. “If you don’t take the photo, then you’ll wish you did later and by then it will be too late.”
“Since when did you get so wise?” Jaxon asked.
Sabrina crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ve always been wise, thanks Andrews.”
“Oh yeah, sure,” Jaxon said, nodding his head. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“Guys, focus!” Madison said. “The sun is going to go down soon, we need to get these photos done.”
“We’re just not really into public displays of affection,” I said. Kissing wassonot on the table.
Sabrina actually chortled at that. “What are you talking about? Jaxon loves PDA! More than life itself.”
I looked to Jaxon and begged him with my eyes to deny it. To say that he’d changed or that he didn’t like PDA with me or something that would get us out of this. Instead, the little traitor that he was, he looked at me awkwardly and said, “Uh, yeah, it’s true. But-but we don’t have to do it if it makes you uncomfortable!”
“I…” I looked around at all their expectant faces. I knew Jaxon was trying to fix the problem, but he had backed me into a corner where I couldn’t say no.
Jaxon leaned in to whisper in my ear. “I know we agreed to know kissing but would you be willing to make an exception this one time? I promise I’ll make it up to you somehow.”
I wanted to say no. I wanted to tell him that this was why we should have told our friends or why we shouldn’t have gone through with the fake relationship altogether, but it was a little late for all of that. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lewis and Rob a few feet away, watching us. Why was Lewiseverywhere? Granted, our whole class was here, but he didn’t need to be watching me all the time.
“Fine,” I said. I looked to Madison and said firmly, “But just one picture, got it?”
“Got it,” Madison said with a nod. I looked to Jaxon again and took a deep breath. I was a lot more nervous for it than last time. Maybe it was because I had more time to think about it before it happened.
Jaxon put his hand lightly on the back of my neck then leaned in My eyes fluttered shut as his lips made contact with mine. As he ran his tongue against my bottom lip, all I could think wasI am kissing Jaxon Andrews. I am kissing my fake boyfriend in the middle of the street, in front of our whole class, where literally everyone can see us.There was nothing more mortifying in the world, yet for some reason, I didn’t really want it to end.
“Okay, I got it!” Madison said. Jaxon pulled away and I sucked in a deep breath of fresh air. He stared me for a moment longer as Madison went, “You’re done now. I need some photos of Eli and Sabrina.”
Jaxon dropped his hands and stepped away, leaving me alone in front of the fountain. I followed him over to where Madison was standing, though I was so out of it that I probably would have walked straight into oncoming traffic if nobody was there to stop me.
So, that happened. That was only my third kiss ever — the first one being one with Eli during seven minutes in heaven years ago, when we both knew it didn’t mean anything, and the second one being the common room with Jaxon. But kissing Jaxon this time felt different. Better. But this wasn’t real either… so why did I like it so much?
twelve
“Thanks for goingthrough with the kiss like that,” Jaxon said once we got back to our room. “I’m sure it wasn’t all that fun for you.”
I was glad I was walking in front of him; he didn’t see the blush that covered my face as I remembered the kiss. I shut my eyes tightly and tried to think of anything else to get my face back to normal. Once I was sure I wasn’t bright red anymore, I grinned at him over my shoulder.
“What?” I asked teasingly. “Was it that bad kissing me?”
Jaxon groaned. “Don’t tease me, Evers.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said with a wink.
