Page 12 of Fake Dates and Home Plates
Nodding my head, I follow him to the kitchen. While most of his house is bare, Theo has an impressive coffee setup. There are flavored syrups beside a shiny espresso machine that he walks over to and starts to prepare a drink.
He looks over his shoulder to ask, “Any allergies or requests?”
“I have no allergies; anything with caffeine and sugar is fine with me, but I usually get something with caramel at the coffee shop.”
Theo nods and gets back to work, grabbing two mugs out of the cabinet while I take a seat on the closest stool. He moves gracefully, pushing buttons and grabbing milk and whipped cream out of the refrigerator. A few minutes later, he brings both drinks to the breakfast bar and slides one to me carefully. He stays standing on the other side, watching me for a reaction.
“Holy crap. Do you deliver? I think this is my new favorite drink,” I tell him honestly.
He smiles. “I’m glad you like it. I had to make it a hundred times before I got it right, so this is pretty much the only thing I know how to make. I’m just lucky you didn’t call my bluff and make a request.”
I change the subject. “I should probably get home. Do you mind if I borrow your clothes? I’ll return them to you if you want to trade numbers.”
Theo nods. “I’ll give you a ride home soon if that’s okay. I wanted to talk to you about something first, if you’re up for it?”
“Okay…” I trail off.
He sips his coffee casually before setting it down on the counter. “Do you still want revenge?”
That is what I wanted last night. I wanted to hurt Dakota or, at the very least, embarrass him, humiliate him the way he humiliated me.
“How does one even go about revenge on a cheating ex-boyfriend? Fuck someone else? Fuck a lot of people? Public sex tape?” I’m joking, trying to make the conversation light instead of ruining the morning with serious feelings.
“I volunteer.”
The words have me almost spitting my drink out, but instead, I end up coughing for air until I finally manage a response. “What?”
“I said I volunteer. I’ll help you get your revenge.”
“You want to fuck me?” I ask, because that’s all I can think of. Not that I’m against it. Theo’s hot, and I can totally imagine him throwing me back in his bed to ravish me.
He shakes his head while smiling. “Not for real. We could fake it.”
“Fake sex?” I’m beyond confused about what he means. Sure, I’ve faked an orgasm, but how does one fake the entire act?
“No, fake date. It’s one of my favorite tropes, and I think I’m the perfect person to really piss Dakota off.” He sounds excited.
“What’s a trope?” I ask while taking another sip of this magical coffee.
Theo explains with a smile. “It’s an element to a story that could be related to the plot or character, like fake dating, a love triangle, or enemies to lovers.”
He does have a point. I can’t imagine anything pissing Dakota off more. “How would it work?”
It’s somewhat alarming how quickly Theo begins strategizing his plan. “We pretend to date for a while. We can stage some outings, maybe some parties, a dinner here and there. Post on social media. Really put on a show.”
That sounds easy enough. “Cross-country season starts in a couple of weeks, so I don’t have a ton of free time. I don’t drink much when I’m training, and if I’m not in class, I’m usually soaking my body in ice. How can we pull it off?”
He shrugs. “I have a bathtub and an ice machine here you can use sometimes. Plus, I’m in the off-season, so my training isn’t as demanding right now. I’ll just work around your schedule, and then you can work around mine when your season ends.”
Our sports don’t have much overlap; this might be possible. Plus, not all our social media posts have to be in the moment, so we could always post when we aren’t able to meet, making it look like we’re together when we aren’t.
I have one more concern I need to clarify. “Just how much are we faking? Obviously, I want Dakota to think you’re fucking me stupid every chance you can. When we’re in public, what are the limits? Do we need a safe word for boundaries?”
Theo smirks, but a tiny blush heats his cheeks when I mention him fucking me. “I’m up for whatever you are, slugger. We can keep the physical aspects as light or as heavy as you’re comfortable with.”
This seems like a lot to get back at someone who most certainly isn’t worth the extra effort. I should go home and sleep a little more before I commit to an exaggerated scheme to pretend I’m dating someone new.
“I don’t know. Doesn’t this seem…petty?”
