Page 14 of Fake Dating Adrian Hunter
Only now do I notice the silhouette in front of me. It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust in the dark and see the person’s anger morph into surprise.
Shit. It’s Adrian.
I begin laughing—a very sloppy and drunk laugh—because of course Adrian Hunter is here. This is the world’s way of kicking me when I’m down. “Why are you following me?”
He breaks chunks off a large stick and hurls them into the ocean with rage. “I’ve been on this beach for an hour. Maybe you’re the one following me.”
I take a swig of my champagne. “How comeyougot out of the welcome dinner? And what’s got you so pissed off?”
He shrugs, only addressing the first question. “Those events aren’t my kind of thing. Doubt anyone noticed I was missing.”
“No, they were too busy laughing at old photos of me.”
Adrian’s eyebrows draw together like he’s not following.
“Fat me! Verena the Vagina!”
His lips press into a line, like he’s attempting not to laugh.
“That’s right. Go ahead and laugh too. Run along and you might see the rest of the photos.”
“I’mnotlaughing. And I’m sure the photos weren’t that bad.”
“Believe me, they were. Everyone was laughing. My ex-boyfriend is here! What kind of luck is that!”
Adrian ceases fire of the hunk of stick he’s about to throw into the ocean. “The one who cheated on you?”
“Yes, Adrian. The one who publicly humiliated me. And he’s here with the girl he fucked in my bed.”
“I bet my proposition is looking pretty appealing right now.”
I kick the sand. “I’m telling you I’m freaking out, and all you can think of is yourself? I’m not pretending to date you so you can win your ex-girlfriend back.”
“Thought I’d try my luck.”
“You know, I don’t get what it is with you men. You think you control everything. I wouldn’t put it past you to cook up this whole fake dating scheme so that you can win the revenge between us. What’s your plan—pretend to date me for a few days then break up with me in front of all the wedding guests so I get even more embarrassed? Bravo, Adrian.” I clap, giving him a round of applause. “Perfect plan. Why do you hate me so much? And what was Jake’s issue? Was I not pretty enough for him? Am I still too fat? You know what? Ilovemy body. I’m no size zero, I’ve got curves, but I’ve worked damn hard in the gym to look this good.”
I gulp down another mouthful of alcohol, then dig the bottle into the sand and unzip my dress to prove a point.
Adrian looks me up and down, fighting back a laugh. “Verena, you’re drunk. Don’t take your clothes off.”
“Why? You wouldn’t say that to some skinny girl. Am I so disgusting that you can’t stand to look at me?”
“Trust me, you have averynice body. I would fuck you if I didn’t hate you so much.” Adrian steps forward and fastens my arms by my side, his voice lowering to an amused whisper, “The embarrassment you’re feeling will be one hundred times worse in the morning if you do this.”
I shrug free of him and pull the dress over my head. It falls to the sand and my world spins as I take another chug of champagne.
“Oh no, not the couture in the sand,” Adrian mocks, his eyes avoiding my body. “You really should put your clothes back on.”
“Would you just look at me already!”
“Verena, is that you?” someone calls. “Tory sent me to check up on you.” They’re entering the beach from the resort. Whoever it is, they’re too far away for me to identify, but it’s a female’s voice. There’s a small group of people following them, coming to laugh at me some more.
“Fuck you!” I yell in their direction.
“Ah, sorry,” Adrian calls to them. “She’s had a lot to drink.”
As they come closer, I realize Tory’s bridesmaid, Stacy, is leading the group. There’s two ladies and a man behind her. My guess is it’s Nia, Sukhi, and Josh—the other members of the bridal party that I’m not good enough to dance with.
