Page 22 of Written in the Stars
A fake relationshipwasn’twhat she wanted. What she’d told Darcy was true—Elle wanted a real relationship. And not just any relationship, butthe one. Her end game. She wasn’t picky, no matter what Mom said, but she was tired of going on first dates that never turned into second dates because either they were all wrong for her or she was wrong for them.
“You should’ve seen the look on my mom’s face,” Elle said. “Five minutes before that she was accusing me of being afraid of success, setting myself up for failure, and making life harder than it needs to be. In waltzes Brendon, talking about how his sister’s crazy about me. I was caught between a rock and a hard place. What was I supposed to say?”
“I don’t know. The truth, maybe?” Margot scowled. “Lying to your family isn’t the way to get them to take you seriously. What you need to do is tell them if they don’t like how you’re living your life, they can go fuck themselves because it’s not their life to live.”
“Jesus, Margot. Is that your solution to everything? Just tell everyone I know to fuck off?”
Talk about oversimplification. Her family might get on her nerves, but she wasn’t upset enough to burn bridges.
Margot drew a breath in and exhaled noisily before speaking. “It’s better than lying. You’re trying to find a short-term solution to a long-term problem. What are you going to do after your two months are up, hm?”
“When the time comes, I’ll... I’ll cross that bridge. Untilthen, I’m just...” Trying her best and hoping, like always, it would be good enough. “Making the most out of a weird situation.”
Margot grabbed her laptop and shoved it inside her messenger bag, hauling the strap onto her shoulder. “Lying to your family’s bad enough, Elle. Don’t start lying to yourself, too.”
***
What Rom-Com Are You Based on Your Zodiac Sign?
Aries—Fools Rush In
Taurus—Sweet Home Alabama
Gemini—She’s All That
Cancer—While You Were Sleeping
Leo—How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Virgo—The Proposal
Libra—Sleepless in Seattle
Scorpio—My Best Friend’s Wedding
Sagittarius—The Holiday
Capricorn—Two Weeks Notice
Aquarius—Clueless
Pisces—Never Been Kissed
“Whatcha lookin’ at?”
Heart rocketing into her throat, Darcy smashed the back button on her phone and aimed a withering stare at Brendon over her shoulder. “Jesus. Could you try not sneaking up on me?”
“Boring.” Brendon straightened from where he’d been crouched and rounded the table, dropping down into the chair opposite hers. “Besides, it’s practically my birthright as a younger brother to give you hell.”
“You’re twenty-six.”
He snagged a menu and ran his finger down the list of beverages. “Point being?”
“Point being, you should be above giving me grief on a daily basis. Don’t you have more important things to worry about? Running a company? Being featured onForbes’s Thirty Under Thirty list?”
Flipping the menu over, Brendon shrugged. “Are you done deflecting? Can we discuss the fact that you were scrolling Oh My Stars?”
“I wasnot.” Darcy slipped her phone behind the salt and pepper shakers as if moving it out of sight might further refute Brendon’s accusation. Based on the way his smile grew even as he studied the menu, it did not. “I was... okay, fine, I wasglancing. It doesn’t mean I believe in any of it. It’s ridiculous. How does my astrological sign correlate in any capacity to my preference for rom-coms? It doesn’t. I don’t even likeTwo Weeks Notice.”
