Page 17 of Faking it with My Boss' Son

When Ryan left, Leah nudged my arm with her elbow, ‘‘What’s all this?’’ she asked teasingly. “Are you guys dating?”

‘‘Not really. It’s complicated. We’re faking it.’’ I said as we got up from the couch and moved into the kitchen.

“Faking it?’’ her jaw dropped.

“Would you like me to make us some dinner, Leah?” I said, trying to change the subject.

“Sure, that would be great! But again, faking it?” Leah wouldn't let me get out of this one.

I started getting the food ready for dinner and took a deep breath. “Ryan's dad wants him to start dating his friend’s daughter, but he didn’t want to date her. So, instead of just saying no, he came up with a ploy to make me his fake girlfriend. He told his dad that he was dating me and wanted to move in with me so we could get to know each other better. He wants his dad to stop nagging him about dating, and this was his solution.’’ I said, worried about how Leah would take the news.

‘‘That’s weird, and you agreed to be his fake girlfriend?’’ She said, with a look of confusion in her eyes.

‘‘Yeah! I couldn’t say no. After all, Ryan has always been there for me. He has been a wonderful friend, and I felt like I owed him.’’

‘‘That’s silly,’’ Leah said, frowning at me.

‘‘I know. But Leah, promise me you won’t tell Lucas about it. You know how close he is to Abel.’’

‘‘I won’t, Michelle. You can trust me on that. But are you sure that Ryan is only a friend?’’

I was taken aback by this question, ‘‘What do you mean?’’

I finished preparing dinner, and we sat down to eat. Leah looked into my eyes, ‘‘You know exactly what I mean, but let me tell it like it is. I think you like him. I saw how you turned pale the moment Ryan mentioned he was going out tonight.’’ Leah eyed me suspiciously.

I snorted, ‘‘Come on, Leah. You know it isn’t true. We’ve been good friends since high school, and he is only going out with his friends. It’s no big deal.” My eyes darted away from her face.

‘‘See, you can’t even look at me as you say it,’’ Leah smiled as she raised her hands.

***

Leah left around 9 o'clock, leaving me alone with my intruding thoughts. I was moving from one room to another, looking at the time and nervously fiddling with my hands. Why was I so worried about what Ryan was doing? I was pulled out of my thoughts when my phone rang, which almost made me jump out of my skin.

‘‘Hi, Lucas. How’re you?’’ I said, trying to sound normal.

‘‘I’m doing wonderful. How was your evening with Leah? I hope you didn’t tell her that you already knew she was coming.’’

‘‘No… I didn’t, but she could tell,’’ I faked a laugh as I looked at the wall clock.

‘‘Oh God! She is going to be mad at me,’’ Lucas snorted.

‘‘No, Lucas, she isn’t mad at you. She wasn’t even fazed. Anyways, Lucas. Forget about that. You wanted to tell me something?’’ My phone beeped, making my heart thud. It was a text notification. I hoped it was Ryan. I quickly opened the message, but it wasn’t him. It was Leah sending me a text that she got home safely.

Lucas cleared his throat, ‘‘Michelle, you’ve always been a good friend… and I think we know each other pretty well.…’’

‘‘That goes without saying, Lucas. But I’m not sure what you are trying to say.’’

‘‘Do you think we would be good together? Like boyfriend and girlfriend?’’ Lucas was stuttering badly, clearly nervous.

I was caught off-guard, and for a moment, time stood still. For a while, I had no idea how to reply. It was true that Lucas and I were good friends, but I had never thought about a relationship beyond that. I heard a gentle clicking of the door; the pull and the thud made my heart skip a beat. It must be Ryan. I didn’t want to give him the impression that I was awake because of the eerie restlessness. I hurried to my room.

‘‘Michelle, are you there? Did I scare you off? I’ve just been missing you a lot lately, and my parents were teasing me about how I never date anyone. It made me realize how much you’ve meant to me all these years and how well we get along. I know this is out of the blue, but I needed to tell you how I feel about you.’’ Lucas said with sincerity in his voice.

‘‘Sorry, Lucas, this has caught me off guard,” I gave a nervous laugh. “You know we've always been good friends, but frankly, I’ve never thought about us being anything more than that until you brought it up. I need some time to think about this.’’ I lied.

‘‘Certainly. Take your time, good night.’’ He said.

‘‘Good night, Lucas.’’ I hung up.

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