Page 29 of Faking it with My Boss' Son

I had forgotten to get back to him about seeing us together as a couple.

“Hey Lucas,” I answered the phone.

“Hey Michelle, have you thought about what I said last phone call?” He asked, with slight hesitation.

“Yes, Lucas, I have. I think we need to stay just friends. I love you as a friend but nothing more. I hope you can understand.” I said matter of factly.

“Okay, Michelle, no worries. I value our friendship, so I understand. Let's act like I never brought it up.” He said, snickering.

“Sounds good. I forgot about it already.” I said with a smile, glad that was taken care of.

“Well, I have to get back to work. Call me whenever."

“Yeah, I’ll call you.”

“Okay, Bye.” Lucas hung up the phone.

I hope he really understands and that it won't get in the way of our friendship.

I went into the kitchen and sat down to eat dinner alone. I just heated up some leftovers from the fridge and then called it a night. It was weird not having Ryan there, but I need to get used to it.

Chapter fourteen

Ryan

My chest felt tight as I grasped the severity of the situation. The thought of losing Michelle forever sent my heart racing. What had started as a harmless idea had turned into a nightmare. I couldn't help but wonder why I had even come up with the foolish plan of creating a fake girlfriend. I knew my father was too perceptive to be fooled for long. Whether it was about my job or marriage, he would eventually see through the excuses.

During my stay with my dad, while Michelle was away, he frequently inquired about our relationship.

As my dad spoke about our relationship, I could see a glimmer of hope and excitement in his eyes. This made me feel all the more guilty. I couldn't meet his gaze, and Michelle's words only added to my overwhelming feelings of guilt.

I felt it was time to address the fake girlfriend situation, so I decided to speak with my dad about it.

I called and asked him to meet me for dinner, which he agreed to.

We met at an Italian Restaurant in town that we both loved. As we sat down and ordered, I became very nervous to tell him why I invited him to dinner.

“Dad, I need to confess something,” I said, looking down at my hands.

“What is it, son?” He asked, concerned.

I sighed and replied softly, trying to gather all my courage to speak this blatant lie. "Things didn’t work between Michelle and me. We tried our best to give our relationship time, but it seems that we aren’t meant to be with each other.’’ My eyes turned watery when I said this because I knew it was a lie. Things always worked between me and Michelle.

‘‘But you could give it one more try? I can see in your eyes that you’re still in love with her.’’ He said with hope.

I gave him a sad smile and shook my head no.

‘‘Ryan, are you sure?’’

‘‘I am, Dad,’’ I replied, still avoiding his gaze.

Dad put his hand on my shoulder warmly. I wasn’t expecting this kind of response from him. I thought that he would go off the deep end after hearing this, but to my surprise, he was calm. For a moment, he remained quiet. After a while, he cleared his throat and said:

‘‘That’s okay, Ryan, if things didn’t work between you guys. Not a big deal, but we need to move ahead. I’m sure there are many women out there who are dying to date my son. Do you remember Eliza-Emma?” he asked suddenly.

I knitted my eyebrows, thinking hard, ‘‘Eliza-Emily, daughter of Mr. Rhett-Jameson?”

‘‘Yes, her,’’ he replied with enthusiasm.

---