Page 61 of The Wedding Hoax

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“Dinner was really good tonight.”

I started the conversation just as I grabbed for Simone’s plate. We’d ordered in, trying out a new Thai place that’d just opened up last month. Eileen had gone to bed a little earlier than usual, excusing herself from the table after she finished.

“Yeah. It was excellent, wasn’t it?” Simone smiled. “Thanks for giving it a chance.”

“Oh, I’m always willing to give two things a chance: peace and noodles.”

“Funny,” Simone said without the barest hint of a laugh. “Did you need help with the dishes? Or do you mind if I head up to bed, too?”

“You’re going to bed already?”

“Unless you wanted me to help with the dishes,” she reminded me. “Or if you wanted to talk to me about something else?”

Yeah, Simone, I do want to talk to you about something else.

Why the hell are you treating me like this?

I tried to bury my frustration deep in my chest as I asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. Why?”

“Nothing.” I shrugged, pretending like everything was fine. “It’s nothing. We just haven’t really had a chance to catch up in a while since I’ve been so busy at work.”

“Right. The next issue of LA Now. I think Taylor mentioned something about that. She’s been pulling all-nighters trying to chase down permission rights for this big interview.”

“And that’s why Taylor’s one of the best.” I chuckled. “She doesn’t stop until she gets what she wants.”

“I guess you two have that in common.” Simone smiled before she stood up from the table. “All right, then. I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Yep. I’ll see you in the morning. Good night—” I started and stopped myself, as I watched Simone leave the room before I even had a chance to finish what I was saying.

* * *

I couldn’t do this anymore.

I couldn’t pretend like everything was okay. I couldn’t keep our conversations so casual and so light.

I missed Simone. I missed the real her. I missed our deep talks, the way she’d give me shit, the way she always had something to say.

It was obvious that she was keeping me at arm’s length, and I needed to know why.

Was she getting sick of me? Had she hated me the whole time?

I paused outside of her bedroom as another thought slowly crept across my mind.

What if she’s falling for me?

It would’ve explained all her recent behavior, how she was avoiding me, how she was barely giving me the time of day. She was just trying to protect herself from getting hurt. Who’d want to fall for something that was never meant to be real?

Why open yourself up to that kind of pain?

Oh.

A realization suddenly popped into my mind, just as I quietly rested my head against the cool surface of her bedroom door.

Maybe I wanted Simone to be falling for me…

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