Page 45 of Pretend

“Are you sure about that?” Eric asked as he raised the tin can and-

Shook it.

Licking her lips, Morgan asked, “Was…was that the sound of metal rattling?”

“It did sound like it, didn’t it?” Eric murmured as he gave the tin another shake that left her whimpering because that definitely sounded like metal rattling inside.

“Please don’t do this to me,” Morgan mumbled as she wrung her hands together as she stared at the tin, willing Eric to open it or, better yet, give it to her so that she could open it. She loved finding old coins, hidden boxes, and long-lost trinkets left behind and the devious bastard knew it.

“You were telling me about your latest betrayal?” Eric said, making a show of turning the tin over in his hands as she stood there, listening to every clank and click and-

“I wanted to surprise you,” Morgan blurted out, following that up by gesturing for him to get on with it.

“I mean, I’m definitely surprised, but I feel like there’s more to this story,” Eric murmured as he ignored her gesture and kept turning that tin in his hands.

“I wanted to make your favorite dinner and a cake for your birthday, so I tried teaching myself how to cook, but it ended badly, which led to my parents begging Grandma Bradford to teach me how to cook,” Morgan quickly explained, only to follow that up with a hopeful smile and a pointed look at the tin that she’d really like to open now.

“And this happened in high school?” Eric asked, seeming to think that over for a moment.

“Yes?” she said, really hoping that would be the end of this.

“You know what’s funny?” Eric asked, leaning back against the wall as her gaze flickered to the secret compartment that he’d left opened, the same one that she’d had no idea was there and desperately wanted to know how he knew how to find.

“What’s that?” Morgan asked as she struggled against the urge to take a closer look at the bookshelf.

“I don’t remember this special meal or the birthday cake that you planned for me,” he said, watching her closely.

“That’s because I decided that it would be a bad idea,” Morgan said as she found herself moving closer to the bookshelf, curious to see if there was anything else hidden in that secret compartment and-

Felt her shoulders drop when Eric reached up and pushed the door closed before she could stop him. “And what led you to decide that it was a bad idea?”

“My aversion to looking pathetic,” Morgan said, nodding solemnly as her gaze shifted back to Eric and couldn’t help but wonder why he was smiling.

Clearing his throat, Eric said, “So, what you’re saying is that you’ve adored me since high school,” making everything in her go still.

“I didn’t say that,” she mumbled weakly as she realized her mistake too late.

“You didn’t have to,” Eric said, watching her closely.

“Are you going to tell me how you figured that out?” Morgan asked weakly as she gestured awkwardly to the bookshelf, really hoping to distract him from this line of questioning, mostly because it wasn’t working for her.

“I’m considering it,” Eric murmured absently as his gaze turned calculating.

She narrowed her eyes on him. “You’re about to change the rules, aren’t you?

“I really am,” Eric said with a satisfied sigh.

“What are they?” Morgan asked as she gestured for him to get on with it.

“For one,” Eric said, sighing heavily as he leaned down and helped himself to the last cookie, “no more hiding your delicious treats from me.”

“I suppose I could share,” Morgan murmured, sounding thoughtful as she moved to steal the last cookie, only to decide against it when he narrowed his eyes on her.

Clearing her throat, she said, “Anything else?”

“I want to take you out on a real date,” Eric said, taking her by surprise.

“A date?” Morgan asked, unable to help but smile.

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