Page 20 of The Sound Of Silence

“God, I’m sorry. I knew you were going to hate the whole socializing thing, but you look a lot worse than I thought you’d be.”

“I’m fine. It’s just a lot. And it’s a struggle not to reach over the table and shove Justin’s face into his meal.”

“It’s Jonah.” Pippa grins. The exact reaction I was going for, hoping to distract her from how I feel. “Thank you for defending me in there,” she adds, motioning back toward the seating area.

“I wasn’t just defending you, Pippa. It’s the truth. While we may not be…” Pippa gives me a pointed look, so I stop before admitting our dating status out loud. “You’re still a friend and that’s why I’m here.”

“That and you owed me,” she says, her lips pulling into a thankful but sassy grin.

Before I get the chance to respond, a breeze hits me from behind before someone—one guess who—slams into my back.Why the hell hadn’t I moved?

I turn to see Willow rub her head where it just collided with my shoulder blade as she curses under her breath. “Ow! What are you…” she trails off when she sees Pippa, hiding her snark, as her warm albeit fake smile comes into play.

“Hi, Pip.”

“So, that’s where you were hiding,” Pippa says with a soft laugh. “I’m guessing this one was headed that way too,” she adds, pointing to me.So, she didn’t see me come in?

“You know me so well,” I muse with as casual a tone as I can muster, while inside I’m feeling all kinds of messed up. “I was just on my way out. I didn’t know your sister had the same idea.” That part is definitely not a lie. There’s no way in hell I would have stepped a foot out there if I’d known.

“Oh, don’t worry. You and Willow have the whole antisocial thing in common.”

Willow laughs uncomfortably before brushing her hands down the front of her casual, form-fitting dress, making my traitorous eyes follow her every move. I can’t stop myself from watching the way the material clings to her perfect curves, or the way the soft color complements her eyes… Jesus.Fuck!

Since when do I have thoughts like that? I don’t notice that shit. Ever. And Willow is off-limits; everyone in this damn town is.

Pippa and Willow chat as I will myself to finally look away, searching for another escape. Meaning, I’m no longer paying any attention when Pippa elbows me in the ribs, forcing me to listen.

“Maybe you can work with Jesse on a special order. My birthdayisquickly approaching,” Pippa says, squeezing my arm.

What?I shoot her a puzzled expression as I rejoin the conversation, but she just laughs. “Willow’s starting to design jewelry. You were just asking what I wanted for my birthday.”

Huh? I definitely hadn’t asked that. My brows furrow as they discuss our relationship like it’s real. As though we’ve had this amazing love affair for months. And considering Pippa mentioned that she and her younger sister were close, I was certain she would have told her the truth.Though maybe they’re not as close anymore?

When I don’t answer after Pippa’s explanation, her face scrunches before she changes the subject. “Anyway, we should get back,” she says, her eyes briefly flashing to Willow. “We don’t want the others to think we’ve conspired and ditched them.”

“They probably haven’t even noticed we’re missing,” Willow responds, her voice light and full of warmth as she giggles.And dammit…why do I have to like the way that sounds?

There are a million reasons this situation is messed up, and Pippa being my fake girlfriend is just the tip of the iceberg. All I know is that when it comes to Willow, I need to stay the hell away.

The rest of the dinner runs smoothly enough. I answer questions when asked, I smile, and I nod. All while trying hard not to focus on the woman sitting beside me, or the way her arm occasionally brushes mine when she leans forward to talk, or how she grips the material of her dress when she’s uncomfortable with a question being asked of her.

I also spend my time blocking out her scent, her laugh—however fake it might be—and her voice. It’s like I’m suddenly in tune to everything about her, and it’s really fucking annoying.

When the others stand to leave, Pippa pulls me back down and asks Willow to stay for dessert.

I want to say no or question her motives, but I don’t. Instead, I offer to pay for the entire meal, and wait patiently for everyone to leave, enjoying the look on Jonah's face when Pippa's parent's thank me profusely.

“We’re not really staying for dessert, are we?” I ask, when it’s just Willow, Pippa, and me left.

“We are,” Pippa states, her eyes on my stomach. “Your body sounds like it’s going to eat itself. Why didn’t you order more food?”

I ordered plenty; I just couldn’t bring myself to eat most of it with my stomach twisted in knots. The girl from my nightmares is Willow. Willow is Pippa’ssister. I almost want to laugh, but I can’t. Nothing about this is funny.

With Pippa’s parents no longer in front of me, I don’t feel the need to play a part anymore, so I sit silently while the girls talk, groaning occasionally when conversation moves toward gossip.

“You’ll have to excuse him,” Pippa says, digging her long, perfectly manicured nails into my thigh. “Jesse can’t help being a grumpy asshole sometimes. He’s obviously reached his nice guy limit for the night. But rest assured, he’s an angel to me.”

Well, that’s a downright lie. I seriously doubt anyone would ever think of me as an angel. Especially Pippa.

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