Page 10 of Huge Games

Ellie's idea for me to get over my feelings was rebound sex. Rebound fake dating doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but maybe it could be a little of both. Fake relationship, real smoking-hot sex. And not just with one man. With three!

I'd get to see how my two best friends live every day and dust the Eddie cobwebs away.

I don't tell them my embellished ideas. That part can come in time. "Three fake boyfriends. Now that's what I call a proposal."

Seemingly satisfied by my decision, the room quietens, and I settle back against the pillows. It's strange to sleep in the same bed as Dornan. We're close, but this is a big step into new territory. He doesn't encroach on my space, which under the circumstances is a relief, but as he closes his eyes and falls asleep, I can't help but imagine what it would feel like if he did at some point in the future. If all of them did.

Saturdays always feel like a drag. Ellie's busy with family life, and Gabriella tends to stay in bed for at least half the day. I hate my weekends becoming focused on chores. When I was dating Eddie, we'd also hang out inbed, go for brunch, and then return to bed. I spent a lot of horizontal time with my ex. And vertical against the wall.

Ugh.

I don't want to think about sex with Eddie.

I want those images burned from my brain. Most of all, I don't want to feel like the same stupid girl I was. I need to be someone new to mark a line in the sand.

This Saturday morning started out a little different. Waking in a motel room with three half-naked, gorgeous men. Awkward goodbyes and a walk of shame when Travis dropped me home, and Dornan stayed with me while I retrieved a spare key.

Their proposal is like a little light shining, but not enough to drag me from my dark mood, so I do what I always do when I'm feeling down. I hit the shops with my dad's credit card in hand and no idea about what I'm going to buy. I start off in my favorite shop, grabbing some jeans and a pretty brown silky blouse to try on. In the mirror, the same me stares back. Flaming red hair and bright green eyes, the same style of clothes I've been wearing since I was a teen.

I twist my hair into a bun at my nape and study myself again. I cover my hair with my hands, wanting to see what my face looks like without the distinctive hair. Maybe that's what I should do. A big change. Dye my hair so it's dark and dramatic. Chocolate brown, maybe, with some caramel highlights.

I hang the clothes back up and return them to the sales advisor, then stride out of the shop and into a boutique I've never entered before. It's filled with darker, more dramatic clothing that would wash my red hair right out but would probably look amazing with a tumble of dark curls.

I trawl the racks, searching for black jeans and tops in a range of colors I usually avoid like the plague. I find threeknockout dresses more like something Ellie would usually wear as an option for my fake dates. The total bill is wildly extravagant, but I don't feel guilty. It's been over a month since my dad called me. Since the divorce and his escape overseas, he's proven that he has very little interest in me or my life. The only way I can connect with him is with money. Spending money on his credit card stupidly fills me with a little hope that he's thinking about me somewhere and has my best interests at heart.

There's a hair salon in the shopping mall, which is my next stop. When I tell the hairdresser what I want, she practically weeps in front of me. "You can't cover up all this beautiful color," she moans, waving her hands around on both sides of my head. "It's perfect as it is."

"I want to be a new me," I say. "I just need a change. A big change."

"I can't do it," she says, but when I tell her about Eddie, she rests her hand on my upper arm, sympathy raising her brows. "We've all been through it, sweetie. You do what you need to do."

It's so weird to see her painting my hair from root to tip with gray-looking cream. The smell is acrid, and my scalp is weirdly cold. I flick through the messages from Ellie and Gab with photos of last night attached, zooming in on Dornan, Elias, and Travis.

The hairdresser leans over my shoulder. "Now, those are the kinds of men I would go for if I was a few years younger."

"But they're all so different," I say.

"They're real men, though. Look at those muscles and those determined jaws. Is one of them your ex?"

I tell her about what happened last night, including the afterparty at Molly's and the slightly awkward goodbyes in the morning. When I explain their proposal, she whistles. "You're going to go on dates with them all."

"I guess."

"Who are you going to pick to go first?"

"I don’t know. Dornan's a good friend, so he'd be the safest option. Travis is my friend's hot older brother, and his sexy, mature vibe would make Eddie intrigued. But Elias is Eddie's true nemesis. He hates him with a passion. And Elias won't get bogged down with feelings. He didn't last time." Plus, he's the most likely date to lead to the sex I desperately want. I don’t tell the hairdresser that part, though.

"Him." I enlarge Elias's photo, and the hairdresser whistles again.

"Lucky you, darlin'. Lucky you."

I leave the salon an eon later with a cascade of soft chocolate brown curls and feeling like a different person.

And with three fake dates on the horizon, I'm starting to feel more in control of my life, too.

4

ELIAS

---