Fake Friends - Saxon James Page 0,22

snap a photo.

Dinner and nights in with him.

This time, I even add a love heart.

I’ve been back in Sunbury for over a month, and already the shifts at Harvey’s are wearing thin. I have no interest in taking over from my parents; I assume that’ll be down to Piper. She loves it here and did an online business certificate instead of running off to college like I did.

In order to stop working here though, I either need to leave again or find something else to fill my time.

Still working on what that might be.

I finish grilling the beef patty in front of me and slide it onto a burger with all the toppings. One of the options we don’t have here is a vegetarian menu, and it makes me wonder if that’s the reason Circus never comes in and maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with me at all.

Okay, I’m not a dumb shit. I know it has to do with me, but at least I don’t think that’s the only reason.

Since noticing that, I’m beginning to wonder if it’s something we should do though.

Circus can’t be the only vegetarian in town, and maybe it’s not a large clientele, but it might mean those people and their friends choose to come here instead of Peg’s sometimes. Our business is solid, but would doing something a little different make it even better?

Mom and Dad are set in their ways, but maybe it’s something I can run past Piper.

Circus clearly enjoyed that pizza last night. And if we’re already making them from scratch, where’s the harm?

I glance up at the clock just as it ticks over to 5:00 p.m., and two of the part-timers leave the break room and enter the kitchen.

The high school kids spend more time messing around than making the food, but at least I don’t have to deal with their hormonal asses.

I hang up my apron, shove a baseball cap down over my sweaty hair, and leave.

But when I get out front, Piper stops me.

“He’s been waiting for you for half an hour.”

Circus is in a booth up the back, playing with his phone.

“Thanks.”

I’d thought last night was a solid fuck-you when I showed up to find Leon there. He clearly didn’t want to be alone with me, despite inviting me over, so what the hell is he doing here now?

I slide into the booth opposite him. “Pleasant surprise.”

A broad smile crosses his face, but he keeps staring at his screen. “Have you seen this?”

“What?”

“Holy shit.” He laughs and slides the phone toward me.

I don’t know what I’m looking at. “Who is him?” I read. “That’s bad grammar.”

“They’re looking for you.”

“What?” I don’t know why he’s smiling.

“Relax, there’s no way for them to find you. I checked. We have no social media friends in common, even on my normal page, and I hide all the people I follow anyway. They’re looking for a needle in a haystack.”

I shift uncomfortably and glance around the diner. It’s past the afternoon rush, and I’m unsure whether that’s a good thing. Less people are around to overhear, but it makes the room quiet, and I’m conscious our voices will carry.

“Come on.” I go outside and Circus follows me. “Now, explain what’s going on?”

“The last few days I’ve been posting pictures of us captioning them with dumb stuff and always calling you ‘him.’”

I know. I’ve seen. But of course I don’t mention that. “And now people want to know who I am?”

“Yep. This worked out way better than I thought it would. When Royal Swimwear first noticed people asking about who you were, they ran with it. Everything they post is hashtag him. Circus and him. They’re pushing the secret angle, and it’s driving people nuts that they can’t find you.”

My mouth won’t close. “Why the hell do they care who some random guy in a bunch of photos with you is?”

“This is the kicker. They think we’re dating. See, there’s this whole subculture online of people shipping certain influencer couples. And the ones who follow some of the gay couples out there are next-level supporters. Today, the brand’s post was ‘You and him deserve to be Royal. Show us your Royalty’ and people have been posting pictures with their boyfriends all day.”

“Us? Dating?” My brain feels stuck.

“Trust me when I say I would have preferred literally anyone else to do this with me. But you’re it. And if we play up this fake dating angle …”

I feel like I’ve been dropped