flooding me. Exactly what I needed to hear. “I’m going to give it an old-fashioned go.”
“You can do it,” Amelia says with a wicked smile. “What does Theo think about your plan?”
I go quiet for a moment, grateful when Sarah asks Amelia a question and shifts the focus off me having to answer.
What did Theo think of my plan? He seems reluctant. Like he doesn’t want to walk into that wedding with his head held high and me on his arm. Theo is a very low-key person. He doesn’t want to draw a lot of attention to himself, and he knows when he walks into that wedding?
All eyes will be on him.
The pressure of that alone must be enormous. I’m sure that’s part of the reason he wants me to go with him. So I can carry some of that burden. But I draw attention too. It’s the curse of my face. Sometimes I don’t wear makeup, or I pull my hair back tight or even wear a hat so people won’t notice me.
At this wedding, though? I want people to see me. I want them to believe Theo and I are dating, and yes, he is so over Jessica.
But can we pull it off?
“I have a question,” I say, right in the middle of all of them talking.
Their gazes swivel to mine.
“What’s up?” Stella asks.
“It’s for Caroline and Sarah.” Weird that two of the women out of our friend group participated in fake relationships. Like, who does that? Sounds straight out of a movie to me, but here I go…
Caroline and Sarah face me more fully, their brows raised in matching expressions.
“What’s it like to pretend to be in a relationship with someone?”
“Oh, this ought to be interesting,” Stella mutters.
“Are you thinking of doing that with Theo?” Caroline’s eyebrows shoot up even higher.
“Well, it seemed to work for you and Alex. You guys are married now,” I point out, before turning my attention onto Sarah. “And you’re engaged to Jared. So phony relationships must be successful.”
“Is that what you want from Theo? To marry him?” Sarah asks.
“No!” The word shoots out of me like a bullet, fast and hot. “Of course not. He’s just my friend. But—I want us to look like a couple, you know? So everyone at the wedding thinks we’re together.”
“To prove to Jessica that Theo is over him,” Caroline says.
I nod. “Yes. That. Exactly.”
“Then you’re going to have to act like a real couple,” Sarah says. “Arm in arm. Loving glances. Flirtatious laughter. The works. And it can’t seem awkward either. You need it to be believable.”
“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation,” I say, having a surreal moment.
“What about his family?” Caroline asks. “Doesn’t he have like…twenty brothers?”
“It feels like it,” I say with a laugh. “He has three brothers and a sister. His family is very close.”
“Well, you need to break past that barrier first. You need to go have family dinner with them or whatever. Otherwise, you’re the so-called girlfriend coming out of nowhere. They won’t believe him. Or you,” Caroline says.
Shit. I never thought of that, but of course Caroline is right. His brothers will call Theo out immediately if we suddenly show up and act like a couple. He pretty much tells them everything.
“I think we’ll need to come up with a plan,” I say, my mind already racing with all the things Theo and I need to do.
“That sounds like a start,” Sarah says, her smile gentle. “I know you always say he’s your friend, but are you sure you don’t feel something…more for him?”
“I don’t,” I say vehemently. “I can’t. Our friendship is perfect just as it is. We bring any sort of—romantic feelings into it, and everything’s ruined.”
“Everything?” Amelia asks. “So dramatic.”
“And so true. I can’t keep a boyfriend to save my life. Something always gets in the way.” Like my face. Like other men being attracted to me and making whoever I’m with jealous. Or men who have certain expectations just because of the way I look. When I don’t meet those expectations, they get angry.
“It sounds like you and Theo have so much potential, though,” Amelia says, actually sounding like a romantic, which I know she’s not. Well. Ever since she got together with her new boyfriend, she’s softened up. Maybe she’s a believer after all.
“Our potential is friendly. That’s it. Sex complicates things.”
“Sex complicates everything,” Caroline says with a dreamy smile on her face. “But sometimes in the absolute best way.”