Fake Dating My Ex’s Brother

The Confrontation

~~~Thrill~~~

***

The entire gym is staring at us as Raf leads the way with my gym bag on his shoulder.

I see the weight of all those eyes, the rise of phones, the whispers that are not quiet at all. My heart is hammering so hard I am sure Raf can feel it through my palm.

But he doesn't let go of my hand.

He leads me to the mats at the back of the gym, takes my mat out, and sets it down.

"Sit," he says as he settles himself on it.

I hesitate for half a second, then sit between his legs, my back to his chest. His hands find my shoulders. Gentle. Firm. He presses me into a forward stretch and my spine cracks — a satisfying pop that makes me wince and smile at the same time.

"Relax," he murmurs near my ear. "You're doing fine."

I close my eyes and let him move me. Let him guide my arms, my back, my breathing. The cameras are still clicking. The whispers are still buzzing. But somehow, with his hands on me, I stop caring about who is watching.

He turns me to look at him. "What's your plan after this?" he asks.

"Ballet."

His eyebrows lift. Just slightly.

"My mom was a dancer." I watch his face shift. "I never met her though." I reposition myself on the mat, lying on my side. "She died after she had me."

The air between us dips. I see the weight of it settle on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." I wave it off quickly. "It's been a long time."

He presses me into a stretch. My bones crack.

"My dad said she was excellent. That I look just like her." I continue. Swallow once. "I started dancing when I was little to follow in her footsteps. Now whenever I dance I feel close to her. Calm. Happy."

I laugh quick and light, pulling myself back from whatever edge I just walked toward.

"Enough about me." I lift my head at him. "Where are you going after this?"

He pulls me to my feet in one smooth motion and we move to the treadmills side by side, our eyes on one another and not the crowds anymore. He steps onto the belt and glances over.

"Practice. More practice." He presses the speed button and the machine hums to life. "Scouts have been coming so I have to stay sharp."

"Any sad past?"

I don't know why I ask. The words just fall out.

He glances at me sideways. Something passes across his face. Then he smiles.

"Everyone has a past." He presses the speed button higher. He doesn't explain further. And something tells me he never will. And I shouldn't care. After all, we are just fake dating to hurt Jason.

I change course quickly. "I'm actually hurt your brother never told me about you." I match his pace on the belt beside him. "You seem fun. I think we would have gotten along — under different circumstances."

A short laugh escapes him. "Jason is a fool for keeping you hidden."

Something about the way he says it makes me look at him. Not like a compliment. Like a fact. Like he means it beyond the game we're playing.

I look away before he catches me thinking about it.

We finish the run talking and stealing glances.

Raf offers to walk me to my ballet studio. I tell him I'll be okay getting there. But he escorts me to my car anyway. His hand brushes the small of my back as we walk.

"Good job," he says quietly. "I think they bought it in there."

I almost laugh. "You think?"

He nods. "After the first few minutes, people stopped sneaking photos. They just watched." A small smirk. "Which means we looked like a real couple."

I don't know why that makes my stomach flip.

We reach my car. He opens the door for me to enter and closes it after I am inside. He shoves his hands into his pockets.

"Drive safely. I'll text you after practice."

I nod and wave at him through the open window. Then I drive away.

Five minutes later I park in front of the building. I grab my bag — ballet outfit stuffed inside — and push through the front doors.

The security woman approaches me. Her name is Peppy. She's usually all smiles. Not today.

"Miss Hastings." Her voice is low. "Your boyfriend is here to see you."

My heart slams against my chest. My boyfriend? Did Raf follow me?

I follow her down the hall. Through the glass wall of the waiting area, I am shocked to see Jason.

I scoff.

He is pacing back and forth. Back and forth. His hands rake through his hair. Whispering to himself.

My first instinct is to run. But I don't. "Thank you, Peppy. I'll take it from here."

She walks away.

I knock on the transparent glass and he spins. The second he sees me, he lunges for the door. His hands grab mine, desperate, squeezing too hard. "Malibu. Where have you been? I'm going mad. Please just — talk to me."

"That's why you came here?"

"I couldn't reach you. I just wanted to talk. I —"

"Can you stop telling people you're my boyfriend, Jason?" I cut him off and yank my hands back. Then I step away. "I broke up with you, remember? And it's staying that way."

"Why?" His eyes flash. "Because of that creep? I saw the picture. Don't tell me —"

"Yes." I lift my chin. Let the words land. "It's true. All of it. I'm dating your brother."

His face collapses.

I watch it happen in slow motion — the way his jaw unclenches then tightens again. The way his eyes go from fire to ash.

And I should be happy.

This is what I wanted. This is the revenge I begged for. I should be celebrating the crack spreading across his face.

But my heart aches. A dull twisting pull in my chest that I can't stop. And I feel my own throat close up.

Jason's eyes search my face. Desperation flickers there now. It scares me.

"You started dating him the day you broke up with me? You don't even know him. You don't know anything about who he is or where he came from."

"I didn't know you either."

"He is using you." He steps closer. "That's what he does. He sees something that belongs to me and he takes it. He has been doing it his whole life."

"The world does not revolve around you. And I don't belong to you."

He looks at me for a long moment. Then the anger drains out. "I made a mistake." His voice breaks. "The biggest mistake of my life, Malibu. And I'm not going to just stand here and lose you to him." He shakes his head slowly. "I'm going to win you back. I'm going to make you fall in love with me again."

I open my mouth to argue but nothing comes out. I'm still in love with this fool. And I can't be. I shouldn't be. He hurt me. He stood in that room and blamed me for his own betrayal. But my heart didn't get that memo.

"I'm not done." He holds my gaze. "Not even close. I will take you from him." He doesn't say anything else. He just walks away.

The silence crashes in all at once after he left. My hands are shaking. Because the terrifying part isn't the threat.

The terrifying part is that I know Jason. When he wants something he gets it by all means. And I'm afraid of what he's willing to do to take me from Raf.