True Love behind Fake Date

Chapter 1 : The Problem

"Come on spill it." Maddie wasn't having any of this no kiss and tell nonsense. She wanted all the juicy details.

"Why do you need to know?" Jessica responded, nonchalant, as she continued fidgeting with her hair while staring at herself in the mirror.

"We just wanna know if his d**k is really as big as they say." Amy stated bluntly, shrugging her shoulders as she leaned back against the sink.

The three girls were discussing Jessica's weekend away with Kevin. He had quite a reputation, so far they hadn't been able to confirm anything, until now.

Jessica didn't answer right away, keeping them in suspense was part of the fun. "Hmmm... How do I put this... He has..."

Jasmine didn't hear the rest, Mike was walking towards her calling her name. "Jasmine, there you are, I've been looking all over for you!" he was a little out of breath, like he'd been jogging to catch up.

She strained to try and hear the last bit of the conversation but could only make out hushed giggling.

"Sorry I got sidetracked. What's up?" she had given up trying to listen in and started to walk away with him by her side. Luckily, he didn't ask why she'd been skulking around the bathroom windows.

"Are you still coming over? I got that new horror movie we were talking about and, thankfully, my parents are out camping." He had caught his breath and was matching pace with her.

One might think he was luring her with nefarious purposes in mind, but no.

They had been friends for the past four years, and neighbours for five. Somehow, we were lucky enough to live close enough to campus to still live at home.

"Of course, but can you guarantee Bradley won't be there?" Mike's older brother made her more than uncomfortable with his rugged good looks and a gaze that made you feel like he was undressing you with his eyes.

"Nah, he'll be out with friends until next week. Besides, I doubt he'll hang around even if he does come home early. We're not exactly 'his crowd'." He tried his best to put her at ease.

He wasn't oblivious to how his family made Jasmine feel, they were unconventional and goofy. Compared to her family, closed up and reserved, they could be overwhelming in large doses.

Jasmine loved Mike's family, but lately the stress was getting to her, it was her final year of college and she just couldn't stand anymore questions about what was next. It was all out of love and she understood that, but it didn't make her feel any less trapped. She nodded her acceptance but left it at that.

"Can I get a ride? My parents aren't getting home 'til late." she asked out of courtesy, but knew he wouldn't let her walk home alone anyway.

"Sure, but where's your car?" Mike asked, her car was top notch, even better than his own, perks of having two doctors for parents.

"My dad had to borrow it, I'll probably get it back by Monday." They had reached his car and were getting in when his phone rang.

"Hey babe, how's it going?" Mike's whole demeanor changed when he answered, more macho and bubbly than his normal self.

Mike's side of the conversation quickly turned tense as he continued. "Yeah. Okay. I understand." Silence, and then finally, "Fine, we'll talk about this later." He pushed the button to end the call a little too forcefully, almost dropping the phone. His face was all scrunched up in frustration, Danielle had obviously upset him again. No surprise there.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jasmine offered.

His features softened but he was still visibly upset. "Thanks, but its all good. She's having one of her tantrums again." He started the car and turned it towards home.

"To tell you the truth, I'm over it. I'm done, she's just impossible." He shook his head and continued on driving.

"I've heard that before, and then its back to square one." Jasmine rolled her eyes at him, it truly wasn't the first time, it was probably the fourth or fifth time in two years, and that was if you counted the big fights. Mike was just too forgiving sometimes.

He didn't always realize the effect he had on most women. His boyish good looks coupled with his intelligence and sense of humour. A real catch by most standards.

He was tall with semi-long brown hair and creamy brown eyes with a body that was not overly chiseled or perfect but good enough to make you look twice.

Jasmine, on the other hand, felt she was more plain Jane than take your breath away stunning.

Her long auburn hair was mostly curvy, somewhere between curly and straight. Her eyes were some combination of blue and green, but not the bright kind. She was a whole head shorter than Mike with an average, nothing to write home about, body.

Danielle was built like a model, with blonde hair and blue eyes and a body to die for. The only consolation being she was shorter than Jasmine.

"I resent that." Mike exclaimed, feigning hurt at her comment.

"Prove me wrong then." A mischievous smile played on her lips. She didn't think he was going to call her bluff.

Without another word, he dialed a number on his phone, smirked at her and waited while it rang.

It wasn't long before someone picked up. "Dani? It's Mike. We're done. It's over. Have a great life." He didn't leave any room for a reply. Danielle could be heard screaming on the other end just before he ended the call.

"Consider yourself proven wrong." He proclaimed, at which point they both burst into uncontrollable laughter.

They were just recovering from their laughing fit as they pulled into Mike's driveway. There were no cars in site, confirming they were home alone.

"I just need to let Toby out quick." Mike made his way around the house to let their dog out into the back yard. Jasmine followed, making sure to shut the gate behind her so Toby would try and escape.

As the back door opened, Toby was out like a shot, jumping up and down and running towards her. Mike called out to him, trying to stop him, but he wasn't fast enough.

Toby jumped up, toppling her over and proceeded to paw and nibble at her.

All at once, one of his nails snagged her blouse and as he tried to pull free a loud ripping sound could be heard. He had ripped her shirt down the middle, exposing her bare skin and bra.

Mike held onto his collar and pulled him back while helping her up. Her shirt was in tatters and she could barely hold it together. "I'm so sorry Jaz, he's still a little rough. Can I give you a shirt to wear?"

Toby was still jumping and yipping, trying to get free.

"Sure, I can't really walk across the street for a new shirt like this, can I?" there wasn't a hint of anger in her voice, just some embarrassment.

She wasn't the most confident person, so having to stand there in her underwear was not ideal.

They made their way inside after tossing a ball for Toby to chase and headed for Mike’s bedroom. He rummaged in his closet for a shirt and handed her a plain black T-shirt. He quickly left the room to let her change.

Once he’d left, she quickly removed what remained of her shirt and dumped it on the bed. Jasmine had been in his room a number of times. It always amazed her how neat and sparse it was, considering what you would hear about how messy guys were. His bed took up most of the space, with a small desk with a computer and a table next to his bed.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror attached to the closet door and sighed, wondering yet again why she wasn’t built like Jessica or Danielle.

Without really thinking about it, she cupped her breasts, assessing their size. She stood like this gazing into the mirror when Mike walked in. “Hey, can I get you… s**t… Sorry.” Upon seeing her with her breasts in hand, he quickly retreated from the room.

‘Can this day get any worse?’ she thought to herself as she quickly pulled the black shirt over her head. It was way too big but it would have to do for now. Clearly, she had taken too much time assessing herself in the mirror.

It was a relief that they had both decided to act as if nothing had happened, instead Mike led her to the kitchen for a cold drink.

Danielle tried calling multiple times over the next few hours, each time Mike ignored the call and silenced the phone. “Looks like she’s not giving up.” Jasmine pointed out while sipping her third glass of ice tea.

“Like I said, I’m done. She can call ‘til hell freezes over, she won’t change my mind.” He was flicking through channels looking for something to watch.

No response was necessary, it was hard to discern his mood, but it was clear he didn’t want to talk about it, his mind was made up and she knew better than to challenge his stubborn nature.

The silence didn’t last long, soon they were laughing and joking, talking about their new classes and classmates, the usual. They enjoyed each others company while the TV droned softly in the background. It was all light hearted and fun until Mike decided to stray a little off topic.

“Do you know that girl, Jessica?”

Jasmine became a little nervous at the mention of Jessica, but calmed down once she realised there was no way for him to know that she’d been eavesdropping, let alone who she had been eavesdropping on.

“Yeah, I’ve seen her around, she’s in a couple of my classes.” There was a pause, then curiosity won out. “Why?”

“I was just wondering whether she was seeing anyone. Maybe I could ask her out.” He was very casual about it, he didn’t expect her to answer him.

“I heard she went away with Kevin for the weekend.” She couldn’t stop the bitterness from creeping into her voice.

Laughing out loud, Mike picked up on her reaction. “Wow… Jealous much?” He knew about her long-standing crush on the guy, he was even envious of him.

“Well… yes… I don’t see what Jessica has that I don’t!” She didn’t even try to hide her envy this time. But it wasn’t like Mike would understand, he could have almost any girl he wanted, heck probably any guy too. She just didn’t have the same level of confidence.

Mike knew better than to respond, he didn’t want to make things worse. He knew exactly what it was, it was experience and confidence, girls like that had a neon sign saying they would put out, but Jasmine was nothing like those girls. It wasn’t a bad thing, but it wasn’t something she would take very well.

His thought process was interrupted by a poke in the ribs.

“Well, what do you think?” she asked expectantly.

“Hey!” he poked back, which quickly escalated into a tickle fight.

Once the giggling had subsided, her face turned serious again. “Come on Mike, be honest with me. You know what guys want, so why do they choose someone like her over someone like me?” she was near pleading.

Stuck in a corner, there was no escape. She would know if he was lying, but there was no way of telling how much the truth would hurt her feelings. As he contemplated his answer she continued to stare at him in anticipation of some mind-blowing revelation.

“Well… its not an easy answer. I don’t want you to take this the wrong way.” He was stalling, thinking of a way to let her down easy.

“Out with it, I can take it!” she was determined to see this through.

It was better just to get it over with, rip the band aid off, so to speak. “If I had to say, it’s probably the level of experience that’s holding you back.” He prepared himself for her reaction but it didn’t come.

She looked confused, not truly grasping his true meaning, not understanding what the implication really was of what he was saying. Finally, she had to ask to clarify his answer, “Like experience dating?”

Ears burning red and eyes averted as much as was possible while still keeping her in his sight, he forced himself to elaborate. “Not dating, per say… more…” he paused trying to find a way to say it but eventually gave up, “…sexual experience.” This time he cringed internally waiting for her reaction, whether one of anger, sadness or embarrassment, only time would tell.

It didn’t come.