Fake-Dating A Star

TWELVE

Maggie snickered haughtily, shaking her head with a patronizing air that made Lila’s blood boil.

"You know," Maggie began, her tone dripping with condescension, "Matt told me you were cynical, not stupid. Do you honestly believe you have Nigel Lancaster?" Her voice rang out in the cold night air, as sharp as the wind cutting across the deck. "Come on, Lila. The guy’s f*****g famous. He’s a celebrity stuck on a cruise and in need of a w***e. He's a f*****g star."

The words hit Lila like a slap, her entire body stiffened as she tried to swallow the lump of fury rising in her throat. Her patience, already stretched thin, was on the verge of snapping completely. Her fingers twitched, itching to claw at the synthetic perfection of Maggie’s face.

"You’re just... convenient," Maggie added, her lips curling into a cruel smile. "You may never see him again after this cruise is over."

Lila’s stomach churned, the taunt landing squarely in the fragile space where her insecurities festered. She knew that she'd probably never see Nigel again after the cruise. She f*****g knew that. She didn’t need this venomous woman pointing it out.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to walk past Maggie, to escape before she did something she’d regret. But Maggie’s manicured hand clamped down on her arm, stopping her dead in her tracks. Raw anger surged through her veins, and she swatted the hand away with a force that made Maggie flinch.

"Don’t you f*****g touch me," Lila hissed, her voice trembling with barely restrained fury.

Maggie’s painted lips twitched, but she didn’t back down. Instead, she leaned in closer, her perfume cloying and invasive. "Fine," she said, her voice softening into something almost persuasive. "Here’s my offer. I’ll let Matt come back to you if you let me have Nigel Lancaster."

The audacity of the statement made Lila’s jaw drop. She could only stare, stunned, as Maggie continued with infuriating confidence.

"I’m a supermodel, Lila. I meet celebrities all the time. I can make things work with him if I wanted to." She tossed her hair over her shoulder, her tone carrying a smug certainty that made Lila’s chest tighten. "But you? You can’t."

Something in Lila snapped. The audacity, the cruelty, the sheer nerve of this woman was too much to bear. Heat bloomed in her chest, rising up her throat until it nearly choked her. God, she wanted to hurt her.

"f**k you," She spat, her voice low and seething. "Stay away from me, or I swear I’ll throw you overboard."

And she meant it. For the first time in her life, she felt the violent impulse clawing at her insides, begging to be unleashed. Maggie had managed to ignite something wild and dangerous in her—a fire that threatened to consume her entirely.

For a fleeting moment, a flicker of worry passed through Maggie’s eyes. But she quickly masked it with a facade of nonchalance, stepping back cautiously as though the threat didn’t faze her.

"Well, Lila, I tried," she said with a shrug, her voice once again laced with mockery. "But just so we’re clear—if you don’t let me have Nigel, I will get him myself. And as for Matt..." Her smirk widened. "I’ll make sure he never comes back to you."

With that, Maggie spun on her heel and sauntered off, her heels clicking against the deck in a rhythm that felt like the tolling of a bell.

Lila stood frozen, her hands balled into fists, her chest heaving with the force of her anger. Maggie’s words echoed in her head.

Nigel....

It wasn’t that her taunts about him weren’t true. They were. Lila was just convenient, a passing distraction on this cruise that would soon fade into memory. And though she didn't want to, she just had to accept that the truth stung.

But it was the mention of Matt—the smug assumption that she still held that power over her—that made her chest ache. Because as much as Lila wanted to pretend she didn’t care, that part of her life still felt raw, like an open wound that refused to heal.

Maggie felt like she had Matt, she felt like she could pretty much control him. And maybe she could; she was pretty, rich, confident, and not to mention, evil.

She turned back to the railing, gripping it tightly as she stared out at the waves. The icy wind whipped her face, stealing her breath and making her eyes water.

Why had she come here? To clear her head? To escape the suffocating thoughts that haunted her in Nigel’s bed?

Instead, she’d walked straight into the claws of a woman determined to tear her apart.

She inhaled deeply, her breaths coming in sharp and uneven as she tried to steady herself. She wouldn’t let Maggie win, not now, not ever. Two could play the game. Maggie might have it all, but she knew Matt, and she knew just what strings to pull to get him to react.

Or so she thought.....

Her fingers relaxed slightly on the railing, and she let her eyes drift shut for a moment, focusing on the sound of the waves lapping against the ship as she came up with a plan for tomorrow.

She could handle this. She had to.

~~

The walk back to Nigel’s room was a blur. Maggie’s words echoed in Lila’s mind, each one a sharp jab at her fragile sense of self-worth. By the time she reached the door, her hands were trembling. She took a deep breath before stepping inside, hoping to shove her thoughts aside, even for a little while.

Nigel was back.

He sat on the bed, scrolling through his phone, his dark hair slightly mussed as though he’d been running his hands through it. He set his phone down on noticing her, and his lips curved in the all too famous Nigel Lancaster smile.

"Hey." He spoke first.

"Hi." She didn't mean to sound gruff, but she pretty much couldn't help herself.

“You okay?” he asked, his brows knitting together.

She hesitated in the doorway. “Yeah. Why?”

“You look... upset.”

Her stomach tightened at his concern. She wanted to tell him, to let the words spill out and let him reassure her that Maggie was wrong about the things she had said.

“It’s nothing,” she said, forcing a small smile. “Just tired.”

Nigel’s eyes lingered on her face, clearly unconvinced, but he didn’t push. “If you say so.” he said, leaning back against the headboard. "Wanna order some food?"

“No,” she replied quickly, walking further into the room. “I just want to sleep.”

He nodded, watching as she slipped off her shoes and climbed into bed beside him. The mattress dipped under her weight, and she turned her back to him, pretending to settle in.

Nigel didn’t say anything else. The room was quiet except for the faint rustle of the sheets and the soft hum of the ship beneath them. She felt him shift, giving her space, but his presence was still there, warm and steady behind her.

Lila stared at the wall, her thoughts racing.

You’re just... convenient.

The words rang in her ears, a cruel reminder of everything she feared about herself. Maggie had looked so sure, so smug, as though her claims were facts Lila was foolish to deny.

Her chest tightened. She hated how much it got to her. She shutt her eyes; willing herself to go to sleep immediately, but sleep didn’t come. Instead, her insecurities twisted and tangled, growing louder in the silence.

Nigel shifted again, and she felt the faint brush of his hand against her shoulder, hesitant but comforting. “If you change your mind and want to talk, I’m here,” he said softly.

Her throat tightened, and for a moment, she almost turned to him. But the words stayed lodged in her chest. She didn’t want to talk about Maggie, about her fears, about the gnawing ache in her heart. Not now.

“Thanks,” she murmured instead, her voice barely above a whisper.

He didn’t say anything else, and eventually, his breathing evened out, a quiet rhythm that filled the room. Lila stayed awake, staring at nothing in particular, her thoughts spiraling.