Fake Boyfriend

5

Mark narrowed his eyes and the hint of a smile wavered on his lips.

- Oh yeah? What kinds of things did he say about me?

- Honey - she murmured Janet -. it doesn't matter anymore. I mean, everything is in the past, right? - The last thing he needed was for his mother to start listing all the insults she called him when they were in high school. Their fake relationship was already on edge enough.

Mark smiled.

- Of course, everything is in the past- he said, stroking the back of her hand. Then he looked back at his mother directly and professionally -. So what did Janet say about me?

His mother bit her lip.

- Oh dear. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything.

Yes, mom. Well done. His curse wasn't limited to actual relationships. Even the fake ones were doomed. Then he remembered his life preserver. He tapped his watch and gave Mark a meaningful look. The time had come to make his exit.

Mark ignored it.

- Did he hate me that much?- He asked again.

He held back a cry. Why the hell was he so worried about what he thought of him in high school? At the time he had a large court of girls busy feeding his ego. He cleared his throat loudly and touched his watch again.

This is the signal, i***t. Here we go.

His mother frowned.

- Is something wrong with the clock, dear?

- Uh, not - said with a sigh -. My watch is fine.

It was the fake boyfriend who wasn't.

The man wouldn't have taken the hint even if it had hit him on the head, which he was not far from doing.

- Um ... I just noticed the time. Mark and I booked a restaurant for dinner - He turned to Mark -. We have to go, right baby?

- If safe - Mark got up and held out his hand to help her stand -. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Campbell. I am looking forward to speaking with you again at Emily's wedding.

Janet rolled her eyes. Yeah right. There was no way she was talking to her mother or someone in her family anymore. At least not if he could help it. I just wanted her to be a beautiful figure and nothing more.

His mother was beaming.

- I'm so glad I finally met you. I wish you a good night and have fun.

- Thanks, mom. Don't wait for me awake, ”he growled, pushing Mark toward the door, but it wasn't an easy task, as he had a lot of muscle in it.

She ran out the door, pulling Mark with her, then gave one last goodbye to her mother, who closed the door behind them.

- Ok, what was this all about? - He whispered angrily.

Mark raised his eyebrows and looked at her.

- What do you mean?

- To you - she said, hitting him in the chest with each word. you should have followed my speech.

He crossed his arms and laughed.

- Ah, so you wanted me to be a puppet?

- Puppet? - As if she were one of those control freaks -. That is not what I meant. All I wanted was for you not to speak unless you were given the floor and above all to follow my instructions.  

- And I didn't? - He raised an eyebrow, then looked with a mischievous smile.

Janet felt something move inside her and she wanted to wipe that smile off her too beautiful face.

- We have to stay in tune, Mark. You can't keep disobeying me, or we'll never survive the wedding week.

Shrugged.

- I can't help it. It's my quarterback instinct. When I see an opportunity for a new game that works better, I take it. It's called a change in tactics.

Of course, for Mark, it was all about football. He resisted the urge to make a joke and looked at his watch instead. The conversation with her mother had lasted almost thirty minutes, but she felt as if she had run a half marathon. They needed to do their homework if they wanted it to continue smoothly. He couldn't risk it not.

- Listen, I think so ...

But before she could finish the rest of the sentence, Mark's lips rested on hers with the precision of a military sniper.

Done. He had disobeyed her again.

Although ... actually, this time he didn't care.

Mark slid his hands behind her back and pulled her even closer to him. Oh, the man could kiss even better than playing soccer. His mouth moved against hers in a perfect combination of softness and determination. Damn, a man hadn't kissed her like this in a long time. I kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and had to remind herself that everything was wrong. Mark Robbins had tons of women at his disposal, she had just hired him to accompany her to her sister's wedding. But his body pressing against hers and his hands in her hair… it all felt so good.

It was a long time before she realized that he had pulled away and looked at her.

- I'm sorry, - he murmured.

- Mmmm- Wait. That? Cares?

- I saw your mother through the window and I didn't want her to see us arguing.

- Oh - Janet pronounced weakly -. G-good idea.

Of course. That was why Mark had kissed her. Obviously. Because she was trying to play her boyfriend in front of her mother. Not because he wanted to kiss her. Which was fine, actually perfect, because she didn't want him to kiss her either. Why should I do it? There would be no future for them. But she walked away, in case the heat on her cheeks could be seen in the evening light.

He reached out and took hers.

- Hey, are you okay?

- I've never been better- he lied. And he would surely be better off when he finally walked away from her presence. He needed to recover. The man had not only done something to her mind but also her insides.

- I don't usually kiss a woman without asking her permission.

- Good to know - withdrew his hand, determined to keep this issue at a professional level -. Thank you for agreeing to meet my mom on such short notice. I'll call you after the weekend.

With that said, she complimented her legs for carrying her up the porch steps and halfway up the driveway. He called her before she got to her car.

- What's up?

Mark c****d his head and gave her a dimpled smile.

- Where are you going in such a hurry?

- Where am I going? I do not know. Probably the library.

- On a Friday night? - He winced in horror -. What the hell are you gonna do

- Oh, what most people do in a library: an orgy, summoning the dead and if there is time, jamming the copier with Canadian coins. As usual.

The river. Damn her treacherous insides, why did the deep sound of his laughter stir her even more than the kiss she had made? This was not a good thing.

- How about we go get something to eat instead?- He suggested.

Eat? In the sense of spending more time together to eat? Oh no. Not.

Mark seemed to read her mind, because he was already heading towards her, stating all the reasons in favor of such an idea.

- Also, if you want this to feel as real as possible, we need to get to know each other better. I don't even know how you drink your coffee.

- That's because I don't drink coffee.

- You see? This is something a true boyfriend should know. I take it with a teaspoon of sugar, in case you were wondering.

- No way. - She crossed her arms and pouted, not wanting to sound funny.

His gaze was steady and his voice dropped an octave lower as he leaned over her.

- Well, maybe there are other things you are wondering about me.

He tried to swallow but found that he couldn't because his mouth was dry. As much as her mind told her that Mark was right to know each other better, her gut told her that he was dangerous for her. But since she had never been the smartest of her kind, her brain finally prevailed.

- Oh, well - she murmured -. I guess we could go get something quick.

- You could moderate the enthusiasm. I would not like to get ahead of myself.

He tried to hold back but finally laughed. Although he was amused by her sarcastic comment, it did not mean that he condoned their behavior in high school or that they had become friends. But he was unusually nice in trying to help her and the least he could do was not be rude. I'm sorry. Dinner seems like a good idea.

- Good. We will go to Bernacoldo's in the bay. I invite. I hope they still have a few tables left, so we can talk and learn our respective idiosyncrasies. I'll be the best fake boyfriend you've ever had.

Janet simply nodded and followed him to her black Ford. At that moment he had more pressing problems on his mind than his sister's impending wedding. Like why couldn't she get rid of that fake kiss and what the hell did she get into?

Mark on the other hand blamed that sudden kiss with Janet for deciding to take her to the restaurant.

It was as if her vocal cords had invited her to dinner before her brain had anything to say. He knew he had to think of her only in business terms. But after tasting those full lips during the kiss, all he could think of was kissing her again. 

He had to admit that there was something about her that he liked beyond the physical qualities that most men were attracted to. Even if he couldn't explain it, it had affected him that he had never experienced during their engagement. And maybe not even before.

She looked up from her burger and caught him staring at her.

- Oh no. Do I have ketchup on my face? - He grabbed some napkins and began furiously wiping his mouth.

- No.

His eyes widened.

- Mustard? This is even worse.

He smiled.

- There's nothing on your face - Except for the rosy cheeks and the blue eyes. It was clarified throat and took a sip of beer -. Let's pick up where we left off the talk.

Janet nodded and pushed the plate away.

- Now, you know a little about my sister and my mother. And we have established how we met and what you do. By the way, saying you have gyms was a brilliant lie, congrats.

- Thanks, but it wasn't a lie. I have three Fitness Life gyms.

Janet froze.

- Seriously? But I thought...

- What did you think?

Her cheeks turned even pinker and she shifted in the chair.

- Uh, nothing.

- what?

- Nothing.

- Janet - said firmly -. Did you think she worked exclusively for the Couple of Hearts agency?

- Yes ... No - he made a false laugh, then swallowed -. No!

Mark rolled his eyes and sighed. He didn't know whether he should be insulted or flattered because he believed that he could earn a full-time living as a female escort. She didn't have a high opinion of him. He wanted to tell him that he had changed, that he was not the same self-centered kid from high school. Even if she killed him by not being able to defend herself and telling him that she was only pretending to be an escort, he and his cousin had too much to lose from this engagement. However, he shouldn't have cared what Janet thought of him.

Although to a small extent, he cared.

She bit her lip.

- If you care not to tell me how you ended up doing ... - he gestured between them -. this?

He immediately thought of his cousin who had come to him enthusiastically when he was in college, telling him about her idea of starting a business and asking him to invest in it.

- You could say it happened to me,- he replied.

And that was all he could say. If Janet found out that she wasn't an escort and didn't even have a license to do the job, it could spell trouble for her cousin's business. If he ever wanted to, he could take the matter to court.

- Oh, like Lea Baird's bra that made its way into your locker?

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table.

- Are you constantly going to keep these things in mind while we go out together?

- I'm sorry. I'm just using my knowledge to try to assess what kind of fake boyfriend you will be.

- Well, if your bitterness is an indication of what kind of fake girlfriend you will be, I won't hold my breath waiting for you to stop.

She gave him an amused look.

- Good. As long as we both go into this with low expectations, there will be no disappointment.

- Let's leave high school in the past and try to create new information about our false relationship, okay?

She frowned but finally nodded.

- Well, you heard about Emily and you met my mom. What about your parents? What do I need to know?

He wasn't sure what to answer, considering that since graduating, he rarely spoke to them. Not having been able to continue his sports career, he had undoubtedly disappointed them. It wasn't something so unexpected that he acted like a conceited and self-centered person, having had shallow role models like them.

- My father is chief of staff in the army and my mother is dedicated to her charities in the city- he said flatly.

- Are you attached to them?

He doubts.

- No.

- Aren't you an only child?

- What does that have to do with this?

- I just thought that only children were attached to their parents. You know, often these couples pour out all their love on one child because they can't distribute it to others.

- It would have been a bit difficult to distribute the love since there was not enough for even one.

- What do you mean?

- I mean that most of my life I was treated more like a trophy to be displayed in their neat little world than a real human being. Until I went to kindergarten, I thought the babysitter was my mom. When I began to find a niche in the world of football, my parents decided to return to my life. Maybe they wanted to ride the wave of my success. Who knows? Whatever the reason, it worked well for a while. For all of them, I had a family and they had something to boast about in the social circles they frequented, unfortunately, like all good things, the situation ended when the doctor told me that I should stop playing football.

His eyebrows drew together and he considered everything he said.

- I'm so sorry. I had no idea. In high school, you seemed to have it all.

-Yes. I think it might have seemed that way- Mark looked down when he felt a warmth in his hand, saw that Janet had covered it with hers. It seemed so delicate, but it gave her a powerful sense of comfort despite being so small. He laced his fingers with hers. She seemed lost in thought and wondered if she realized what she was doing.

Suddenly he couldn't breathe. He couldn't believe he was sharing those facts about his parents. I wanted to maintain this false superficial relationship. He certainly didn't want to get attached to Janet.

He was determined never to go down that road again. The lesson his ex-girlfriend had taught him was still etched in his memory. Love was not constant. He was fickle. And so he had carefully avoided any long-term relationship.

- Well, I thought you ... - The look of Janet fell into his hands together and abruptly looked away -. It's late - he said.

- Already? He asked, trying to hide his disappointment.

He bit his lip.

- Yeah. I'll have to be somewhere tomorrow morning, and you're working enough overtime for this job. Besides, we've been away long enough to cheat on my mom, right?

He nodded and called the waitress. Janet was right. It was a good idea to go home. They had been away long enough to fool their mother.

And enough to almost fool himself.