The Deal
405 Words
The neon hum of Brooks Diner was a world away from the Carter estate. Ethan went into a restaurant nearby, ignoring the cracked plastic seats and the smell of frying oil. My mind remembered my father’s angry face, my lie tightened my chest. Married. I had lied to my family that I'm married . And now I needed someone to fill the role. Quickly.
That was when I saw her.
Lily Brooks passed between tables with an exhausted face, holding a tray, her hair messy. Her clothes were faded and torn, her shoes worn out , but there was something special about her — a brightness in her eyes.
She walked towards his seat, “Coffee?” she asked, snappy, as if she's already fed up with the world tonight.
“Yes,” Ethan said. His voice was calm, measured — the voice he used when he's closing deals. When she gave him a coffee, he watched her, and then, without introduction. He asked “Do you believe in strange opportunities?”
She scowled, took a step backward. “Depends how strange.”
Ethan took a step forward. “I need a wife. A temporary one. You’ll be paid.”
She froze for a few minutes . Then she blinked, as though she’d misheard him. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” Ethan said calmly . “A marriage. For pretence only.”
Lily’s laugh was loud . disbelieving “That’s the worst pickup line I’ve ever heard.”
“I’m not joking.” he's eyes locked with her's. “You’d be helping me, and I’d be helping you. Bills, debts, loan's… I suspect you have them.”
Her stomach twisted — because he wasn’t wrong about her. Rent overdue. Her mother’s medical/ hospital bills. The constant struggle that never ended.
She said, “Why me?”
“Because you don’t belong in my world,” Ethan replied. “And that makes you a right choice.”
For the first time, Lily’s heart skipped. Not from his world, but from the way his eyes lingered on her — cool calculation laced with something warmer, something that unsettled her.
“This is crazy,” she said.
“Maybe,” he admitted. Then, calmly, “But maybe it’s exactly what both of us need.”
The atmosphere between them shifted. Lily whispered to herself to walk away. But she couldn't move from that spot.
- Writer
