Chapter One: A fake mate
1134 Words
HAZEL POV
“There’s someone I'm seeing”
I could feel the antibacterial hand wash at the end of the ward choking me up as I lie to the woman who had raised me ever since I was a pup,
I muse as she takes her attention away from the magazine she had been skimming her eyes through to where I stood sheepishly, squeezing the bag tightly under my grip.
I hoped she said something instead of giving me death stares,
“Since when?"
“Well um, four weeks and days now" I straightened up.
“Be specific" she says with a deadpan look narrowing her sharp green eyes at me.
“Four weeks and four days” I felt ridiculous already.
"And why keep it a secret until now?"
“Well" I knew I should have made a quick script for this. “Well he's a private person and says we should take things slow"
Lying sucks.
“That's cowardly for a man" she eyed me but I gave her a warm smile so I wouldn't feel like I was the one on the hospital bed suffering from a heart attack
“Where did you guys meet?"
“In the office." I said bluntly, frankly because that's the only place you'd find me but I heard a low chuckle from her end.
“You do office romance now?"
She knows I hate that like hell but I could only press my lips to form a thin line
Suddenly.
“Isn't that so wonderful" the magazine flying into the air was the last thing I see
"Come here you"
Feeling a strong pull like I was being manhandled by three men. Then my nervous self suddenly pressed against my aunt's warm body.
My eyes glinted as she pulled me away from her. Gripping both my arms.
“I want to know everything. sugarplum, your first kiss, first date, movie nights with this…” she started deliriously
“Shifter.” I assured her before she continued.
“Oh my, guess all it took was another attack to hear this, I mean a month Hazel? And here I was planning a date with the packs poet”
A what?
I wasn't seeing any consequence of lying. Instead it just saved me from another one of her blind dates and matchmaking.
“Bring him for dinner the minute I get out of this sick place. I need to pamper my son-in-law”
I immediately peeled myself away from her. Adjusting my shirt
“Not everyone can keep up with endless salads aunty.” rolling my eyes.
“Not everyone stuffs their stomach with unhealthy foods like you.” She resorted. “I bet Mr…….” Her brows creased "is it just me or you never mentioned his name”
Right! What was the name of my fake boyfriend? All the air stood at the back of my neck as I smiled sheepishly again. Gazing towards the ceiling as if the names were written right there.
A fake boyfriend from the firm. Surely my aunt didn't know half of the men in my firm. Sadly neither did I.
I searched through my memory for a name.
Just one
“Nathan Brooks”
Fuck. I could think of a million and one reasons why the most cold, grumpy and solitude lawyer in our firm’s name came out of my mouth but none of them would make any sense.
For example, I prolly mentioned it, since before I left work, the girls in the bathroom were talking about him.
“Wowwww. Such a sexy name don't you think? I love him already”
‘Sure she does’. I say Inwardly trying hard not to bash my head onto something. Prolly the white walls
“You'd better make sure Natty comes for dinner, sugarplum"
Natty???
I could have just said Chris Hemsworth or something else.
But then I was going to invite Mr Hemsworth over to dinner. Which was entirely impossible.
Adjusting my bags and glancing at my watch then at the nurse that was heading for the door
“Oh well. I've spent an hour out of work and I have some unfinished files to sort." I started to walk. Waving away her attempt to yell for me to get back.
***
While on my way back I thought of all the reasonable ways to tell a man I barely knew how he looked like to be my boyfriend for a month or two? I could offer a paycheck for every week to add roses to the deal.
Nathan Brooks.
We barely got past Good mornings and good days, it was Clear how much he loved his solitude.
To be honest, I was more scared of his reply than meeting up with him.
What if he had a family or a girlfriend and I'd have to find another Nathan brooks in a matter of days?
I was tired of sitting with boring humans who were obsessed about wildlife or shifters who didn't want anything more than to know how horny I got during my heat.
Readjusting myself out of impatience, his office smelt of new woods and flowers and of course the fake suppressants he was on because I could still find his scent somehow.
His broad shoulders facing me as the files he arranged seemed like it'd never end, I was okay when he asked me to give him a second but now it's been ten goddamn minutes,
“Coffee? Miss Thompson?”
I hear him offer curtly. Using suppressants only meant he wasn't mate hunting or girlfriend searching and this new discovery made me less persistent to go on with this.
I took the cup he offered and locked eyes with him. His blue eyes were intriguing.
Was he ever this intriguing?
“So how is work?"
“Fine." He replied with an arched brow as if curious on why I asked.
I moved on. The air between us needed to be light.
“And your wife?" I catch him arching his brow again. It seemed like a habit “your girlfriend?" I press on.
His big body relaxed back to his swivel chair.
“I just…..
“Say what you came for Miss Thompson. I have a meeting in six minutes or five” cutting me off flatly.
When was asking a favor from someone ever so hard?
Crap, this was it.
“I need you to be my fake boyfriend”
Did someone drop a pin? Cause I could hear it. Aside from my hyper hearing senses. The room was quiet enough to hear him breath steadily like I hadn't said a word.
I gulped.
“For a month or two. We'll pretend as if this never happened after tha..
“Yes." I hear him say
- Writer
