Page 11 of Real Tree / Fake Boyfriend

He perched himself on his couch and blew on his hot chocolate while he waited for Julien to come out in the first outfit. It was a pair of dark wash jeans with a hunter-green button-down that stretched over Julien’s shoulders in a way that made Tyler oddly jealous of the shirt.

“Wow! Yeah, that looks great,” Tyler said. It did look great. It leaned casual, but Julien’s olive undertones were brought out by the shirt’s green color.

Julien shifted uncomfortably. “It’s a little tight.”

“Yeah, but all your T-shirts area littletight. This is just form-fitting,” he promised. The sleeves covered up Julien’s tattoos, which was good because he didn’t want his mother or grandmother to go on about how a real gentleman would regret them.

“Are you sure I can’t just wear my clothes?” Julien asked, reaching down to grab at his crotch.

Tyler’s mouth gaped as the gesture drew his eyes between Julien’s legs. He focused on the thick bulge cradled by denim with more attentiveness than he would care to admit. The jeans weren’t so tight that they were lewd, but they definitely enhanced Julien’sfeaturesmore than the less form-fitting jeans he seemed to favor.

“Yeeesss,” he drew out, trying to pull his brain out of the gutter as he imagined Julien in the tight, gray shirt with these tight jeans, his muscled body on full display. The fake boyfriend idea worked well so far, except his phony boyfriend was so fucking sexy that Tyler felt as if he was undergoing torture. “I mean, yes. I am sure. If you're uncomfortable, we can try something else, but I swear you look good.”

Julien sighed. “I’ll get used to it, I guess. It’s fine.”

“Okay.” Tyler smiled broadly. “Now, go try on another one.”

Despite Julien complaining for several minutes when he tried on the more formal outfit, he didn’t seem to completely despise anything. Luckily, most of the clothes fit, save for the winter coat he’d gotten. It was way toosmall around the shoulders. The thick wool of the coat had no give, and Julien could barely pull it over his broad back.

“I won’t be able to get the size up by the time we leave,” Tyler complained. He rose to help Julien pull off his coat since he was stuck. He caught a whiff of Julien’s skin’s peppery, woody smell, and he had to fight the urge to smash his face between the stranger’s shoulder blades and inhale.

Julien pulled his arms out of the tight sleeves and spun around to face him, close enough that Tyler had to lift his chin to meet his eyes. “Relax. I can wear my own coat. I don’t think anyone will care as much as you think.”

Tyler took a deep breath and imagined his family decidingthat Julien was not his boyfriend because of a tattered leather jacket. Maybe that was a bit extreme, and Julien was probably right. “Right. It’s fine. It’s gonna be fine. I just wanted everything to be perfect.”

Julien scowled but then put a hand on his arm, and Tyler felt his face heat up, remembering, once again, the night at the bar where Julien had pulled him close and nuzzled him. He could practically feel the hot breath on his earlobe, and his skin prickled at the recollection.

“Nothing is fucking perfect, Baby. We’ll make it work. I am going to be the best fucking boyfriend you could ask for,” he promised.

Tyler smiled at him, unable to ignore the warmth in his chest at being calledBaby.“Yeah, yeah.” He glanced at their feet to avoid eye contact. “I like your jacket anyway. It suits you.”

Julien certainly had a bit of a bad boy thing going on, with the tattoos, big arms, and all the frowning. Tyler couldn’t deny that there was a bit of a draw to bringing this man home to be his boyfriend—afakeboyfriend—a very fake boyfriend. But his family would, no doubt, make things uncomfortable. They had expectations of him, and though Tyler got a thrill from Julien, he had to meet those expectations.

The clothes had to go, and the story had to stick. Tyler needed to keep this under wraps in front of his family for over a week. They could do this.

Chapter 6

Julien

Julien had never flown anywhere in his life. Rationally, he knew he had to fly to visit Tyler’s family. Tyler told him from the start, and Julien had watched him buy the plane ticket. However, the idea of flying compared to standing in the airport where he waited to board were two very different things.

He was dressed in one of those stupid outfits Tyler had bought him, which admittedly looked alright if he had been a car salesman and not a mechanic. He’d packed his jacket and wore a thick cardigan. The cardigan was probably the softest thing he had ever worn. It was laid over a long-sleeved Henley and some dark gray chino pants, which also felt nice. He would play along with what Tyler wanted if it meant smooth sailing for that final twenty-five hundred dollars.

Tyler told him it was essential to be comfortable for the flight, and his parents would expect them to look their bestafter traveling. Julien thought he would have been more comfortable in his well-worn jeans and boots.

The terminal was packed full. The two had arrived at the airport early and managed to check in Julien’s suitcase and Tyler’s two large bags. They got through security without issue, leaving them too much time to kill before they had to board.

The longer Julien sat in the uncomfortable seat beside Tyler, watching as the planes took off from the large window across him, the more dread he felt.

Tyler tapped away on his phone but looked up at him occasionally as if checking to ensure Julien was still there. Considering how much Julien wanted to get up and run out of the airport and back home, it probably was a good thing Tyler’s blue gaze pinned him every few minutes.

“I promise, they’re going to like you,” Tyler said, as he misread Julien’s fidgeting as nerves for something completely different.

Julien honestly didn’t care if Tyler’s family liked him. After Christmas, he’d never see them again anyway. A lot of people didn’t care for him. What werea few more?

“Of course they will. What’s not to like?” Julien asked. He raised one eyebrow and smirked to make a weak attempt to plaster on cockiness. Really, all he felt was terror as the roar of another plane taking flight pounded itself into his skull. He already had a headache from the stress.

“I don’t know, you can be kind of gruff,” Tyler said.

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