Page 20 of Real Tree / Fake Boyfriend

Julien felt guilty about lying to these friendly people because he was pretending to be someone he wasn’t. Tyler deserved to have a wonderful boyfriend and not someone worthless like Jules.

At least he could pretend to be nothing like himself.

“Don’t get too drunk. The kids and I are making magic in here,” came Hailey’s voice from the kitchen. “Twenty minutes!”

Tyler stayed quiet while the rest of the family chatted about Walter’s parents and their plans to spend Christmas with Walter’s aunt at Martha’s Vineyard. Julien was glad that no attention was being given to him.

He gave Tyler a little squeeze, not thinking about it. He hoped there weren’t any second thoughts about keeping this act up now that he was lying to his parents.

Chapter 9

Tyler

“You were amazing,” Tyler said as he returned the cap to his contact solution and came out of his en-suite.

He honestly couldn’t believe how well it had gone. It was only the first day, but Julien had been fantastic. He’d be charming and surprising in ways Tyler did not expect. There had been a few slip-ups, but nothing noticeable. Tyler thought they might actually get away with this.

“Thanks,” Julien said in his gruff voice as he stepped into the bathroom to change.

“I mean, I feel like you fit right in. That’s great.” Tyler rolled the plush duvet down on his bed. Then he found a pair of extra fuzzy socks to keep his feet warm and debated which side of the bed Julien might want.

He hadn’t ever had someone sleep over in his childhood bedroom, and certainly not a boyfriend. However, he hadto keep reminding himself that hehiredJulien. Julien wasn’t a boyfriend. He was barely even a friend.

When Julien stepped out of the bathroom, he wore loose black gym shorts that hung low on his hips.

Tyler considered removing his glasses so he wouldn’t stare at Julien’s gorgeous body. He was toned in all the right places, with tanned skin and abs that Tyler wanted to lick and shoulders he wanted to bite. His arms were covered in elaborate tattoos, and over his heart was another large piece that depicted a pocket watch, the outside framed by date. The details were ornate, flourishing even, and Tyler longed to run his hands over the blackened skin to see how it felt.

“I really am dying for a cigarette, Tyler,” Julien said as he finally pulled a T-shirt on. This one wasn’t one Tyler had bought him. It was thin enough that he could almost see the ink through it.

Tyler blinked. “What? No way, what if someone sees you? My mom would literally freak out.”

Julien frowned. “I’m not going to be able to make it another week without a smoke, Ty.” Gone were all of those charming smiles from the rest of the day. Julien was back to hissignature scowl. It would have been unpleasant if he wasn’t so damn attractive.

Tyler considered for a moment. It wasn’t fair to ask him to stop smoking when it was just a fake relationship. He had already policed Julien’s clothing, backstory, and everything else. As much as Tyler didn’t think he would want a boyfriend who smoked, Julien was still a person.

“Fine, ugh, hold on.” He went to his window and pushed it open before pulling the screen up. He and Hailey used to climb out of their bedroom and sit on the roof as kids. He hadn’t done it in years but thought he could still manage it if he didn’t consider how dangerous it was.

Sure enough, he could step out from his room onto the roof. “I think if we’re quiet, no one will notice,” he said, but peered back into his room.

Julien’s eyebrows raised, but he went into his bag, grabbed his cigarettes, and carefully climbed out the window. “Did you sneak out a lot this way?” he asked.

Tyler led them to the flat area where theycould sit.

The air was chilly, and Julien’s breath came out in visible puffs.

Tyler sincerely regretted not bringing out a coat. “No. I didn’t really sneak out. Hailey did, sometimes. We would come out here to talk, and one time, we smoked weed up here,” he confessed.

“I knew you couldn’t bethatbuttoned up.” Julien lit his cigarette. The smile on his full lips was natural, and Tyler tried not to stare but failed miserably.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Jules inhaled deeply from the cigarette and held his breath before turning his head away and blowing it out in a white stream of smoke.

“Nothing,” Julien said after another drag. “So, you think it’s going well?”

Tyler still tried to parse what Julien meant about being buttoned up. He had his life together, but that made him sound boring. He wasn’t dull. Okay, he was a little dull. It sucked that Julien thoughtso, and he tried not to pout over it.

“Uh, yeah,” he said. “I think they like you. I’ve never heard Walter laugh before. I actually didn’t think he knew how. And he made ajoke. That was wild.” Tyler shook his head, baffled by that development. “How did you manage that?”

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