Page 6 of Real Tree / Fake Boyfriend

The living room housed a modest sofa and a huge, dark brown coffee table with a stack of large books, aremote control, and a laptop. The couch was plush-looking and gray, and there were too many black and white striped pillows to be practical. Beneath it was a patterned rug that brought a splash of teal into the room. Julien had no idea how much rugs cost because he only owned a muddy welcome mat.

The television even looked expensive and new. It was mounted to a wall, and below it, the shelves held the cable box, several more colorful books, and a candle in a sleek black container. He wondered what Tyler liked to read. Julien didn’t read much, but he imagined someone like Tyler had some heavy books on his shelves, something about philosophy or history. He couldn’t make out the titles.

“I guess we should get started on a scenario about how we met. I figure it can be simple. Maybe Cameron introduced us at one of his gigs, and then we don’t have to lie too much,” Tyler said, drawing Julien’s attention from the room.

Julien raised his eyebrows. “Can I have my money first?”. He wouldn’t dance until someone paid him. No matter how cute that someone looked in purple socks and glasses.

“Right.” Tyler scrambled to the kitchen. He opened a cabinet and pulled a cash envelope from the bank before bringing it over. He offered it to Julien. “One half. All yours.”

Julien took it and pulled the money out to count it. He didn’t like to think Tyler would hustle him, but it made him feel better, to be sure. He didn’t want to get scammed.

He tucked the envelope with all the cash into his pocket. “Right. Cameron introduced us. Then what? I showed you the time of your life, and you fell desperately in love with me.”

Tyler’s cheeks went pink, and satisfaction curled in Julien’s stomach. “I mean, I thought maybe you took me out on a date, and we had a nice time, and we kept seeing each other. I think it’s best to play it off as new because we’ll definitely have some slip-ups on things we don’t know about each other.”

Julien shrugged. “Fine by me.” He followed Tyler over to the couch and sat. The cushions nearly ate him. They were fluffy and soft. The best part of it was he couldn’t feel a single spring pokinghis ass.

“Cam said you work at an auto body shop?” Tyler shifted to face him from the other side of the sofa.

“Yeah, I’m a mechanic,” Julien replied. “What about you?”

Tyler grimaced. “I’m an accountant, well I work for an accounting firm, but I’m still finishing my Master’s. Do you think we could say you work for a car dealership?” he suggested quickly.

Julien squinted. “What? Being a mechanic isn’t good enough?” he asked. A bad taste formed in his mouth. The guy was richanda snob. What a fucking cliché. Julien was good at his job. He had worked hard to be independent. Maybe he wasn’t an accountant, but he did alright, outstanding debt aside.

“Oh, I mean, I think it’s fine.” Tyler held his hands up. “But my parents are so weird about that shit.” He laughed but seemed uncomfortable as he picked up the laptop from the coffee table. “Did you go to college? Just curious.”

This would be a nightmare. As a rule, Julien didn’t have boyfriends, close friends, or anything. His life was too complicated. He couldn’t imagine actually occupying the same space with someone for any amount of time past a quickfuck. Already, the feeling of not being good enough infiltrated his mind. “Couldn’t afford it,” he said, unable to mask the bitterness in his tone.

Tyler nodded and started to type rapidly. His slender fingers flew over the keyboard. “Right, okay. Maybe we say your father owns the car dealership, and you did some business school but ended up taking over from him because the stress was starting to take its toll on his health?”

“Are you writing notes?” Julien leaned over to see the laptop screen.

There were a bazillion tabs open on the browser. Ty had a spreadsheet up to input information into it.

“Yeeees,” Tyler drawled. He pushed his glasses up again as he leaned away. Julien caught a whiff of what smelled like citrus and something else he couldn’t put his finger on, maybe pine? “Only so we can keep the story straight. How old are you?” he asked.

“Twenty-eight. It would be easier if we kept things closer to the truth. I’m not an actor. I don’t look like some car dealership owner.” Julien gestured to his outfit, which consisted of a T-shirt, stained jeans, and worn-out socks.

Tyler looked at him for a long moment, sucking his pink bottom lip into his mouth and biting it. “No. Not dressed that way.” His brow wrinkled, then he shook his head. “I promise it’ll be fine. You know about cars, right? Just talk about them. I can order you a few things to wear. We’ll have to cover up your tattoos with long sleeves anyway. My momhatestattoos.”

Julien ran a hand through his hair and leaned back on the couch. He had a full sleeve and a half, plus a piece on his thigh, back, and chest, and hadn’t gotten them to cover them up. “Maybe this was a bad idea,” he said, but the money burned a hole through his pocket and seared his skin.

He could handle this. He had to. Tyler seemed as though he had a lot planned for what should have been an easy job, but at least he was cute. Julien had to play along for money and his freedom. He didn’t know if another opportunity would fall into his lap like this.

Tyler put his laptop down and spun on the couch to face him again. “I promise I will make this as painless as possible. My family isn’t the worst, and I’ll pay for everything. Your plane tickets, the clothes. Everything. I can’t spendanother Christmas as the loser who doesn’t have anyone to share it with,” he said so fucking earnestly. Julien almost felt bad for him.

“You have your whole family to share it with,” he pointed out, and Tyler's shoulders slumped.

“Everyone in my family has a partner. My sister just got engaged over Thanksgiving. It was mortifying. Everyone’s going to be all lovey-dovey, and I’ll be stuck at the kids’ table…again.“ He shook his head. “I know it sounds stupid, but I just want to have someone to talk to all night besides literal children.”

Julien got the sense this wasn’t really about his family. Tyler did this because he wanted a boyfriend to share the holidays with. Julien cringed inwardly, not because he didn’t understand the sentiment, but because he couldn’t imagine what would have driven Tyler to hire him instead of finding a real relationship. “It does sound stupid.” He tried not to let the sag in Tyler’s posture affect him. “But fine. Tell me what to do. I don’t care as long as I get my money on Christmas.” Then he would be outof there.

Tyler smiled, and Julien saw the relief paint across his angular features. “Right, good. So, aside from the job and the clothes, just be yourself. Like you said, it’ll be easier to stick as close to the truth as possible.” He picked up the laptop again. “You’re good to leave on the fourteenth?”

Julien had texted Tyler to ask him what days he was needed earlier. It had taken a lot of convincing, but he had never taken a day off in all the years he worked at the shop. His boss finally agreed to give him the time off. Unpaid. But he would be getting all the money he needed from Tyler, so he let that slide. “Yeah. That works.”

Tyler nodded and set about buying a plane ticket to Hartford as if it didn’t cost a thing. Julien wasn’t sold on planes, but the dollar signs in his mind ensured he didn’t protest.

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