Page 62 of Real Tree / Fake Boyfriend

He barely waited for Julien to park before he hopped out and stomped inside. Cece and Brad sat in the living room, showing the kids pictures of Christmases gone by, and they looked up when he stormed in.

“How was your date?” Cece asked.

“Fine.” Tyler intended to go upstairs to his room to sulk. He wiped his eyes, trying to keep his shit together.

Brad’s brow furrowed. “What the heck happened?”

“Nothing,” Tyler said.

“Do you need me to rough him up for you?” Brad persisted.

Tyler fought the urge to say something that would seriously destroy what was left of his sister’s marriage. Luckily, his mother peeked her head into the living room.

“Tyler, can I speak with you in my office?” she asked.

Tyler followed her through the French doors on the other side of the kitchen. The office was a meticulous room with an ergonomic desk, chair, and a great backyard view. Some minimalist bookshelves held encyclopedias and potted plants.

“What’s up?” Tyler asked her. He sat on the bench near the window while his mother slid into the desk chair and put her glasses on. She turned her laptop to him.

“You tell me. I went through our bank statements and noticed you took out a large withdrawal recently,” Mom pointed to the six-thousand-dollar withdrawal on the bank’s online page.

“Is it drugs?”

Tyler’s heart dropped. He knew his mom was on his bank accounts, and Tyler hadn’t thought she would even notice because he never had anything to hide. Ofcourse, she would see a larger-than-average transaction. Tyler seldom used cash.

“No, Mom, no, it’s not drugs,” he said. His cheeks burned with shame, and his heart ached with another reminder of how fake the relationship with Julien had been the entire time.

“Are you in some sort of trouble?” his mother asked, her lips pressed together expectantly. “I trust you, Tyler, but you have to tell me if there is something we should worry about. Your father and I can help figure it out.”

Tyler shook his head. “It was for Julien,” he said before he could stop himself.

Mom leaned back and took her glasses off, and then she let out a sigh. “Of course. I know you care about him, but I hope he’s not freeloading.”

“No. No, it’s not real.” Tyler buried his face in his hands, unable to face his mother’s inevitable look of disgust. “The money was to pay him to pretend to be my boyfriend over Christmas,” he said, his voice muffled. His heart thudded in his ears.

His mother breathed audibly through her nose and then exhaled before finally speaking. “You paid him to pretend to—?”

“To be my boyfriend, yes,” Tyler quickly cut her off.

“Why?” she asked with a soft voice but held a questioning tone. When Tyler looked up, his mother’s brow was furrowed, and a frown tugged at the corners of her lips.

“Everyone else has someone or thinks there’s something wrong with me because I don’t have a boyfriend, and I’m so tired of sitting at the kids’ table,” he said. “If I had someone this year, you guys wouldn’t look at me like I am a useless, single part of the family.” Despite trying to hold it back, Tyler slid his glasses to his head and rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes to hide the tears that threatened to spill out.

His mother removed her glasses and pressed her lips together for a long moment before speaking, choosing her words carefully. “I’m sorry. We don’t feel that way, Tyler. But I am sorry that we created an environment that caused you to feel as though wedo.”

Tyler hadn’t expected an apology. He didn’t deserve one after lying to the family.

“It’s…whatever. Once I gave Jules the money and told him to go, but he stayed, I thought he might…that we might….” Tyler stopped speaking and slouched.

Mom reached over and put a hand over his. “I see the way you two look at each other. That sort of connection can’t be faked, Tyler.”

“Apparently, it can be.” Tyler thought about how easily Julien had reminded him that their whole deal was fake, despite the sex, the kissing, the intimacy, everything.

He buried his face in his hands again to try not to cry. “God, I’m so stupid. I really like him. Why would I do something like that? He’s not the sort of guy Ishouldgo for.”

His mom laughed and shook her head. “What sort of guyshouldyou go out with?” she asked. “Someone like Brad? Someone like Walter? Honey, you’re your own person. Your father and I have never told you who you should love. We don’t care if they’re a mechanic or a CEO. Does that matter toyou?”

It had mattered to him. He always wanted a perfect life, like the one his parents had. Tyler envisioned the ideal partner with a promising career. Now, he wondered if any of that would make him happy or if perfection was realistic. He considered Cece and Brad’s relationship.

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