Page 93 of Surprisingly Us

“Yeah, will you buzz me in?” She asks.

I scramble off my bed and rush toward the front door.

I hit the button to unlock the front door, then open the door and wait. I’d be paranoid about standing in my apartment hallway in my tiny sleep shorts and tank top, but I know Mrs. Donahue has to be asleep already and Ricardo, my neighbor across the hall, works nights as an ER doctor.

A minute later, Hannah steps off the elevator and rushes toward me.

Her newly tanned skin has her glowing like a Grecian goddess, making her sapphire-blue eyes pop.

“Welcome home!” I throw my arms around her, nearly knocking her backwards. “It’s so good to see you.”

“Same.” She laughs, squeezing me tight. “Sorry, I know it’s late, but tomorrow will be hectic with the Leg-Up fundraiser, and I wanted to see you.”

Normally, I might be stressed by the fact that it’s after ten and I’m not in bed yet, but I’m too wired from the dinner party with Rhys and now Hannah being here has me nearly bouncing off the walls.

“You look amazing! How was the Maldives? And being officially married?”

“Thank you. It was amazing. Sun and surf and lots of sex.”

“Sounds like it was perfect.”

“It was.”

I move toward the kitchen.

“Do you want something to drink? Sparkling water? Tea? Decaf latte?”

I don’t have the last one, but I could probably run down the block to get her one. Or across the city. That’s when I realize all this energy I have right now is nervous energy. While I’m excited to see Hannah, I’m also anxious to tell her about Rhys and the fact that we’re dating. Fake dating.

“Water is good. And I can get it.” She laughs, taking a glass out of the cabinet and filling it up with the refrigerator’s filtered water. “You’re wired. Did you have caffeine tonight?”

I move to take a seat on the couch and she follows me.

“No, but I did have a glass of wine.”

Her brows lift. “Yeah? What did you do tonight?” She sets her water glass on a coaster on the coffee table, then leans back into the couch cushions.

I pull my legs in cross-legged, take a deep breath, and tell her everything.

She leans forward and calmly takes a sip of water.

“As soon as I got to the airport last night, I checked socials and saw everything online.”

I wince. Even though she has to know I didn’t intentionally not tell her, I feel bad that’s how she found out.

She laughs. “It’s ironic that I asked you to keep an eye on him at my wedding and now you’re dating him.”

“Fake dating. Don’t forget the fake part.” Even as I emphasize it to Hannah, I know I’m reminding myself as well. Maybe it’s the fact that we’d been preparing all week for tonight, but it felt different between us. Like we were more connected. That we understood each other on a deeper level than just our goals in this fake relationship.

And then there’s the tiny issue that I wanted him to kiss me in the hallway even though it had nothing to do with our fake relationship. There would have been no witnesses, yet when his eyes dropped to my lips, I was fully ready to participate in any behind-the-scenes activities. When we were interrupted by Corinne’s squeal of excitement, I gave him a quick peck. It wasn’t even a ghost of a kiss, yet I’d felt it all the way down to my toes.

“You’re not breaking out in hives, so something has changed.”

I smile. “You’re taking this better than I thought.”

“Oh, that’s because I love you and I’m a supportive friend. But Rhys? When I see him, let’s just say he’s going to get an earful.”

“Come on. He’s not the guy we thought he was and I think you should give him a chance.”

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