Page 24 of Faking with Three

“Probably?” I echo, leaning back against the counter and crossing my arms. I can feel myself trying to keep it light, but there’s an edge in my tone that I can’t quite hide. “Sounds like you’re not entirely sure.”

She pauses, a quick flash of something in her expression that almost makes me think she’s on the fence. But then she nods, more to herself than to me, like she’s convincing herself to stick to her decision. “This was great, Jax. You’re… you’re great. But I think it’s better if we leave it here.”

“Agree to disagree.”

She looks like she might say something for a second, but then she shuts down, the shutters slamming down behind her eyes. “I don’t know why you’re so bothered. It was just sex, Jax.”

The words slice through me, sharper than they should be. I force a smile, even though it feels like it’s cracking at the edges. “If that’s what you need to tell yourself,” I say, stepping back, giving her the space she’s asking for. “Fine. Just sex.”

My jaw tightens, and I set the coffee cup down with a little more force than necessary.

“Maybe I should take a step back from the Love Lab thing,” she says, eyes darting anywhere but at me. “It’ll just make things awkward between us.”

I don’t respond. Instead, I keep my face blank and stare at the floor, letting the silence stretch. “I’ll show myself out,” I say, not waiting for her response as I stalk to the door. I hear her make a sound but she doesn’t stop me.

As soon as the door clicks shut behind her, I grab my phone, needing a distraction, a reason not to punch a wall. Just then, it lights up with a call.Ethan.Perfect. Just what I need right now.

“Jax, you won’t believe this.”

“What?” I snap, not in the mood for anything right now.

“We’re viral,” Ethan breathes, his voice almost disbelieving. “Love Lab is blowing up, man.”

“What?” I ask Ethan again, this time softer, the anger momentarily replaced by a surge of adrenaline.

“We’re viral right now,” he repeats, excitement bubbling up in his voice.

And just like that, everything changes.

CHAPTER 8

OLIVIA

“What doyou mean we’re viral?” I blurt out, staring at Ethan as we jog down the quiet, tree-lined street. Early morning sunlight filters through the canopy of leaves, casting golden shadows on the road, but I can barely take it in. I’m still wrapping my head around everything that happened with Jax last night, and now… this?

Ethan gives me a sheepish look. He looks almost boyish with his messy hair and that lopsided, “please-don’t-kill-me” smile, the kind that probably got him out of trouble a lot when we were younger. Today, though, it won’t work on me.

“You should come for a run with me,” he’d said earlier, not giving me much of a choice. And now here we are, jogging through the neighborhood where I grew up.

I stop in my tracks. “Ethan, seriously, what happened?”

He sighs, slowing down and coming to stand next to me. “Fine, fine,” he says, trying to hide his smile. “Okay, so… remember how we set up that date for you at the café last night?”

“Yes,” I say slowly, drawing out the word. I can already tell he’s about to say something I won’t like.

“Well… I might have accidentally left one of the cameras on,” he says, wincing. “And it was streaming live on WeTube.”

I stare at him, wide-eyed. “Youwhat?”

Ethan takes a step back, holding up his hands like he’s facing down a wild animal. “Look, it was a total accident, okay? I didn’t realize until it was too late. I swear. And then it was too late.”

I let out a groan, leaning against the iron fence of a house with a perfectly manicured lawn, trying to process this. “You’re telling me our entire setup last night—me waiting for a date who didn’t show up, the whole thing with Jax, and you three chatting around the table—that was all live?”

Ethan nods, his grin unrepentant. “For a while, yeah. But listen, Liv, this might actually be a good thing.”

“How on earth is this a good thing?” I demand, crossing my arms over my chest. The cool morning breeze sweeps through the street, but I barely notice. I’m too busy glaring at him, imagining all the ways this could blow up in our faces.

“Because people loved it,” Ethan says, his grin widening. He steps closer, like he’s trying to share a secret. “Liv, they ate it up. They saw you waiting there, looking gorgeous by the way?—”

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