Page 39 of Faking with Three

“Penalty?” I echo, narrowing my eyes.

“Don’t worry,” Olivia whispers with a grin, leaning close enough that her hair brushes my arm. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. Usually.”

I sigh but take the seat next to her as someone pushes two shot glasses in front of us. The game begins, and to my surprise, I don’t completely hate it. Olivia’s competitive streak comes out in full force, and her confidence makes it easier to relax. She nails trivia questions about sitcoms and reality TV while I manage to hold my own with history and science.

But then, as the game progresses, things start to take a turn.

“You two look familiar,” a woman across the table says, squinting at us. “Weren’t you in that restaurant video?”

I stiffen, but Olivia, ever the pro, flashes a smile. “Depends—was it a flattering angle?”

The woman laughs, but another guy chimes in. “Yeah, that’s you two! Man, that video was wild. What happened? Did the date end early?”

I open my mouth to respond, but Olivia beats me to it. “Something like that. But we’re making up for it now, aren’t we, Marcus?”

Her hand brushes mine under the table.

It’s all for the cameras,I have to remind myself. We’re still rolling, after all. She’s just playing her part, and none of this is real. Then why do I feel myself turning hard just at her touch. Fuck me.

“Aw, you guys make a cute couple,” someone else says.

Another voice chimes in from the other side of the table. “Yeah, c’mon, kiss and make it official!”

The chant starts slow but grows louder as more people join in. “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

I glance at Olivia, who’s laughing but with a slight edge of discomfort. Her cheeks are flushed, though whether it’s from the alcohol or the chanting, I can’t tell.

This is spiraling fast. I lean toward her, lowering my voice.

“I think we should—” I start, but she cuts me off.

“We’re not getting out of this, Marcus,” she says.

“Olivia, I?—”

“Just kiss me,” she says, rolling her eyes. “It’s not like we haven’t done worse for the camera.”

I hesitate for a moment longer, but the crowd is relentless.

“It’s fine, really,” she says quickly, her voice steady but her eyes uncertain. “Just... let’s get it over with. Otherwise, people may get suspicious; we’re still on camera.”

Right, that.

Before I can overthink it, I lean in. Our lips meet, and what starts as a quick, almost perfunctory gesture sparks into something... more.

Her lips are soft and warm, and the briefest brush against mine sends a jolt through me. I feel her breath hitch, just slightly as my hand instinctively comes up to her face, brushing against her cheek. It’s a short kiss, no more than a few seconds, but it’s enough to silence the crowd and make my head spin.

When I pull back, she’s staring at me, wide-eyed and clearly as surprised as I am. The cheers and whistles from the groupbarely register as I sit back in my seat, trying to ignore the heat rising to my face.

“Well,” Olivia says finally, her voice light but her smile tinged with something unreadable. “That should keep them quiet for a while.”

I nod, swallowing hard.

The moment Olivia excuses herself to go to the restroom, I lean back in my seat, letting out a long breath. The crowd around us is still buzzing with energy, and though the game has moved on, a few people keep sneaking glances at me, probably trying to connect the dots between the guy fromthat videoand the one sitting here now.

I try to focus on the drink in front of me, but after a few minutes, I glance toward the hallway leading to the restrooms. Olivia hasn’t come back yet.

A knot forms in my stomach. I tell myself to relax—she’s fine. Maybe she ran into a long line or got held up. But the longer she’s gone, the harder it becomes to sit still. Finally, I push back my chair and decide to check on her, weaving through the tables and past groups of people laughing and chatting.

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