Page 62 of Perfectly Faked

“All right, places!” Desmond’s voice jolts me back to reality. I curl my fingers, trying to shake off the memories I tried to bury years ago.

Desmond looks over at us with one last instruction. “If it doesn’t look believable, we’ll do it again until it does.”

As much as I hate to admit it, I have to get this right on the first try. That means letting go of my resistance, shutting out these memories, and giving in to her—completely.Just this once.Then I go back to being her “friend.”

I feel a tap on my shoulder. When I turn around, Victoria stands behind me, two lines etched on the area between her brows. “Let me help you through this.”

“How?” I frown.

“Just follow my lead, okay?” she says. “You helped me through the photo shoot. Now it’s my turn to help you.”

How could she possibly help me through this?

“Quiet on the set,” Desmond says, before he gives us the thumbs-up to get into place on the couch. I take my seat the way Desmond instructed, my heart thundering in my chest. Victoria sits across from me, folding her legs underneath her so we’refacing each other on the couch. Her eyes lift to mine, and for a moment, the rest of the world dissolves.

It’s just her, looking at me like she used to—like I’m someone worth knowing, someone worth wanting.

Is this her plan?To look at me with the tenderness and warmth I used to see every day? It seems too simple—and yet, it works flawlessly. That look calms my frazzled nerves, tearing down every wall I’ve put up to protect myself.

She shifts closer, reaching to push back a stray lock of my hair that’s fallen out of place. Her fingers brush my forehead softly, and that’s when it hits me: I never stopped loving her. No matter how hard I tried to bury those feelings, to convince myself I’d moved on, the truth is sitting right here in front of me. She’s always been the only one for me.

“Victoria...” I take the red box and hold it between us, an offering of something I’ve desperately wanted, but could never have.

“Don’t say another word, Leo,” she says. “The answer is yes.”

Then she shifts onto her knees, her gaze soft and unwavering. Her arms slide around my neck as her lips brush mine, stealing every thought. Her kiss is soft and hesitant at first, but then it deepens into something achingly familiar. As her hands slide down to my chest, my brain barely registers what’s happening. I’ve forgotten about the directions I’m supposed to follow because my whole world narrows to her alone. When she leans closer, our balance shifts, and suddenly, we’re both tumbling backward into the couch pillows.

Her laughter spills out, and I don’t even know if the camera is still running—I’m too focused on the way her laughter puts me at ease, making it impossible for me not to smile.

When I look up at her hovering over me, a thought slams into me: she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She places her hands next to my head, and lowers her lips to mineonce more—soft, urgent, and utterly consuming. As her hair falls around us like a curtain, shutting out the rest of the world, she leaves me with a smile so devastating, I feel an ache in my chest from how much I love her. Right now, it feels like she could be mine, and I never want it to end.

“Cut!” Desmond’s voice echoes across the set, jarring me back to reality. The director claps his hands, approaching us with a wide smile on his face. “Great performance! I think we all need a cold drink after that.” Then he turns to the room. “Take five, everyone.”

The crew disperses as Victoria reluctantly pulls away from me, untangling her body from mine with a shaky exhale. It’s all I can do not to tug her back to me and ask if she wants to continue what we started. There’s no denying that every second of that scene felt very real.

“I think Desmond was pleased with how that went,” I tell her. “You really sold it—like we’re naturals at this whole fake relationship thing.”

“Yeah, good job, Leo.” Her smile falters for just a second before she stands from the couch, her eyes darting away from me. “That performance was... very convincing.”

“Wait... what performance?” I stammer, suddenly confused.She thinks I was just acting?

Her eyes cut to mine and I can see her closing off again, all the warmth in her gaze is gone. “You don’t have to pretend anymore. I know it was just an act,” she says, turning away.

I take her arm. “What are you talking about?” She freezes, her body tensing under my touch.

Her eyes drop to the floor, and she shakes her head.

“Victoria...” I say. “Why won’t you look at me?”

Her lashes flutter against her cheek. When she finally lifts her eyes to mine, there are tears in them. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this.”

I breathe through the panic bells blaring in my head. I can’t let her leave like this, not until I know what I’ve done to hurt her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she says, even though it’s obvious she’s lying. “I just thought...” Her voice dries up.

The question dangles between us, the one she’s too scared to ask. The one I’m terrified to answer. She squeezes her eyes shut like she’s erasing what just happened on that couch. “You put on a really good act, Leo. I even believed it.”

And that’s when I know. She felt it too, but she doesn’t believe that it could be true.

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