Page 8 of The Midseason Fakeout

He laughs. “Last one, I swear. I’m getting there.”

All I know is, unlike my brother’s feelings on the matter, I really like being plastered to Aidan’s side, and my body does, too.

Pretending won’t be that hard for me at all. In fact, I’ll probably have to rein myself in.

3

AIDAN

The familiar soundsof my video game fill the room, but my gaze keeps traveling to Bailey, which means Darrin is owning my ass. He intercepts my pass and laughs like the competitive fucker he is.

“Yeah, yeah,” I grunt, my eyes flicking toward his little sister who isn’t so little anymore. She’s sitting on the chair at my desk, staring at her polished nails, frowning.

Uneasiness creeps over me. Suddenly hot and cold at the same time, I wipe my brow. We’re not doing a good job of pretending at the moment. I’m usually great with the ladies, but this feels different. I don’t know how to act.

The way she’d stared at me with those tortured honey brown eyes, I couldn’t say no. Luckily, I’m not in any danger of falling into a complicated relationship with her. She’s Darrin’s sister. It’s Bro Code 101 that you don’t actually date them. Not to mention that she was never actually on my radar. She’s too proper. Darrin and I would be eating at the table, and she’d come in, back ramrod straight and smiling like a porcelain doll. She’d wear fancy dresses on a Saturday. And dresses in the evenings when most girls put up their hair and put on sweats. I don’t know, she seems too far out there. Stuck-up, even.

Darrin snaps his fingers. “Dude, waiting on you.”

I peer at the screen and pick my play, run it briefly before glancing back at Bailey. She’s dressed in a pair of tight jeans with heeled boots squeezing her calves. Her sweater looks soft, like cashmere, and her hair is perfectly styled.

Honestly, I don’t know how her parents even agreed to this. Not only does she look out of my league, I always got the impression that though I was accepted at their house, I was never really one of them. They were rich, and Bailey? She screams high maintenance. I don’t have the time for that. However, what won me over is that we could be good for each other. She can go out and explore college life like she wants, and she can be my jersey-chaser repellent so I can focus on football, which is exactly where my head needs to be at.

I return my focus back to the video game and kick Darrin. “You play better ball in the game than in real life.”

He flips me off, and I grin.

“You still want to play?” I ask. He was always good, but he never took it to the next level.

He shrugs. “I could make the Bulldogs. Seems like they let anyone on.”

His jab rolls right off me, and I laugh. His gaze, though, turns toward his sister and then back to me. When he sees me staring, he looks away quickly.

Was Bailey right? Will he notice if this isn’t real?

If I want her to do her part for me, I have to do my part for her.

When Darrin isn’t looking, I poke Bailey in the leg, then nod my head to call her over.

She points next to me and mouths,On the bed?

I nod, making room for her. She takes a quick glance at her brother and then stands, sliding toward me hesitantly.

I roll my eyes, tugging her closer until she’s practically on top of me. “Come on. Don’t be afraid. Darrin knows now.” The lie comes out easily, and it’s surprising. It’s kind of fun. Who wouldn’t want to pretend they had this beautiful, smart girlfriend? I mean, high maintenance or not, that doesn’t take anything away from her looks.

She settles next to me, her perfume wafting around us, and I breathe in deep for a moment. Honestly, she smells like a dream.

Darrin peeks over but doesn’t pretend to throw up this time. “How did you guys get together, anyway?”

Bailey freezes next to me. I can only take that as she actually hasn’t come up with our perfect story yet.

Again, the fib comes easily. “Bails must have gotten my number off your phone. She professed her undying love for me in a text. Seems like she’d been crushing on me the whole time we’ve been friends. A little creepy actually.”

I nudge her with my elbow, and her mouth falls open. Hey, she didn’t say not to tease her through this whole thing.

With his eyes glued to the screen, Darrin states, “I saw how she’s always looked at you.”

Now it’s my turn to freeze and peer over at her. Her cheeks turn pink, and she won’t look at me, even though she must feel my gaze burning through her. “Is that so?” I ask, my voice coming out low and gravelly.

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