Page 12 of Pretend to be Mine
Ben
Ipull out of the drive, slightly amused by Savannah’s question. She needs a fake boyfriend. Afakeboyfriend. Meaning, it’s not real. Why wouldn’t she just come out with the truth? She doesn’t strike me as the type that needs her parent’s approval on every aspect of her life. I guess I should ask her why she just doesn’t tell them. I don’t know her that well, or how she lives her life. Maybe her relationship with her parents isn’t that good.
I wonder why she ran off the way she did, though. I thought it was cute and funny either way. She was so embarrassed. Her face was bright red, and her eyes kept darting around. I wonder how, or if, this will change our friendship. If I tell her, “no,” will she hold it against me? Or maybe her running off was a way of saying never mind, and she’ll never mention it again.
I arrive at work and have a whole morning booked solid with patients. I pull on my coat and get busy. When lunch arrives, I head down to the cafeteria to eat. I grab a sandwich, some raw veggies, and fruit before taking a seat. A fellow doctor, who I’ve been getting to know, sits next to me.
“Hey, Ben. How’s it going, buddy?”
I nod. “Pretty good, Brian. How’s your day been?”
He lets out a long, drawn out breath. “Busy. I’ve had three broken ankles already.”
“Wow. That’s unusual. All the same ankle?”
He laughs. “No. Kids on summer break. If they aren’t skateboarding, they’re doing dumb shit on their bicycles.”
“Ouch.”
Brian nods as he digs into his meatloaf.
I can’t get my mind off Savannah and think that maybe I need another person’s take on the whole thing. “Can I ask you something? It’s kind of weird but I need some advice here.”
He laughs and looks a little worried. “Sure.”
“So, I have this neighbor, right?”
“Is she hot?”
I smile. “She’s…very beautiful. And she’s great. We have a lot in common. We get along perfectly.”
“So ask her out.”
I shake my head. “No, after losing my fiancée, I’m not ready for something like that, but we’re becoming friends. Anyway, she asked me this morning if I’d be her ‘pretend boyfriend’ for a family function she has coming up.”
His eyes squint at me. “Fake boyfriend?”
I nod. “Yep.”
“What did you say?”
“I haven’t given her an answer yet. At first, I was thinking, ‘no way.’ I mean, it would be weird, right? But then I thought that maybe I should, you know, help her out with this. She helped me unpack my house.”
Brian thinks it over for a moment. “I don’t see any harm in it. I mean, maybe it’ll give you something, too.”
“Like what?”
“Like practice, build up your confidence to start dating again. Plus, you’d be helping out a friend. Win-win. You said she’s hot. It’s genius if you think about it. It will show you what it could be like if you two actually took a step toward dating.”
* * *
The rest of the day creeps by with this looming over my head. Each time I make a decision, I start overthinking and change my mind. I hope Savannah isn’t as nervous about this as I am. I decide against it—it isn’t a good idea to be toying with my emotions like that. Then I decide to go along with it—what could it hurt? By the end of the day, I still haven’t made my final decision.
I make the drive home and I’m surprised to find her car already in the drive. I go inside the house and try to find something that will keep me busy. I start unpacking my home office, but the task feels boring and does little to keep my mind occupied. It was a lot more fun unpacking the kitchen when I had someone to talk with—that’s it, I’ve got my answer.
I toss down the office supplies and walk over to her house. I knock on the door, and it’s pulled open a minute later. Savannah is standing on the other side, rubbing her eyes. Her hair is a mess, and she has lines on her cheek like she’s been asleep.
“I’m sorry. Did I wake you?” I ask, looking her up and down. She’s wearing a short pair of blue cotton pajama shorts so thin they are practically transparent. Her tank top is skintight, showing every one of her curves. I have to clear my throat to get my mind out of the gutter.
