Page 43 of Drop Shot
She snorts, brows climbing high on her forehead. “You? Lonely?”
My shoulders hunch upwards trying to eat my ears. “Yeah,” I mumble as the microwave goes off a second time. “I think I have been.”
She frowns at that but the subject drops as we sit down with our dinner. We eat in silence and she doesn’t protest when I clean up—that’s how I know she’s still not feeling the best.
“I should head out,” I say when everything is cleaned up.
Whimsy bites her lip. “You could or we could watch a movie?”
I cock my head to the side. “You sure?”
She shrugs. “It’s not that late.”
She lets me pick the movie this time which feels like immense pressure. I choose the greatest movie ever madeNational Treasure.
“Surprising choice,” she comments, not protesting when I tug her feet into my lap and massage the soles.
“It’s a solid movie.”
Her lips tip up into a smile. “Can’t argue with you there.” When the movie is over, Whimsy gives me a soft smile. “Thank you for making me come home and thank you for making sure I had dinner.”
I dip my head in acknowledgment. “You’re welcome.”
“You’re a pretty good fake boyfriend.”
Right. This is all fake. Just pretend.
I don’t understand why that fact isn’t sitting well with me.
“Thanks.”
She walks me to the door and I stop short of kissing her cheek, reminding myself that none of this is real.
CHAPTER 14
WHIMSY
Elias comesin second at the Miami Open and despite the fact that I know it’s a bummer for him, he handles it with grace and manages not to lose his shit on the court, even though I can see the anger simmering behind his eyes. The thing about Elias is he’s never mad at his opponent, just himself.
I settle into the luxurious leather seat on the private jet so we can head to the Monte Carlo Masters tournament. Elias has a place there so we won’t be staying in a hotel yet—that’s when things will get tricky, and we’ll be stuck sharing one room and a bed.
A lump lodges in my throat. Does he sleep in his underwear? Am I going to have to sleep beside him when he’s barely wearing anything? I’m just a girl. How am I supposed to survive temptation like that? It’s going to be torture.
Ebba settles into the seat beside me, and I shoot a smile her way, but before either of us can speak a shadow looms above us.
Looking up, I find Elias staring down at us. He’s so tall and his shoulders are so broad and he’s so handsome and … my brain is short circuiting.
“Ebba.” His morning voice is deeper than normal. “You gonna let me sit with my girlfriend?”
Ebba’s lips part. “Oh … right.” She hops up and moves across the aisle.
I frown in her direction as Elias drops into the seat beside me. “I got you coffee,” he says, passing me a caramel macchiato. “And a blueberry coffee cake.”
Can he please stop doing such nice things for me? We’ve barely started this whole fake dating gig and he’s already got my stomach in knots. How is any real boyfriend ever supposed to live up to this expectation?
“Thank you.” I take both from him.
None of my past boyfriends have ever treated me as well as my fake boyfriend does and I’m not sure what that says about them or myself.
