Page 355 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 11
Dating in secret wasn’t the same as fake dating. I exhaled slowly. I wished I could talk to her about all this. I really did. But my life was a mess and I didn’t want to pull anyone else into it. “I know.”
“I just always thought you and Axel would end up together.”
“I think we were always just meant to be friends.” I hated saying it out loud. Because it sounded true. It sounded real. And I was worried it might be.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. I know how much that must have hurt to find out.”
“Like my heart being pulled out and thrown into oncoming traffic.”
She pulled me into a hug. “I just want you to be happy.”
“Jacob makes me happy.” It wasn’t a lie. He did. I loved wearing his jacket to school. And holding his hand between classes. And him calling me love. But it was fake.
RJ sighed in my earpiece. “Well, that was cute. Does that mean you’re real dating Jacob now?”
For some reason I waited for Jacob to respond. But then I remembered that he was a mime. And I didn’t need Jacob torespond because I already knew what he’d say. He’d made his lack of feelings for me very clear the other day.
“No,” I said. Jacob didn’t like me anymore. I kissed too weird. Gah, why could I kiss my kiss thief normally and not Jacob?
“What?” My mom pulled back from our hug. “Did you not mean what you said about Jacob?”
Ah! What was the last thing I’d said to her? Oh, right. I’d said ‘Jacob makes me happy.’ And then I’d said ‘no,’ to RJ. But of course she didn’t know I had an earpiece. I cleared my throat. “I meant every word.”
“So adorable,” Sophie said. “I want out of this Gog costume. Where is the kiss thief? Has anyone seen anything suspicious?”
“Negative,” RJ said. “But I love helping women try on bikinis. Yes!” he yelled. “Darling, you look fabulous. But let’s get you into a pair of matching heels.”
I rolled my eyes.
“How about you give Jacob a call, sweetie,” my mom said. “To see what color you’d like to wear to homecoming? I need to go pick up a few things real quick from another section.”
“Yeah, okay,” I said.
My mom wandered off.
I turned toward the rack of dresses. “What color were you thinking, Jacob?”
He didn’t respond.
“Mr. Mime?”
Jacob chuckled. “You love the color that the secret lair was painted, right?”
I looked down at the green bracelet that his little sister Chloe had made for me. It had some teal beads on it too. “Yeah. It’s my favorite.”
“Then let’s do that. It looks really good with your hair.”
I smiled. “Okay.”
“I’ll have my abuelo find me a matching bowtie.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Are you guys seriously not going to talk about all the cute things Scarlett just said about you, Jacob?” Sophie asked. “God this fat suit is so hot. I’m sweating balls. I hate being Gog. Gog want free.”
I laughed. I waited a beat for Jacob to say something. But he was probably back to miming. I grabbed one of the dresses they had in teal and headed toward the dressing room.
“Uh...guys?” Sophie said.
