Page 86 of Play Fake
“You don’t think it’s my businessmy girlis running around in the middle of the night with her ex, and he’s playing songs for her and kissing her goodnight?”
“He kissed my cheek.” I roll my eyes dismissively at the implication. Furious Mr. No Strings Attached has now decided I’m his, and he doesn’t want anyone else touching what belongs to him.
“It’s obvious what he was doing, and you know it.” A look comes over Waylon’s face I’ve never seen before, and I brace for the fight I know we’re about to have.
“Am I your girl, Waylon? Because so far, I’m pretty indistinguishable from all the other girls you fuck.”
“Are we back to this?”
“I don’t know, are we?”
“I think you’re just looking for an out. Some excuse to run from something that scares you and go right back to your ex. The one who cheated on you, remember?”
“Oh, I remember. I had the pleasure of talking to her tonight, actually. She had some very interesting things to say. Namely, Ezra isn’t the only guy we’ve both fucked.”
His face goes pale and the anger in his eyes fades to a panic. It’s all the confirmation I needed.
“So, it’s true then. Huh. Well, maybe climb off your high horse then, yeah? Seems like monogamy isn’t your thing, either.”
“I didn’t fuck her.”
“Why should I believe that?”
“Because I’ve never lied to you.”
“So she’s making it all up? That you took her on a date to a restaurant? That you guys fucked around? Because she could describe some parts of you, Waylon, in a way that sounds a whole lot like the two of you fucked.”
“I took her out to a restaurant, but I didn’t—“
“Oh, my god. Just stop there, Waylon. You don’t date, remember? You don’t go to restaurants. You’ve never even taken me out somewhere.”
The admission hits like a dagger to my chest, stealing all my air and making my heart stumble in its beats. It hurts so damn much because despite who I always imagined him to be, he was right. He never lied to me. He was always forthcoming. It felt like I was being blindsided by something I didn’t see coming, something I should have seen coming if I’d listened to my brain instead of other parts of my anatomy.
And on top of all of that, he took her out on a date. Something he’d never done with me. Faking it for public interest? Yes. Hooking up at random parties? Also, yes. But behaving like a real couple without all the rest of it hadn’t happened yet. I’d given him a pass on it too. Thinking he wasn’t the relationship type, and I needed to go easy on him. Yet with her, he could do it on the very first date. So maybe she’s right. Maybe there is something wrong with me after all.
“We have gone out.”
“When we were pretending. Not for real. The only thing we ever do is hookup and argue. Hence the indistinguishable. Although I guess it’s different, since you seem to get along pretty well with the rest of your groupies.”
I renew my search for my keys in my purse because the last thing I want to do is keep standing out here and dealing with wave after wave of humiliation.
“We hooked up because you wanted to. You fucking pursued me. You kept telling me that’s all you wanted from me. To fuck a hot football player and check it off your list, remember? Help you erase him?”
I draw up at the way he makes me sound so desperate and needy.
“Well, boxes checked. Thanks for the rebound sex, Waylon. Goal achieved. Have a nice life.” I give him a forced smile.
“You don’t fucking mean that, Mac. I know you. I mean more to you than that.”
“Please, just stop. I know you get off on making me feel like shit, Waylon. I’m sure this is going to be an epic fucking laugh for you and your friends, but I would think there was a limit, even for you. Just leave.”
“Fucking fuck!” He yells the curse loud enough to wake half the neighborhood. “What fucking friends, Mac? They’reourfriends!”
“Be quiet!” I hiss at him, wishing against all hope I could find my keys.
“Mac, if you would just calm down and let me explain—“ his voice quiets as he tries to negotiate.
Him telling me to calm down sets every last tinder in me on fire. Calm down? Yeah, I’ll calm down when men stop cheating on me with the same fucking woman and lying to me about it.
