Page 21 of Rosé with My Fake Fiancé
“Umm... we all just followed him,” Sara says. “Is it going to be weird that we all just followed your fiancé at once?”
I look down at my phone. I suppose I should click the button to follow him too, because shouldn’t I be following my fiancé on Insta?
We’re all quiet for a moment. “Ugh,” Sara breaks the silence. “Friending people in a digital age is weird.”
“Agree,” Jade says.
“Also, can we all agree that our engagement being fake stays between the five of us?” I ask. This is embarrassing enough already, but I know that once this night is over, I won’t ever see James, his fiancée, or anyone else at this stupid party again.
Sara grimaces. “I already told Zoe.”
“Okay, the six of us, then.”
There’s a chorus of yeses and head nods.
Luc’s been quiet, scrolling on his phone, and sitting next to him like this, I can see he’s going through my Facebook feed. Fun pictures with my friends, often posted by one of their kids tagging me, but also dinners with my family, my sister’s wedding, and lunches with my sorority sisters.
I look around the metro car, and we’re all in our phones, dressed up for clubbing. “Hey,” I snap my fingers. “We’re going out clubbing at Siempre, not hiding in our phones.”
“Yes!” Sara is on board, sitting up and putting her phone back into her clutch. “I am so excited, my first club!”
Luc laughs, bewildered. “Really?”
Sara bats her eyelashes. “In college, I was dating Kit—my late husband. We got married right after graduation, and Zoe came along the next year. There was no time for clubbing.” That’s true, but it’s also true that Sara’s been single for over fifteen years. Instead of trying to find a partner again, she focused all her attention on raising Zoe.
“Well, I definitely could use a fun night out and release some tension.” Jade shakes her head. “With moving and getting settled into my new apartment and office in Madrid, I haven’t had time to socialize.”
Sara and I exchange glances. Jade’s talked a lot about a guy in her office, Carlos, and we’re pretty sure she has a crush on the Clark-Kent lookalike. He was attractive, single, and best of all, not in her department, but he turned her down when she asked him out.
The metro lurches to a halt, and it’s our stop. When we step out, Jade hooks her arm through Luc’s. “You know, I should have asked if you have any cute, single friends who could have come tonight.”
We laugh and pile out of the station. It’s only a few blocks before we stand at the entrance of Siempre, and I brace myself to see James again.
9
Luc
We pass through the bouncer—ourname is on the list for James’ party, and he gives us wristbands—and follow a hostess to one of the VIP rooms, passing beneath enormous chandeliers. A dancer hangs from the largest one, hanging from her feet, which are tangled in a black silk ribbon. Gilded mirrors line the walls and make the space seem enormous. It’s very Versailles-meets-sex-dungeon.
The VIP room is not as packed with people as the main floors. We get served drinks immediately, and I am thrilled to learn it is paid for. They must be spending a fortune on this party.
Drinks in hand, we wade through to the glassed balcony overlooking the main dance floor. Emma’s next to me, and her mouth makes a perfect O as she gazes down at the masses. House music floods the giant room, the pulse vibrating down to my chest. Tessa curls her arm around my waist, and I return the side embrace with my arm around her shoulder.
To everyone in this room, we’re a couple, and the thought sends a flutter up my chest.
After the initial excitement wears off, we meet a few people around us, small talk presides, and no one asks Tessa and me how we met.
Jade disappears as we all talk about the music, the party, the people.
I feel like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I had already suspected that Tessa was out of my league, but watching her, dressed up like she belongs here, happily chatting with her friends at one of the hottest clubs in Paris like it’s nothing doesn’t sit well with me.
Her photos on Facebook didn’t help, either. Her family looks rich and wholesome, and Tessa a carbon copy of her mother, who looks refined like my grandmother, but in a colder way. There are pictures at galas and charity events, Tessa raising money for those less fortunate.
I am glad Mémé called in a favor. Bernice owns the second-hand shop down the street and, at my grandmother’s request, met us there and opened her doors after hours for us. It’s high-end clothes, and though Mémé combs through it every week, she rarely buys anything. Bernice calls her when something she might like comes in.
The clothes I’m wearing now make me fit right in. Bernice assured me I can clean them and return them to her, which means it didn’t cost me anything.
I’m jarred out of my thoughts by Jade’s return. She holds a tray of shots, neon green. I’m thankful for something to do.
