Page 28 of Hidden Plays
“I know. I’m just fucking with you, Holden.” His smirk fell. “I’m ordering some bruschetta boards. Want to share some?”
I perused the menu and set it down. “Sure.” Peeking at his wine, I asked. “What wine did you get? Is it any good?”
“Yeah, it’s the house wine, and it’s pretty decent.” He pushed his glass toward me. “Here, try it.”
“Uh…” Shit, this sounded like an actual date. I picked up the glass and sipped the wine, the oak and cherry flavors mixing in my mouth. “Yeah, that’s good.”
A server stopped by the table, and we ordered the bruschetta boards and my wine.
I focused on JJ. Now that we were alone, I could talk to him about this situation. “So, how much longer do you need me to pretend to be your boyfriend?”
The server left my wine on the table.
With a shrug, he said, “I don’t know. As long as it takes. Why?” He eyed me.
“Because it needs to end at some point. I can’t keep meeting you like this.” I skimmed the restaurant again. Did I recognize anyone?
“Why not? Is it so terrible?” He lowered his brow. “What’s up with you, Holden?”
Arden’s words echoed in my head.He might use this to get close to you. “You aren’t catching feelings, are you?” I slapped my fingers to my lips. I could have said it better.
His brows knitted as his mouth dropped open. “You mean as a boyfriend? Hell, no.” With a shake of his head, he scowled. “Are you going homophobic on me? Are you afraid of being seen with a gay man in public?” With his gaze growing hard, he said, “Afraid someone will think you’re queer?” He hooked a brow.
“No, it’s not like that.” But was it, though? I sipped my wine, letting it calm the nerves knotting in my stomach.
He leaned in, his forearms cradling his wine. “Because truthfully? I gotta wonder about you, Holden.”
Don’t say it, don’t fucking say it.I stared at the ripples in my wine, the knot in my gut churning.
“I’m not so sure you’re straight. I think maybe you’ve got a thing for me.” In a softer, but gruff voice, he said, “I don’t thinkstimulus had anything to do with the boner you copped at The Club. I think maybe your body is telling you something your mind doesn’t want to hear.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, my brain rolling through the Reddit boards and Google searches. “N-no, I’m, I’m straight.” I clamped my jaw. I didn’t even believe myself anymore.
“Okay, tell yourself that.” JJ shook his hand and then drank his wine. “It doesn’t matter. Like I’ve said before, you’re not my type, anyway.”
My gaze cut to his, my heart squeezing. I didn’t enjoy hearing that. But why? Even if there were something more between us, I wouldn’t act on it.
The server dropped off our bruschetta boards.
“After tonight, we can quit the fake boyfriend shit.” JJ picked up a slice of apple and brie bruschetta and bit into it. “Damn, so good.”
An ache swept through my chest. This was what I wanted, right? “Okay, so I don’t have to text you anymore?” I grabbed a pesto bruschetta and stuffed it in my mouth, the garlic and basil mingling on my tongue.
“I…yeah. Guess I’ll tell the guys we broke up.” His brows twitched together. “I’ll tell them you turned out to be an asshole and only wanted sex.” The corner of his mouth lifted, and he ate more bruschetta.
As my stomach balled into a knot, I studied him. Why did it feel like an actual breakup? He didn’t seem fazed by it at all. “No, don’t do that. I’ll keep texting for a while longer.” I slumped my shoulders. What the hell was happening inside me?
He drank some wine. “Okay, whatever you say. But I thought you were done.”
“I am, but it doesn’t need to stop today.” God, I was a mess. Sitting back in my chair, I wiped my fingers on my napkin, thinking back on everything I’d found out about JJ. “Have you ever had a boyfriend? A real one, I mean.”
“Sure. I dated a guy for nine months when I was a sophomore.” He picked up a fresh slice of bruschetta and took a bite.
“What was he like?” He said he’d liked Myles Cummings, the hockey player. Did he enjoy dating jocks? I sipped my wine. Why did I care? I wanted to know what his type was and maybe why I wasn’t it.
“He played soccer and was from California.” A slow grin played over his mouth. “He was tall, dark and handsome.”
“So, you like dark-haired guys.” I twisted my lips and ate more food. I was blond.
