Page 41 of The Fake
She nods. “Are any of his friends going to be there?”
I keep my back to her as I pull on fresh clothes and examine myself in the mirror. “I think Shaw is going.”
“Really?!” She squeals in obvious delight.
“Is Emily coming, too?”
“No, she’s waiting for Bri to get back. They’re going to Mallory’s apartment to hang tonight.”
There’s a knock on my door. “You guys about ready?” Nathan calls from the other side. “Shaw’s swinging by to pick us up.”
Sydney has already transformed herself for a night out and flings open the door. She passes Nathan, and he steps into my room, glancing around before his eyes lock on me.
“How did you pull this off so well?”
“Wasn’t really that hard. Shaw’s got game apparently.”
“She didn’t even know he was going. I thinkyou’rethe one with game.”
He shakes his head and runs a hand over his jaw. Now that I’m studying him closer, I think he cleaned up his facial hair, too. He still has the scruff, but it looks cleaner… like he put some effort into this fake date.
I glance down at what I’m wearing. Jeans and a black midriff tank top. I suddenly wish I’d put on a dress and added some eye makeup. “Am I dressed okay?”
“You look great,” he says, giving me a once over that makes my stomach flip and motions with his head. “Come on. They’re waiting for us.”
The Hideout is busy when we arrive. We grab a booth and Sydney and Shaw slide in opposite us without any prompting. I can’t help but notice they look more like a real couple than Nathan and I do—turned toward each other, laughing and talking—all smiles for one another.
Tanner Shaw is a good-looking guy. He’s not as tall or built as Nathan, but that’s true of basically every other guy I know. They’ve both got blue eyes and light hair, but nothing about Shaw makes me look twice. And everything about Nathan makes me want to never stop looking.
“Gabby working tonight?” Shaw asks, looking around. Families and couples are seated at booths in the dining area, but the bar space is almost entirely Valley U students. Some I recognize and others give it away with their frat letters across their chests.
“Nah, she’s out of town visiting Zeke,” Nathan answers and places a hand on my leg under the table.
I want to ask him who Gabby is, but Shaw asked so casually I think I should know so I pretend I do and stay silent.
“What are we drinking?” Sydney asks, smiling so big I think her face might start to hurt. I love that about her—she wears her heart on her sleeve while I keep mine buried under layers of sweaters like Joey in that Friends episode where the girl he’s dating repeatedly punches him. Except my layers are metaphorical and so are the punches to my heart I’m trying to avoid.
“I’m gonna grab a pitcher. Be right back.” Shaw stands. “Want anything else, babe?” he asks Sydney.
Babe.The endearment rolls off Shaw’s tongue so easily. I steal a glance at Nathan, and he rolls his eyes playfully at how quickly they’ve slipped into couple mode.
“I’ll come with you.” Sydney follows behind Shaw, leaving Nathan and me by ourselves.
He smiles, straight white teeth contrasting with the hard angles and scruff on his jaw. “You want something to drink besides beer?”
“Beer’s fine,” I say. “I’m not a big drinker. My tolerance is shit.”
“I may have noticed that,” he says and places his arm around the back of the booth. His fingers brush against my shoulder, and I lean into his touch and angle myself like Sydney did with Shaw.
Instead of outright asking about Gabby, I decide to vaguely inquire about his dating history. “Have you and Shaw gone on a lot of double dates?”
He laughs. “Nah, definitely not. I think this might be my first double date ever, come to think of it.”
“But you’ve dated a lot?” I avert my eyes and pretend to be very interested in looking around the bar while I wait for his answer.
“Not really. My life was a bit of a mess before I met you.”
Something about coinciding with a positive change in his life makes me happy. Really happy.
