Page 47 of The Fake
Understanding dawns on him, and he drops my hand.
“It’s just that we said we wouldn’t, and I think if we do, then things will get complicated.”
He nods slowly and places his hands in the pockets of his sweats. “Got it.”
He doesn’t though. I don’t even have it. We’ve blurred the lines between real and fake and it’s messy—all of which I was trying to avoid.
“I’ll talk to ya later.” He takes off with a little two-finger salute, and I head inside Freddy.
As I’m setting my alarm for only a few hours from now so I can work out before the fieldhouse gets busy with the usual Saturday crowd, I can’t push Nathan out of my mind.
I like him, I like the way he sees me and the way I feel when I’m around him, and I have to hope that if what we have is real and not just some weird mixed signals from all of our faking, that after I’ve found my place at Valley and cemented my spot on the team, he’ll still want to kiss me.
16
Nathan
“Dude,get up, tell Chloe to put some clothes on—or not, and come out to the pool. I invited a bunch of people over.” Datson’s voice doesn’t wake me but rouses me from the half-asleep state I’ve been in since early this morning when I got back from walking Chloe to her dorm.
The fucker keeps knocking until I get up and open the door. “Fuck off, John.”
He hates being called by his first name. I really need to remember to bust it out more often.
“Low blow, sleeping beauty. Not my fault you stayed up half the night banging your smoking-hot girlfriend.”
Oh, how I wish.
“Get your suits on and come hang.” Datson’s black hair falls into his face. He’s got some sort of long in the front short in the back situation going on that makes him look like a backup singer in some cheesy boy band that I can’t name because I don’t know their names. And you can’t prove otherwise.
“Chloe’s not here. Now piss off.”
He shoves his massive shoulder in front of the door before I can close it. “Don’t be such an old man. Call Chloe and tell her to come back. Even Joel’s hanging.”
I manage to get him out of my room and close the door. I pull on my swim trunks and shoot Chloe a text to see if she wants to come hang by the pool with the team. I’m salty, but I still want to see her. If that’s not pathetic, I don’t know what is.
Her response comes an hour later when I’ve assumed she’s ghosted me and I’m four beers in.
Chloe: Hanging by the pool actually sounds great. On my way.
Well, that’s surprising. I figured that kiss scared her away for good, but I guess she’s still determined to win over her teammates no matter the inconvenience. I never thought I’d be such a pussy about being used as a fake boyfriend. All the perks, well, except sex, and none of the downsides, well, except… no sex.
I head inside for the liquor and fill a plastic cup with Jack. Joel still buys the shit even though he hardly partakes anymore. In fact… I fill two and decide today we’re doing this up right.
The entire team shows as well as the usual girls who come to hang. I’m parked next to Joel on a lounger while we make freshmen wait on us when Chloe shows up.
“Who’s that?” Joel asks as Chloe tentatively steps outside. Cut-off jean shorts and a baggy white shirt that falls just below her boobs and hangs off one shoulder. She’s stunning, per the usual.
“That is my girlfriend.”
Joel laughs but then checks my expression. “You’re serious. When? Andhow?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
Chloe looks around the party. She doesn’t see me, and I can take her in without having to pretend that I’m not.
I take another drink and find my cup empty again. “Yo, Fresh.”
The three freshmen all look to me at once. “Get me another Jack.” I hold up my cup. “And whatever my girl wants.” I point toward Chloe but seems they already know my business because they don’t look to see who I mean.
