Page 7 of Hooked On Him
“Why were you so late?” There’s no judgment in his question, only curiosity.
“Because I was working late. Went to bed late. Woke up late.” I look away, leaning against the wall while I watch my mom help guests find their seats.
“Tough,” Austin muses. “So.... do you wanna talk about this now before the reception starts?”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” I swing my gaze back to him. “My best friend set me up on a blind date with my brother's best friend. So, now I have to admit to my mother that I lied about having a boyfriend and look like a dumbass in front of my whole family.” I force a fake smile on my face. “Fun times, right?”
Not only did I lie to my parents about having a date to the wedding, I also told them this nonexistent man was my boyfriend. Yeah, I really kicked myself after that.
I didn’t know what else to do. Mom was hounding me over the phone, talking about how I worked too hard and should be enjoying my life. That I was still so young, and I’d look back on these years and regret wasting them. So, I panicked and words just started spilling out, getting me into an even more bizarre situation.
That is, until I found out my blind date was Austin.Hello, Twilight Zone.
Austin’s brow creases, and I get the sudden urge to reach up and smooth the little line between his brows with my thumb.
“What if you don’t have to?”
“Huh?”
“What if you don’t have to tell your parents you lied about having a boyfriend?”
I snort a laugh. “And tell them what? He left early?”
“No.” Austin's lips tip into a smile.
“Then what?” I ask, not sure where he’s going with this.
“How about we go about the night as planned and have fun?” He shrugs. “I really don’t want to spend the night alone. Your brother will be spending half the night grinding on Claire and the other half with his tongue down her throat.”
“Eww.” I shudder. “Please don’t put that image in my mind.”
Austin chuckles. “Sorry. But really, just be my date for the night.” He grins. “I promise I’m fun to be around.”
“Be your date?” I ask slowly, and he nods. “But my parents are going to think you’re my boyfriend.”
“So?” He shrugs again. “Let them. Your parents love me,” he says teasingly.
He’s not lying. Austin spent so much time at our house growing up, he was practically part of the family.
Seeing him here now, talking with him, there's a part of me that missed him more than I realized. Things between us used to be so easy. We were friends. Good friends. What happened to that?
“What about my brother? Isn’t he going to lose it when he finds out his best friend lied to him about dating his brother? And what about after the wedding? We just tell everyone we broke up?” He can’t be serious right now. Does he really want to let my family and everyone else believe we’re dating?
“How about we just focus on tonight first, and worry about everything else later?” Austin suggests taking a step forward.
My heart starts to race. With him this close, I can’t think properly. “What do you say, Levi?” he asks, voice low as his eyes flick between mine. “Save me from having a sad, lonely night and be my fake boyfriend for the evening?”
I should say no. That this is stupid. Crazy. Far out there. That this will only end in one big shit show.
Instead, I find myself lost in his intoxicating scent and the deep blue of his eyes.
“Okay,” the answer falls from my lips before I even know what I’m saying. “But only for the night.”
He holds up his hand. “Only for one night.” He smirks. “And I promise I won’t run after you with your lost glass slipper and stop you from turning back into a pumpkin.”
“That’s not how that story went.” I can’t help but smile at his ridiculous Cinderella reference.
“No?” he asks. “Huh. Well, still. I promise to let you slip away into the night. But not before we have a night to remember.”
