Page 21 of Fake It Till We Fall
To be fair, we didn’t.
There was once a time when being with Grayson was the most natural thing in the world. In high school, he was my very best friend and the only person I could truly be myself with. I never had to hedge who I was or hold back. I’d never before—or since—known someone so intimately, and had them know me the same way.
But being with him all these years later, it was like we were strangers trying to pretend we weren’t pretending, and I hated it.
By the time we stepped outside into the winter air, I was wound tight with the nervous energy buzzing between us. We walked side by side through the plaza. Lights hung from every possible surface, but they were still unlit. At least for a few more days.
“The tree lighting is Friday,” Grayson said. “We’ll go together?”
I nodded. “That would be nice.”
“It’ll be a good chance for the whole town to see us,” he said quickly.
I felt a flash of disappointment in my chest, which was ridiculous. Of course, that’s why he wanted me to go with him. It was to make it all look real. I should have thought of that. After all, this whole deception was my idea.
“Right,” I said. “And Grandma will be there, too. She’ll like seeing us and?—”
A burst of laughter spilled from Peaks & Brews and grabbed my attention. “Did you tell your brothers?” I asked. “About …” I waved a hand between us. “This.”
“I did.”
“How are they?” I asked when he didn’t elaborate. “Tell me about them.”
Grayson chuckled. “What do you want to know?”
“Anything. Everything. What did they say when you told them about us?” The second I asked the question, I regretted it. Did I really want to know what the Lyons brothers thought about our deception?
Grayson raised a brow. “Do you want to ask them yourself?”
“What?” I pointed at the brewery. “Like, right now?”
He nodded. “I mean…we might as well. This date has been…”
“Pretty shit?” I finished for him.
Grayson burst out laughing. “Well, I don’t know if I would have said it quite like that,” he said, “but yeah. It’s been a little stiff, don’t you think?”
“Yes.” A wave of relief washed through me that I wasn’t the only one feeling the tension. “And not at all like us.”
I regretted the words as soon as they came out. There was nousanymore. There hadn’t been for a very long time.
Something flickered on his face, but I couldn’t be sure in the dim light.
He took my hand in his and squeezed a little. “You’re sure you’re ready for this?”
“Why not?”
Grayson shook his head and ran his other hand over his face. “Let’s do this, then.”
Inside, the brewery was busier than I expected for a Wednesday night. “Book club meeting,” Grayson said before I could ask. “Ethan’s fiancée owns the bookshop next door and sometimes things spill over.”
“That’s my kind of book club.” I laughed.
“I’ll introduce you to Delaney.” Grayson led me through the space. “You’ll love her.”
Grayson took me to the bar, where his brother Ethan was pulling pints of beer.
The moment he looked up and saw me, his face split into a smile. “Harper Bennett. Welcome back!”
