Page 24 of Fake Dating the Dragon
“For all of this.”
Her brows furrow as eyes search my face, her cheeks pink from the cold. I can’t ignore the deep ache in my chest when I stare into her eyes. I am falling in love with her. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her. Now, I need to figure out the right time to tell her.
It’s a good thing I have a plan.
TWELVE
Penny
The first dayhas gone off without a hitch, but here I am down in the study with my twin, not so subtly avoiding the gorgeous man who is currently getting dressed in my childhood bedroom. The man I will be climbing into bed next to in the next 10 to 20 minutes. The man I have been having wild fantasies about since we spent the weekend together, a weekend we agreed was supposed to mean nothing.
There was a moment out in the snow where I thought he was going to kiss me, but he didn’t.
“I’m not sure what I’m going to do.” I say, falling onto the couch.
Hazel watches me, book in hand, and shakes their head, “I’m not a relationship expert by any means, but have you tried talking to him about it?”
“This isn’t a logical sort of talk, Hazel, I’m looking for you to bring me down to earth, not feed my delusions.” I grab a throw pillow and clutch it to my chest.
Our meeting seems almost clandestine, with the low light from the lamp on our father’s large hardwood desk, the deep jewel-toned wall and the dark wooden bookshelves lining the far end of the room. It’s always been our father’s haven and his favorite room in the house. I have fond memories of doing my math homework in the large comfy chair, despite it being my least favorite subject in school.
My twin nods and continues to make a show of reading.
“The book is upside down, by the way.”
Hazel sets it aside then leans back against the desk, “I knew that.”
I smile so big it almost hurts. They have always known how to make me feel better, ever since we were little. The R2-D2 to my Threepio. Hazel isn’t only my twin, they are also one of my best friends.
Of course, now I’m thinking of Asher. He knew exactly when I was feeling uncomfortable downstairs and pulled me back. He’s been coming to my rescue since the first day back in Harrington Park.
“I’m just saying, Penny. I don’t know any man who would brave being taken home for Christmas, let alone to meet our family, if he didn’t have feelings for you.”
“And I complicated things by sleeping with him,” I shove the pillow over my face.
“Hold on. Rewind.” Hazel stands and crosses the room to sit beside me. “You should have led with that.”
“I was in heat and we agreed it meant nothing. We even said it was a pause in our arrangement,” I explain into the fluffy fabric.
Hazel tosses the throw pillow onto the floor, “Who brought it up? You or him?”
“Does it matter?”
“It matters.”
“I did, I think.” I furrow my brow and groan, “Ugh, I don’t remember.”
“If you did, you closed the door yourself. No level of delusion can remedy that.” Hazel places their hand over mine. “Talk. To. Him. You’ve been like this since we were little. Sometimes you have to ask the world for what you truly want.”
Hazel’s right, and I’m mildly annoyed they’re right.
We leave the study, and I climb the stairs up to my childhood bedroom. I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve had a man in there. Though I doubt Asher is going to be searching for my nonexistent diary to find out who I was crushing on in the 10thgrade.
When I open the door, Asher has changed into a pair of festive plaid lounge pants and a plain black t-shirt to sleep in. It almost seems surreal, seeing his large form there with my light blue walls, white bookshelves and purple floral sheets. At least most of my stuffed animals are at my apartment or down in the garage.
He finishes zipping up his suitcase, a smile already playing on his lips like he’s got a secret. “Everything alright?”
“Yeah, I got caught up talking to Hazel downstairs,” I say, taking the time to admire his wide muscular shoulders and the hint of his soft stomach as he leans over.
