“Let’s see. I used to hang out with my two friends a lot, but then life got in the way.”
I slow-nodded and let out a deep breath.
“I hear you. I used to hang out with my sister a lot too, then life got in the way. I mean, her life. She’s happily engaged, with a newborn baby. I don’t think she’s got the time or the patience for my bullshit anymore.”
Oh yes, I’d definitely loosened up. I was now starting to sound more like I did in those texts I sent him.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” he said, without letting it get awkward. I appreciated that, because after all, he was still a stranger and had no reason to put up with my constant chatter about how the world had betrayed me.
“But it is,” I retorted. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t blame Heather. She’s got her own life to live and I’m happy for her.”
His eyes narrowed at that. “Heather… That’s what my friend’s fiancée's name is.”
“Really?”
Heather was a common name so I didn’t think much of it until he said, “Yeah. Bradley. Bradley Coleman.”
My eyes went wide before his lips had even closed. “What did you say?”
“Bradley…”
I held up both hands and threw my head back. “No freakin' way! Bradley is my soon to be brother-in-law.”
He scratched his jaw and blinked rapidly.
“You’re Heather Clayton’s sister? You’re that Clayton?”
I folded my arms over my stomach, feeling like something was really wrong over here. I was missing a huge piece of the puzzle and I didn’t know what that piece was.
“Yes. I’m that Clayton.”
My mind was racing through my giggles when it dawned on me that I’d definitely heard the name Arthur before. It was the day after an engagement party that my sister had attended with her friends.
“You’re friends with Bradley and Neil?”
His neck bent forward. “You know Neil… as well?”
I nodded, and then shook my head when I remembered my sister’s conversation with her friend on the day after they’d attended Neil Rowdell’s engagement with Rachel Phillips.
Arthur had hit on Heather when Brad and Heather were kind of together, but not really.
It’d become a huge deal that night, leading to my sister storming out of the party when Brad reacted to whatever it was that him and Heather were doing.
“Yeah… I do,” I said, almost guiltily. “I believe you danced with my baby sister at Neil’s engagement party.”
His hand was glued to his jaw and there was a smile of disbelief underneath it.
“That is so crazy.”
I didn’t disagree with him. Out of all the people in New York that I could have found on the internet, I happened to stumble upon the one person who knew the same people that I did.
“Well, Brad and I figured it out. It was all a giant misunderstanding. I wish I hadn’t…”
He paused when he noticed my unfocused gaze at him.
So much for thinking the bicep man was a mysterious stranger.
6
Arthur
I’d been trying to lighten the mood since Jessica figured out that I was the one who’d caused issues between Brad and Heather. After finishing two drinks, however, she was doing a good job at keeping herself entertained and away from overthinking.
The discovery had been awkward, and there was no doubt about that. I wasn’t sure how she was going to feel about me the next day. I guess this whole thing that wasn’t so fun and mysterious for her anymore. I almost felt a sense of loss when I imagined not receiving any new texts from her after the night was over. Maybe she would just disappear from my life just as quickly as she’d appeared in it. I couldn’t complain, at least not when I had her right in front of me. The alcohol had loosened her up and she was laughing without any inhibitions.
“I’m sorry if I’m boring you with all of her stories,” she said, bending forward to stick a toothpick into an olive.
I shook my head. “No. I get it. I love to talk about Megan all the time as well. It's the only thing that can get me through, some days.”
“Get you through… what?”
I’d said that short sentence in almost a whisper, not particularly wanting her to hear it, but at the same time longing to let her into my life as quickly as possible. I may as well rip the band-aid off.
“In twelve months,” I said on a sigh, “I might be leaving. I mean, I will definitely be leaving if I can’t figure something out.”
Her face was blank and eyes wide. She wanted to know more, undoubtedly.
“It’s complicated.”
She laughed. “What isn’t, right?”
“True. Well, my conditional green card is expiring in a year and since my divorce is coming through, I won’t be renewing it based on marriage.”
Her forehead had wrinkled when I said the word “divorce.”
“Are you still technically… married?” She wanted to know.
I grimaced and pulled at my collar.
“I am. Technically, yes.”
She said “wow” and folded her legs, then looked away with a sour face.
“I think I better get going.”
Well, shit.
I stood up when she did and my voice cracked as I apologized for whatever it was that I thought was worth saying sorry for.
“Oh, no, it’s not you. I mean, it’s not… that. I just…”
She was moving her head around with random arm gestures while trying to find the right words to use.
“I’m sorry,” she said, bending down to grab her purse. “I should really get going. There’s a meeting that I have to prepare for tomorrow.”
I was standing right in front of her and she hadn’t moved her gaze away from my chest for a while.
“Stay for another drink,” I insisted. “Just one more.”
I didn’t know what had come over me when I begged. It was pathetic, but as it turned out, it was also worth it, because she agreed.
She eyed the exit, then looked back at me, lifting her head and meeting my eyes this time around.
“Okay.”
I offered her my arm and she grinned before looping hers through it. We walked to the bar together and I pulled out a stool for her.
“Chivalry isn’t dead,” she laughed.
“Not tonight, it isn’t.”
“We’ll also get the check,” she told the bartender, pointing to the table that we were sitting at a few minutes ago. It was her way of telling me that it really was her last drink.
We clinked our glasses with subtle smiles and I watched as she took multiple long sips at once. She was so ready to leave, and it was obviously because of the fact that I was still married. I hadn’t thought much before casually bringing it up because I didn’t think it would bother anyone. Divorce only made things legally over, but Sophie and I considered ourselves to be single the second I had moved out of our short-lived marital home.
I assumed that with Jessica, it must have something to do with the sanctity of marriage. If it did, then that would be the one thing we didn’t have in common. I didn’t believe in marriage anymore, not really. I’d jumped into it once, regretting it until it was over, and I was not about to make the same mistake again with anyone else.
My parents had a wonderful marriage. They were an inspirational couple, but things seemed so mundane in their love life that I wouldn’t want that kind of a reality, even if it promised happiness.
I didn’t have anything against marriage, but I knew it wasn’t the thing for me.
“You seem to be really enjoying the drink this time,” I smirked and she ran her fingers though her long blonde strands for the tenth time in the last ten minutes.
“No. I mean, it’s nice but I’m just a quick drinker I guess…”
I wasn’t too hopeful about the fact that she’d want to have anything to do with me after the date was over. Even though she’d blushed every time my skin brus
hed against hers, too many things hadn’t aligned with her expectations this evening.
For me, on the other hand, it was a completely different story altogether. When I found out that she was Heather’s sister and that we had friends in common, I couldn’t help but feel that something bigger than ourselves had put us together. Who’d have thought that we would meet each other online, then want to actually meet each other, only to find out that we’d known about each other all along?
A few strands of her straight hair fell over her cheek when she bent her neck to take another sip. I tucked it behind her ear and she looked at me immediately, then to the other side where two women were giggling.
They were laughing at us, and it was infuriating because Jessica and I knew what it was about. It didn’t look like she was surprised, and that infuriated me even more. I would hate for a woman to be self-conscious about her size, especially one as beautiful as her.
Maybe the women wouldn’t be staring at us with cheap giggles if I wasn’t the one sitting next to Jessica. The last thing I wanted was for her to think that we weren’t good together, because that would really lead to her disappearing from my life once she exited the bar.
I pulled my stool closer to hers, and slid my arm around her waist. My gaze briefly landed on the two women, who’d shut up once they realized I had heard them. One of them had their eyebrows raised when I looked, and she quickly averted her gaze. I moved my attention away from them and toward Jessica.
She fiddled with her glass and ran her pointer finger over the edge with a smirk.
“You don’t have to.”
“I know I don’t have to,” I said, my knuckles rubbing against her cheek. “But I want to.”
She melted in my arms and my grip around her waist became firmer. It was as if I couldn’t get close enough to this woman. She was more intoxicating to me than the alcohol that I’d been drinking.
Her eyes were on mine and my other hand touched her knee, sliding toward the edge of her dress that she’d been tugging at all evening. I wanted to let her know that she was gorgeous, that she was more than enough. I wanted to tell her that I was crazily attracted to her and wanted to take her back to my place and fuck her brains out. But instead, I settled on staring into her brown eyes for now. There was so much depth in them, so many stories, pain and struggles.
How I wished I could just snap my fingers and take them all away in an instant. I could certainly try.
So I did. I kissed her.
She pulled back at first, startled, then warmed into it. Her hands found my face, then the back of my neck when I slid my tongue into her mouth. I heard a soft moan when the kiss ended, and I felt hungover, wishing that it’d lasted for way longer.
“Still want to leave?” I whispered, our foreheads touching.
She smiled but didn’t say anything at first, then straightened herself and gulped down the remaining drink.
“No. But I have to. I wasn’t lying about having a full day tomorrow.”
I didn’t stop her this time.
“Well, thanks for sticking around for another drink.”
We walked out together after I argued with her about who should pay the bill. I’d won the argument and dropped my card in there before she’d had the chance to.
Once she slid into the backseat of a cab, I bent down and looked at her through the open window.
“Text me when you’re home,” I said on a wink. That was my way of ensuring that she got home safe, and it also didn’t hurt to let her know that I’ll be waiting for her text tonight.
She responded to that by waving her fingers at me.
“Oh, boy,” I sighed and ran my hands through my hair as I watched the cab speed off.
I could still taste her lips on mine, and feel the texture of her skin. I would lose my fucking mind if I didn’t take that woman, and soon.
But first, I needed to get home and strategize what my tomorrow was going to look like. I was scheduled to meet with my cousin Henry in the morning. He’d asked me to “stop acting like a child” and make up my damn mind already. Though, he knew full well that he wouldn’t let me make a decision without trying his best to sway it in his favor.
My meeting with him was going to be stressful, and I needed to strategize how I was going to give him the tough news and let him know that I won’t be taking over his firm.
I opened my laptop, patiently going through all the emails that he’d sent me over the last few days. It was everything that I needed to know in order to make an educated decision on whether or not I had an interest in running his business.
It was literally like being handed candy for free but not being able to eat it. It was a tease, and I liked what I was reading. In another situation, I would jump at the opportunity to run a company that was already up and running and one that made millions in profit every week.
I knew this was a waste of time to read through his emails because my answer was set in stone. I wouldn’t volunteer to take his position unless I saw a future in this country after one year. The only way for that to happen was if I married an American citizen. That would be a scam, and I wasn’t going to let myself go there. The repercussions of being caught in a fake marriage were severe, and there were specially trained agents that looked into that sort of thing. Your marriage could be "audited" at any time, and getting caught would mean a federal offense.
Half of my attention remained on my phone that was sitting next to the laptop on my desk. I waited for the screen to light up so I could see Jessica’s name appear on the top.
It’d been an hour since I got home and by my estimation, she should have reached home by now. I thought to give her a call, but decided to wait. I wouldn’t want her to think of me as a creepy guy who was too clingy. Or, even worse, some kind of jealous lunatic.
The phone remained glued to my hand even after I’d climbed into bed. Like a baby with his favorite toy, I fell asleep while waiting for a text that never arrived.
7
Jessica
The only thing that was worse than waking up hungover was having to slide my feet into a horrendous pair of heels. I held onto a door handle and felt the stiffness in my neck as I tried to not trip once I had both feet in. Rubbing the back of my neck, I grabbed my things and left home with only seconds to spare.
I remembered during my long walk to the subway station that my boss was retiring. Suddenly I worried that whoever he brought in to replace him would be firing everyone and bringing in their own people. I had heard too many horror stories of that happening in other companies. Great, another thing to worry about, as if I didn't have enough impending disasters in my life.
I’d received an email with a notification for the meeting yesterday, and I had no clue why he’d wanted to meet with me twice in one week. That was unheard of for any employee and particularly for me, because I’d never even been on his radar until about ten days ago. The thought alone made my palms sweat. Maybe his replacement had told him to get rid of me so they could bring in someone else, and they didn't want to go through the "dirty work" of firing. In my hungover, agitated early morning state, my brain conjured the worst possible scenarios, going over them in detail as I walked.
My financial struggles were real, and if he really were to let me go, then I would have to give up my plans to get my daughter back to living with me. That realization was absolutely soul-shattering. I’d never been big on having lots of money, never lived in a huge mansion, or had expensive tastes, but at least I didn’t have to worry about having enough to pay basic bills while I was married to Tyler.
Evenings like the one I’d had with Arthur were a subtle reminder that my life totally and utterly sucked, and there was no other way to describe it. I’d had the time of my life with him last night. He was sweet, thoughtful, and he even pretended to be attracted to me just so those bitches would stop laughing at the sight of a curvy woman hanging out with the hottest man around. It definitely inflated my ego, but I was embarrassed, and that wa
s one of the reasons why I hadn’t felt like texting him when I got home. I was just so embarrassed for not being able to answer those women with a smirk… or something. Though, the kiss had been an answer in itself. That unbelievably yummy kiss that I didn’t think would happen, at least not on our first date. He'd probably only done it because he was drunk, though. I doubted he would feel the same way once he sobered up, and I wasn't going to set myself up for rejection. Plus, the guy was still married. I liked him. A lot. But…still married? I'd really have to think about that one.
I sighed when the train doors shut and I took one of the many empty seats — the only saving grace of this morning. I found it amusing to think of that as our “first” date. I clearly wanted another one. God, yes, I did. Yet, there I was, hesitating to send him a text since last night.
I shut the Steve Jobs autobiography and slid it back into my bag, then held my phone in my hand and stared at it.
What would I say to him now?
He’d asked me to let him know once I was home, not the next morning when I felt shitty and hungover. It’s not as if I would have come home and told him about what I had to do once my cab left the bar.
I cringed at what he would think if he saw what I did last night - yet another thing to be embarrassed about. Knowing that the cab would cost me a fortune, I’d climbed out of it as soon as Arthur was out of sight. I’d paid the driver five bucks and then found the nearest subway station.
Maybe it wouldn’t have been a big deal if I’d just told him that I wanted to take the train, but I knew he would have insisted that I take a cab instead. It was late in the evening and the man was a complete gentleman. He would have wanted to pay for the ride if it meant ensuring my complete safety.
I’d thanked my stars when he slid his credit card on to the bar once the check had arrived. I really did want to pay, and I even argued with him, but that amount was absolutely ridiculous.
I swallowed, thinking about what I should say in my text.
Hey. I fell asleep when I got home. I’m sorry. Last night was wonderful.
Single Dad Fake Fiancé Page 5