Catch Me (The RLU #5)

Chapter 12

Theo

I park my dad’s old, white Chevy truck outside of Marcela’s apartment complex in the parking lot, and send her a quick text to let her know that I’m here.

Marcela exits the building, stealing the breath right from my lungs. She’s in a jean skirt that’s molded to her body, making my mouth fucking water. And then there’s the pink tank top she’s wearing underneath her cardigan, with her tits nearly spilling out of it.

Is she trying to kill me?

I get out of my car, rounding the front to open the door for her.

“There’s no one around, so you don’t have to do that,” she stares at me.

“I don’t care, fake dating or not, I’m always going to open the door for you,” I smile, gesturing for her to hop in.

I smirk when I see the look of shock on her face at the roses sitting between us.

“Theo, you didn’t need to get me flowers,” she shakes her head.

“You like flowers, right?” Marcela nods. “Then you’ll get flowers every time we go on a date.”

“Is this because you pity me? And because of what I went through?” she asks.

Shit . That wasn’t my intention at all. I just wanted to spoil her and show her that it’s easy to give her what she wants. That it’s a privilege to do so.

“No, Celly, it’s not. I got you flowers because I want to show you how easy it is to do, and why you shouldn’t settle for anything less. Flowers, to me, are the bare minimum. Don’t stress about it, please,” I plead, hoping she’s not offended.

Marcela brings the flowers up to her face, breathing them in with a soft smile on her lips. “Thank you. They really are beautiful.”

Keeping my eyes on her, I say, “They really are.”

I watch as her cheeks tinge red, making her freckles more prominent. She’s fucking adorable.

Without another word, I pull onto the road and head towards the bar. It’s only a two-minute drive, but with the way the temperature drops at night, I wanted to be able to drive her home.

We’re silent on the short ride, until I put the truck into park and Marcela turns to me.

“Alright, how do we fake this?”

I stare at her for a beat, lost for words. “Uh …” I grip the back of my neck. “We do what people do on dates.”

“I know I should know these things, but I’m kind of stressed right now. I need to know what to expect and what our roles are.” Her voice is frantic, as if we’re about to embark on something a lot scarier than hanging out at the local bar.

I take her hand in mine. “There are no expectations. I’ll be myself, and you’ll be yourself. We will make small talk with the group, I’ll make some dumb comments, and you’ll roll your eyes and laugh. I’ll flirt with you, and you’ll blush. Just the way I like,” I chuckle, making her do exactly that.

“Okay,” she says, still sounding slightly nervous.

“You’re my girl and I’ll make that very clear. All you need to do is smile, and look like you enjoy spending time with me—which you already do.”

“Presumptuous, are we?” she chirps, and it makes me laugh. I love when she teases me.

“Ready?” I ask as I turn my truck off.

“I guess we’ll find out,” she mutters as I get out and round the hood to open her door.

Once we’re inside, keep my hand on the small of her back as we make our way over to where my teammates are seated.

I pull out a chair for Marcela, and introduce her.

“Everyone, this is Marcela, my girlfriend. Marcela, this is… well, everyone.” I chuckle, because there are way too many to introduce them individually. I’m sure she will learn their names as we talk with people tonight.

“Hi, everyone,” she says quietly, giving them a small wave.

Dale is the only one to introduce himself, his hand outstretched toward Marcela. “I’m Dale.”

She takes his hand, saying hi back.

“And this here is Robin,” he adds, introducing his girlfriend.

Marcela and Robin hit it off while Dale and I fall into conversation about football, much to my distaste. We have a game tomorrow so the conversation should be expected.

Yet I still loathe every second of it.

I’m so lost in conversation with my teammates that an hour flies by before I know it. I’m beginning to think Hunter and Ruby are going to be no-shows—but then they walk in the door, as if I thought them into existence.

They make their way across the bar, and of course the only two empty seats are directly across from us. I sense Marcela stiffen beside me, so I lock my pinky with hers once again letting her know it’ll be alright.

We knew they would be here, and it’s why we’re doing this in the first place. Although I imagine it is still difficult for Marcela to be across from the two people that hurt her most.

“There’s the happy couple,” Hunter grins crookedly at us as he wraps his arm around Ruby’s shoulder, pulling her into him.

“Looks like we can say the same,” I say dryly. I’m tempted to pull Marcela into me, but I don’t want it to seem like I’m only doing it because he did. I have to wait for the perfect timing.

“Marcie,” Ruby drawls, a conniving look on her face. “I told you everything would work out. Look at us. It’s like old times.”

Marcela reaches for my hand between us, wrapping her fingers with mine and resting them on her lap where they can see. “It’s better than old times,” Marcela responds nonchalantly, and I’m proud of her for not letting Ruby see how it’s affecting her.

I don’t miss the subtle flex of Hunter’s jaw in irritation, and it makes me want to punch him right there. He has no right to be jealous or annoyed about her moving on.

“How did you two meet anyway?” Hunter asks, trying to seem uninterested in his tone, but his body tells a different story. He leans forward on his elbows, ready to listen.

We didn’t prepare for this question, and by the squeeze she gives my hand, it’s clear that she’s nervous, so I take the lead.

“We met freshman year. We didn’t talk much until this past summer, when Marcela gained real friends—who happened to be my friends. We started spending a lot of time together, and quickly realized our chemistry was too strong to ignore. The rest is history,” I supply, not entirely lying.

“That seems fast for you, Marcie. I’m surprised,” Ruby points out as she skims the menu. “Do they have anything that tastes good with zero calories or no sugar?”

“Oh, yeah. The water is phenomenal here. I highly recommend it,” I say sarcastically, making Marcela chuckle beside me.

“Excuse me for trying to be healthy,” Ruby rolls her eyes.

I put my hand over my chest. “And excuse me for trying to be friendly and joke around with you. Some people are so sensitive, huh, Celly?”

“Celly?” Hunter repeats my nickname for her. “As in what we do when we score?”

“It’s not really your business why he calls me that,” Marcela interjects, making all three of us go quiet. It’s not her style to call people out—other than me.

I watch as surprise falls over Hunter’s and Ruby’s faces, followed by Hunter’s brows narrowing in annoyance. “Whatever.”

“What made you transfer?” I ask, switching the topic. I’ve been dying to know the real reason, though it’s not likely he’ll tell me, I figure it’s worth a shot.

“To be with me,” Ruby quickly answers as her hand grips his chin and she kisses him. I feel Marcela tense under our joined hands, and it makes me wonder if she has underlying feelings for him.

“You’ve got that right, babe. And like Coach Davis said, I’ve been wanting to try a new position, so this made sense for me and my career,” Hunter replies almost robotically, as if it’s a practiced answer.

I don’t believe him for a second.

The server comes to our table to take our orders, interrupting the brewing tension.

I use this moment to wrap my free arm around Marcela, pulling her into my chest. I whisper against her ear, “You okay?”

“Yes,” she says back quietly, nuzzling into me.

“We can go whenever you want,” I remind her. “Or we can stay and torment the hell out of them.”

That earns me a soft giggle that has me laughing along with her. Out of my peripheral vision, I notice Hunter and Ruby watching us with a sour look on their faces. To piss them off even more, I kiss her forehead, lingering for a beat before pulling away.

Marcela smiles at me, making my blood heat and my pulse quicken. I want to kiss her so fucking badly, but because of her rule, I won’t. Not unless she kisses me first.

“You two are adorable together,” Robin comments, earning an eye roll from Hunter.

“Thank you. She’s pretty amazing,” I say.

“Babe, tell them what you love about me,” Ruby says in a baby-like voice. God, she’s annoying.

“I … um,” Hunter fumbles over his words.

Ruby’s face morphs into anger. “Seriously? Not one thing you can think of?”

“No, there’s just so many reasons, it’s hard to pick one. You know I love it when you …” he trails off, shooting a knowing look right at Marcela.

“Shut the fuck up already, would you?” I shout, done with his antics to clearly hurt Marcela.

“You got a problem with me telling everyone what I love about my girlfriend?” Hunter sneers.

“I have a problem with you making my girl uncomfortable.”

“No, it’s okay,” Marcela speaks up, her voice strong but quiet. “It doesn’t bother me. I’d have to care about either of them for that to happen.”

That’s my fucking girl.

“Let’s get out of here, Celly. I’m ready to watch a movie, cuddle, and fall asleep with you snuggled in my arms,” I lie, purely to piss Hunter off. I know what I said moments before, but I needed to get one last jab in.

And boy does it work. Hunter’s jaw tightens, as does his hand on the drink that was put in front of him mere seconds ago.

Fuck. Him.

He wronged the most beautiful, kind, and loving girl I know and now he gets to pay for it. Especially after he parades around with her former best friend and shoves that hurt in her face.

“Well, I can think of one more thing we need to do first,” she chuckles, her cheeks flushing.

Oh, hell yeah. I like flirty Marcela. Even if it’s fake.

“Yup, time to go,” I say as I hold my hand out and help her out of her seat. With my free hand, I wave to the group. “See y’all tomorrow.”

Once we’re in the safety of my truck, I ask, “Are you okay? They were being idiots. I’m so sorry.”

“Why would you be sorry?” Marcela looks at me with her brows furrowed.

“Because I feel bad for making us do this tonight. If I knew they were going to pull that crap, I would’ve suggested another way to show off in public.”

Marcela shakes her head as she stares at the ring she’s twirling around on her middle finger. “No, this is exactly what I expected to happen. It shows me their true characters, and it’s another reminder that I’m truly better off without them.”

I take in what she said, and can’t hold back what I’m about to ask.

“Do you still have feelings for him?”

“No,” she says easily. “I was only bothered because they hurt me, and seeing it up close and personal was … interesting. But in no way do I miss or love him. Not one bit.”

“Honestly … those two are perfect for each other. Two vicious people. Couldn’t be a better match,” my voice drips with disdain.

That earns me a small laugh from her.

“Did I do okay tonight?” she asks, her honey-brown eyes looking at me with so much vulnerability in them.

“You were perfect. You always are.”

That earns me an eye roll with a smile, which is exactly what I wanted. For her to stop being in her head and laugh a little.

“I am not, but thank you. You were great.”

“There’s a reason everyone loves the Theo charm. It works every time,” I joke as I turn the key in the ignition, making my truck rumble to life.

“Robin and Dale seem nice,” Marcela comments as we begin the quick drive to her place.

“They’re some of the best people I know, aside from the squad of course. Dale and I have gotten closer over the years.”

“I like them. I’m glad I met them tonight.”

“Maybe we can have a double date sometime,” I say, not even thinking twice about it.

“Theo … we only need to go on dates where Hunter and Ruby will be,” she replies, her words careful.

My chest deflates as I’m brought back to reality. To the fact that none of this is real.

“Oh, right, duh.” I wave her off, acting as if her words didn’t sting.

“I know we need to keep up appearances for the general public, of course. But I don’t think going out on dates with Dale and Robin benefits the purpose of our arrangement. That’s all,” she explains, with the underlying notion that we don’t want to blur the lines we so clearly drew out.

I put the truck into park, doing my best to remind myself that I’m doing this for her. Not for my own personal gain, but for her.

“I agree,” I say. “I would say we could actually watch a movie, but I do need to get home and get ready for bed. I have to be at the stadium early tomorrow.”

“That’s okay. I want to catch up on some reading anyway. Thanks for the ride,” she says, giving me a smile before hopping out of my truck. I watch her until she’s in the safety of her complex, and only then do I begin to back up and pull out of the parking lot.

The ride back to my house is consumed by thoughts of her, much like any other day. But today, they feel different. While I’ve always been into Marcela, and now that I’m beginning to get to know her and have the opportunity to be close to her, it’s changed things.

It’s much, much worse now. Because I’m not simply into her, I like her. A lot.

And she can never, ever know. Not if this is going to work.