Fakecation

Chapter Twenty

Daniel

Daniel knocked on Amelia’s door at five. He’d nearly worked himself to death to get to leave on time, but now all he wanted was to go to her apartment and relax.

She looked up, blinking when she saw him. Her lips pursed, almost as if she wasn’t happy to see him.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” he rushed to say. “I knew I needed to work through lunch in order to get to leave on time. But we can go now, unless you have more work to do.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “Thank you for the food you ordered. And we can go. I definitely need to.” Her tone was short.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” she said, but she closed her laptop with more force than usual. “I’m just ready to go home.”

“I am too. Let’s get out of here.”

Their walk to the elevator was quiet, and he could see the sharp edge of her shoulders.

He waited until their office building was behind them before asking her again.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You seem tense.”

Her gaze stayed on the window, and he wondered if she would even answer him.

“I forgot how catty people can be at work,” she said.

“Did someone say something to you?”

“Cheryl was there, and she was . . . weird. She said things about how all the young women in the office wanted you.”

“What?”

She finally looked at him. “It made me feel so gross.”

“She’s never been like that to me, though she did come to my office and ask some questions.”

“It was probably some form of girl talk, but I felt like I was not enough somehow.”

“Not enough?”

“For you.”

“No,” he said. “That is absolutely not true. You are more than enough.”

“For a fake girlfriend, maybe.”

“For a real one. I don’t know whoever made you feel like you weren’t the kind of woman anyone would be lucky to have, but they’re dead wrong. You’re as close to perfection as humanly possible.”

Her eyes grew wide. “R-really?”

“Yes.”

“What about when I get overwhelmed in public?”

“I don’t mind that. I get overwhelmed too.”

“Or when I need coffee and can’t function without it?”

“Coffee is everywhere.”

“But—”

“Nothing you say will change my mind,” he said.

She blinked, her cheeks darkening. “T-thank you.”

“Any time. Did that help?”

“A little, but I think I need time.”

“Take all the time you need,” he replied. She glanced over at him, biting her lip. Then she laid her head down on his shoulder.

He put his arm around her, tracing gentle patterns into her skin. Every minute that went by, the tension eased from her shoulders.

“So, what do you want for dinner?” she asked, her voice a little lighter as they walked the block to the apartment.

“I owe you dinner, so I’ll happily make whatever you want.”

She let out a long breath. “I have no idea what I want. But I’m starving.”

As they got into the lobby, Amelia’s phone chirped. Eyebrows furrowed, she pulled it out.

“Um, Daniel?” she asked. “Is your phone still off?”

“I completely forgot about it, why?”

“I have a Facebook message from Terri asking if I’ve heard from you.”

“My sister?” he asked. “Can I see?”

She turned her phone to him.

Hi, Amelia, I am so sorry to message you like this. I haven’t heard from Daniel since Saturday, and with the news that came out yesterday, my mom and I are worried about him. Do you know if he was at work today?

“Oh no,” he said. “My phone is in your apartment.”

“Let’s go get it then.”

The moment he turned it on, he was flooded with messages, particularly ones from his mom that grew more and more worried as time went on.

“My family is going to kill me.”

“I’ll tell Terri you’re all right.”

“And I’ll call my mom.” He scrolled through the various messages, seeing a few from his father and Lucinda.

“Oh thank God,” his mom said instead of hello. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Good. Now I can be mad. Where the hell are you?”

Daniel winced.

“Mom, I’m fine. I’m at . . .” He looked over at Amelia and remembered he hadn’t told his mom what had happened. “I’m out.”

“You’re out the very next night after your father drops a nuclear bomb on you? With who? I went to your place and Lucinda was there, acting like she was still married to you.”

“You went to my apartment?”

“I’m still at your apartment!” she said. “I’m outside, anyway. I came because I’ve been trying to call you ever since I saw what your father announced. I was worried about you.”

“I’m sorry,” he replied. “I needed some space from my phone after he dropped that massive bomb.”

“While I understand that, it doesn’t explain where you’ve been.”

He glanced at Amelia.

“I’m with my girlfriend,” he replied.

“Promise me it’s not Lucinda.”

“What? No! I would never. Besides, if it were her, I’d be in my apartment right now and you know I’m not there.”

She blurted out, “Well how was I supposed to know? She wouldn’t let me in the front door!” She hesitated for a moment, her tone a touch lighter. “But with the way she said she was busy, it certainly sounds like you two are back together.”

“Mom, I promise, I’m not with Lucinda.”

Amelia grabbed his shoulder. “Invite her over,” she whispered.

“What? I—”

“Who is that?”

“Amelia. My girlfriend. I’m staying with her because Lucinda keeps showing up at the apartment.”

“You’re staying with someone else? Tell me where.”

“It’s fine. You don’t have to—”

“After the scare you just gave me, I need to see you.”

Daniel glanced over at Amelia, who looked at him expectantly.

“I’ll text you the address.”

His mom said her goodbyes before hanging up.

“Is she coming over?” Amelia asked.

“Yep.”

“Where is she coming from?”

“My apartment.”

“Okay, we only have like . . . fifteen minutes.” She looked at her phone. “What’s your mom like?”

“She’s great . . . when she’s not mad. But she’s mad right now. I’m sorry this is even happening.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Because we never talked about bringing my mom into it,” he said. “We don’t have to do this.”

“It’s fine,” she said, shrugging. “My mom’s involved.”

“You’re right. I’m just nervous. Plus, you had a bad day.”

“As long as your mom isn’t as catty as the people at work, I’ll be fine. Besides, you made me feel better. I’m up for it.”

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll make dinner.”

“And I’ll clean up a little. It’ll be fine.”

Daniel made a simple dinner of pasta and sauce. The noodles were almost done when there was a loud knock on the door.

Caroline Anderson was a short woman, standing at five foot three, but her personality was far bigger than her body. She had been a single mom for Daniel’s entire life, and had single-handedly raised both children once their father decided he wanted to do bigger and better things.

Seeing his mom was comforting after being away for so long. He had been so busy with work that he never made the hour-and-a-half trip to visit her, which he always felt guilty about. The fact that she was in Atlanta by herself meant she had made the drive only not to find him at his apartment, and he couldn’t imagine how stressed she was.

“Hi, Mom,” Daniel said, hugging her. She smelled like the farm she lived on, which made him miss home. “Thanks for coming by.”

“Hi, Daniel,” she said, but her voice was still tight. She pulled away and took a good look at him. “You look better than I expected.”

He knew that if he had been by himself, he probably would have fallen into a rabbit hole of despair.

“Come in,” he offered, moving aside. She stepped into the apartment and took a long look around.

Anyone could tell the difference between Amelia and Lucinda’s decoration styles. Lucinda wanted everything to be perfect and clean. She only liked black-and-white pieces that looked good but had no functionality.

Amelia was far more colorful. In more ways than one.

It was then that Daniel could tell his mother was a little shocked. As she surveyed the apartment, her mouth opened and shut as she took it all in.

Amelia came out of her bedroom while his mother continued to stare. She looked a bit disheveled, but when she saw his mom, she smiled at her warmly.

“Hi,” Amelia said, a kind smile on her face. “You must be Daniel’s mom.”

“Hello,” his mom replied. “It’s nice to meet you. Are you cooking?”

“Daniel is.”

“I owed her dinner. Why don’t you stay to have some too?”

“I’m sure you two have plans.”

“You’re welcome here!” Amelia said. ”I can only imagine how stressed you’ve been.”

His mom blinked, and he knew she wasn’t used to being welcomed by anyone he was dating. Lucinda had never liked her, preferring the company of his father instead.

“I need to drain the pasta,” Daniel said.

“I’ll help,” his mom offered. “I can’t let my kid do all the work.”

She followed him into the kitchen, and he knew she had questions.

“Where did you find her?”

“I work with her.”

Amelia followed them in. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Water would be lovely, dear,” she said. “I had a long trip to Atlanta.”

Amelia nodded and grabbed his mother a glass of water. “Where did you drive from?”

“Oh, I own a farm in southern Tennessee,” she replied. “I know it’s not fancy or anything, but I love the work.”

There it was. His mother knew that her profession wasn’t glamorous by any means, and she was used to being judged by Daniel’s partners for what she did.

But Amelia’s eyes lit up. “You own a farm? By yourself?”

“I do. It’s not huge, but it’s mine.”

“That’s amazing! My parents are neighbors of a farm, so I used to help out all the time there as a kid.”

“You did?” Daniel asked.

“Oh yeah. I mean, I was terrible at it, but not as bad as John. The photo in the hallway was taken one of the summers that we helped. John looks miserable in it.”

Daniel couldn’t help it. He turned to go look at it and laughed when he saw John’s face. He was covered in mud, wearing overalls, looking angry at the world. Amelia was smiling like she had had the best day of her life.

“I literally keep that to remind John he’s terrible at physical labor that isn’t gym related,” Amelia said.

Daniel’s mom had followed him to the photo and she asked, “Is this a pumpkin farm?”

“It is. Lots of people from Atlanta go there every year, so they always needed help getting ready for fall.”

“I think I’ve heard of them,” she said, smiling. “It’s great that you helped them out.”

“If you can even call what I did helping. I was delegated to watering plants.”

“Daniel told me you two work together.”

“Oh yeah. I’m the director of the HR department.”

“You’re Amelia Rogers?” she asked.

“Wait, you’ve heard of me?”

“Daniel told me about you when you got promoted. He was so impressed.”

He could feel his cheeks heat. He remembered his mom asking about his job. This was when he and Lucinda were really going south, and he had told her about the impressive promotion Amelia had gotten.

“You should be going for a woman like that, Daniel. Someone who is as ambitious and driven as you. Not someone who uses you,”his mom had said.

Suddenly, Daniel was embarrassed, and Amelia turned a teasing glance at him.

“Aw, you talked about me to your mom.”

“Okay, maybe I did. But you did the same thing.”

“After we were dating,” Amelia said, the lie sounding so real even he believed it. She smirked at him. “We weren’t dating when I got promoted.”

He didn’t have a response to her ribbing, and thankfully, his mom jumped in.

“Oh, I am so glad he found you, dear,” she said. “You are just what he needs.”

Now Amelia looked embarrassed, and Daniel couldn’t help the satisfaction that spread through him at the blush on her cheeks.

“I hope so,” she said, her hands tapping on her thighs.

He didn’t know why, but Amelia being kind to his mother sent shock waves through him. Lucinda hated anything to do with his mom, and it wasn’t until this moment that he realized how much it had affected him.

As Amelia moved to set the table, his mom looked at him with a grin and said, “I really like her.”

“I do too.” He was surprised by the truth in the words.

As they sat for dinner, his mom told Amelia tales from her farm. She hung on to every word.

Daniel barely talked the whole dinner since his mom dominated the conversation. The only pauses in discussion were immediately filled by Amelia, who would tell his mom stories about her own childhood. He learned a lot at that dinner. Amelia’s parents apparently had them work for money every summer helping grow pumpkins, and Mandy always ran the ticket booth in the fall when the farm opened up.

She revealed that she had always thought about having her own farm but never could part with the city to do so. His mom immediately asked Amelia to visit her.

The dinner went on until eight when his mom mentioned she had a long drive ahead of her. Amelia even offered for her to stay overnight, but Daniel knew she had to get home to take care of the animals at the farm before bed. When she pulled Amelia into a long hug, he was certain he’d be asked about her every time he talked to his mother.

“Drive safe,” Amelia said. “And let Daniel know when you’re home!”

His mom thanked her for being so sweet and then left.

“She’s so nice,” Amelia said. “I don’t know why you were worried at all.”

Hearing that she genuinely liked his mother, and was not just putting up a front to appear to, made him stride forward and kiss her right against the door. She let out a squeak, but it didn’t take her any time at all to return the gesture.

“What was that for?” she asked as she pulled away. “Not that I’m complaining or anything.”

“It was just so nice seeing that you got along with my mother.”

She tilted her head to the side, obviously confused. “She’s so sweet though.”

“You would be surprised at how much Lucinda hated her.”

She frowned. “I really wouldn’t be. It’s her loss anyway.”

Daniel smiled and kissed her again. After working all day, he couldn’t get enough of her—her smell, the feel of her body in his hands.

Then his phone rang.

“If it’s Lucinda or your father, I will kill someone,” Amelia said firmly.

Daniel grabbed his phone. “No, it’s Terri. She’s probably calling to see if I’m dead or not.”

“You should answer it,” she urged, kissing him on the cheek. “I need to go clean up dinner anyway. Take the bedroom.”

He hated leaving her, and his body still felt warm from how she handled the dinner with his mom. But Terri had to be worried since she’d never gotten an update on how he was feeling.

“Hey, Terri.”

“Oh, thank God. Where are you?”

“I’m with Amelia.”

“Are you okay?”

“Mostly. Yesterday was a lot, so I turned my phone off and forgot to turn it back on.”

“I had to message Amelia.”

“I know. I was with her when she got it.”

Terri let out a breath of relief. “After Dad dropped that bomb, we were worried about you.”

“If I’d been alone, it would have been worse. He called too. He asked why I didn’t like the post.”

“Oh, come on.Is he really that ignorant of what he’s done?”

“I think so,” Daniel replied. “I was thinking about blocking him, actually.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, but I know you like updates sometimes.”

She was silent for a second. “I only wanted updates when it related to you.I couldn’t care less about him.”

“So you wouldn’t mind if I did it?”

“I think you should. You had the right to when he got with Lucinda.”

His chest loosened. “Then I’m going to do it. Block him and her.”

“Did you really keep in contact with him for me?”

“Yes, mostly. But also, part of me wanted at least an apology.”

“But we both know he doesn’t do apologies.” Her voice was dry. “I’m glad you’re doing it, and that Amelia helped you.”

“She’s even letting me stay at her place since Lucinda keeps coming by the old apartment.”

“Really? So, are you guys together now?”

Daniel sighed. “Not officially, but we haven’t talked about it being real yet.”

“You should. I think she could be good for you.”

“Me too. This taste of a life together . . . I could do this forever if she would let me.”

“Have you asked her about it?”

“And what if I don’t like the answer?”

“Then . . . you don’t like the answer.”

“That’s not what I want to hear.”

“But it’s the truth.” He could practically hear her shrug. “At least you’d know.”

“I’ll work up the courage to do it. After I block Dad.”

“I hope this works out,” Terri said, then she cursed. “I have to go. Tommy is climbing the kitchen counter for snacks.”

They said their goodbyes. Daniel took a moment to block both his father’s and Lucinda’s numbers and logged into his Facebook account to block them there too. After he was done, he took a shaky breath, feeling free.

“Everything okay?” Amelia asked as she walked into the bedroom.

“Yes. I’m just finally done with my father.”

“How does it feel?”

“Sad, but also good.”

She nodded, walking close. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. He let his emotions wash over him for a second, feeling the grief and loss.

But then it faded into a warm glow brought forth by having her close.

“Let’s get some rest,” she said. “I’m sure we both need it.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll be back after I do the dishes.” A shadow crossed over her face.

“I’ll do them.”

“No!” she said. “I can do this. I have the time, I just . . .”

He grabbed her elbow, quietly leading her away. “You’ve been stressed. It’s okay to relax.”

“You’re stressed too.”

“Yeah, but I don’t mind the dishes. If it’s something that’s hard for you, then it’s okay not to do it. I can help.”

Amelia blinked quickly, and he thought maybe she was angry at him, but then he noticed her eyes were teary, and he wondered just who had made her feel bad for not being able to get the dishes done.

“Go to bed,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I’ve got this.”

“Okay,” she said quietly but gratefully.

Daniel finished cleaning up. He was able to clear his mind as his hands moved, which was nice. Lucinda always insisted on having people come in and clean, but he sort of enjoyed it.

When he walked into the bedroom, Amelia was already under the blanket, fast asleep. He smiled at her before he got ready for bed too, excited to join her.