CHAPTER 11 - The Almost Kiss
Ginny Nakamura didn't know what was worse:
The fact that the couple games had been fun.
Or the fact that she had forgotten—just for a moment—that it was all fake.
They were walking back from the pool deck, their fingers still loosely intertwined, laughter still lingering between them.
It felt... easy.
Too easy.
Dangerously easy.
Ginny was the one who pulled her hand away first.
Jayna noticed immediately.
Her smile faded just slightly.
"...what?" Jayna asked.
Ginny shook her head, a little too quickly. "Nothing."
Jayna slowed her steps. "Ginny."
"I said it's nothing, Jayna."
"Then why did you just drop my hand like it burned you?"
Ginny stopped walking.
Because that was exactly what it felt like.
She turned to face Jayna, her chest tight.
"This is getting out of hand."
Jayna blinked. "What is?"
"This," Ginny gestured between them. "The touching. The laughing. The... whatever that was back there."
Jayna's expression shifted—confused first, then guarded.
"It was part of the act."
"No," Ginny said quietly, shaking her head. "It didn't feel like an act."
The words hung in the air.
Jayna's jaw tightened.
"Okay," she said slowly, "so what are you saying?"
Ginny ran a hand through her hair, frustrated. "I'm saying we need boundaries."
Jayna let out a short laugh—but it wasn't amused.
"Boundaries?" she echoed. "We're literally pretending to be engaged."
"Exactly," Ginny snapped. "Pretending. We need to remember that."
Something in Jayna's eyes flickered.
Hurt.
It was small.
Quick.
But Ginny saw it.
And immediately felt awful.
But she didn't take it back.
Because she was scared.
Scared of how real this was starting to feel.
Jayna crossed her arms, her voice quieter now.
"So what, you want me to stop touching you?"
Ginny hesitated.
"...no."
Jayna raised a brow. "No?"
Ginny groaned softly, frustrated with herself. "Not in public. We still have to keep up appearances."
"And in private?"
Ginny swallowed.
Silence stretched between them.
"See?" Jayna said softly. "You don't even know what you want."
That stung.
Ginny stepped closer, her voice lowering. "I know exactly what I want."
Jayna's gaze locked onto hers.
"Then say it."
Ginny's heart pounded.
Because what she wanted—
was not simple.
Not safe.
Not fake.
Her eyes dropped to Jayna's lips for just a second.
Then back up.
"I want this to stay fake," she said.
Jayna went very still.
And for the first time since they started this arrangement—
Jayna looked genuinely hurt.
"Right," Jayna said quietly.
She nodded once.
Professional.
Controlled.
Like she had just put her walls back up.
"Fake," she repeated.
Ginny's chest tightened.
Because suddenly, she didn't like how that sounded coming from Jayna.
She didn't like the distance.
The shift.
The coldness that replaced the warmth they had just shared minutes ago.
"Jayna—" Ginny started.
But Jayna shook her head.
"No, it's fine," she said. "You're right. This is just an arrangement. A deal. I agreed to help you out for a week."
Each word felt like a step backward.
Like a wall being rebuilt between them.
Ginny hated it.
"Then stop acting like it's more than that," Ginny said softly.
Jayna's eyes snapped back to hers.
They were close now.
Too close.
The air between them tightened.
"You're the one who said it didn't feel fake," Jayna murmured.
Ginny's breath hitched.
Jayna took a step closer.
Now they were inches apart.
Ginny could feel the heat of her body.
The steady rise and fall of her chest.
The faint scent of her soap.
"You're the one who keeps looking at me like that," Jayna added, voice low.
Ginny's pulse raced. "Like what?"
Jayna's gaze dropped to Ginny's lips.
"Like you're about to kiss me."
Everything went still.
The world narrowed.
Ginny's breath came shallow.
"...and what if I am?" she whispered.
Jayna's hand lifted slowly—
hovered near Ginny's face—
hesitated.
"Then I'd ask you," Jayna said softly, "if you're still pretending."
Ginny's heart slammed against her ribs.
Because she didn't know the answer anymore.
And that terrified her.
They were so close now.
Close enough to feel each other's breath.
Close enough that one small movement—
just one—
would close the distance.
Ginny's eyes fluttered.
Jayna's gaze softened.
Time slowed.
Jayna's fingers brushed lightly against Ginny's cheek—
soft.
Careful.
Electric.
Ginny leaned in.
Just a little.
Jayna's breath hitched.
Their lips were—
so—
close—
And then—
Ginny pulled back.
Abruptly.
Like she had shocked herself.
Jayna froze.
Her hand still hovering in the air where Ginny's face had been.
Silence.
Heavy.
Thick.
Painfully loud.
Ginny stepped back, breathing uneven. "We can't."
Jayna's hand slowly dropped.
Her expression closed off again.
"Right," she said quietly.
"Because it's fake."
The word landed between them like a wall.
They stood there for a long moment.
Neither moving.
Neither speaking.
The almost-kiss hanging between them like something unfinished.
Something dangerous.
Something inevitable.
Finally, Jayna stepped back.
Putting space between them.
Professional again.
Controlled again.
"Come on," she said, her voice neutral. "We should get back before people start looking for us."
Ginny nodded.
But her chest hurt.
Because even though they hadn't kissed—
it felt like something had still changed.
Something had cracked open.
And neither of them knew how to close it again.