Chapter 8
I approached the double doors that led out to the lobby before Logan could get there. I wasn’t certain if he was after Paige, but I needed to make sure I got to her first. She hadn’t been back in town for much time at all, but an overwhelming need to protect her washed over me.
Hearing the doors close behind me, I called out to her.
“Paige…”?
She had tears in her eyes when I gently reached for her arm to turn her toward me. I pulled her body into mine, holding her there for a moment. Breathing in the fresh scent of lavender, I rubbed my thumb back and forth on the nape of her neck, hoping I was the comfort she needed.?
Both of us stood still, speechless, until we heard the doors open again. In an instant, our time together had been interrupted by who I could only assume was Logan since he wasn’t far behind me.
Her body flew back from mine, slipping out of my grip so fast that you’d think we were two teenagers getting caught making out by their parents.?
It wasn’t just any guest of the funeral walking our way; it was Logan fuckface Brooks. That didn’t settle well with me whatsoever. Why would she react that way when he walked into the room? What was wrong with me showing her some comfort in a time of need?
“L-L-Logan, what are you doing here?” she stuttered, confusion in her voice.
“I heard you were back in town. I wish it was under better circumstances, but I heard about the funeral and wanted to pay my respects to your family and father.”
Bullshit.
Logan was talking directly to Paige, completely ignoring the fact I was standing right next to her. Just another reason why this didn’t feel right. He thought he was being respectful by coming to the funeral, but he was being a disrespectful asshole to me right now.
That unexpectedly fired me up.
Paige inched a little closer to me, and I took the opportunity to show her my protective side when I reached my hand out, placing it on her back.
She stood there looking uncomfortable and unsure of what to say. Wiping the tear streaks from her face, she spoke up. “Umm, thanks for coming. I was actually just headed to the bathroom…” She was trying to find a way out of this awkward interaction with him, and I saw it as my opening. Before I knew it, the words were slipping out of my mouth.
“Lucas, was it? Declan. Nice to meet you.” I stuck my hand out to try to be respectful and introduce myself, even though I was calling him by the wrong name on purpose.
“It’s Logan, actually. And you’re… Paige’s friend?” he questioned with a smug smirk across his face. “I’ve never heard your name come up before.” The condescending prick. He spit out friend like he was laying claim to her. Like I had to be a friend, right? Nothing more. I may regret this later, but fuck it…
“Boyfriend,” I blurted out before I could think twice. Clearing my throat, I added with confidence, “I’m Paige’s boyfriend.”
Looking to my left, Paige glanced up at me with a confused look on her face. I leaned over, and gave her a kiss on the cheek and whispered quietly in her ear.?
“Just go with it.”
His eyes found Paige, turning a bit darker. “Interesting. Kind of odd that you just got back into town a week ago, from what I’ve heard, and you already landed yourself a boyfriend. Some things never change. You always were one to run away from your problems.” Logan’s stare refused to break contact with Paige. From what I could tell, it seemed like he was trying to read her expression. Attempting to catch her in a lie.
“How nice of you to continue to keep tabs on me and my whereabouts. Seems like not much has changed with you either, Logan.” Her eyes rolled in frustration as she glanced up at me and grabbed my hand. It was the sign I needed to take control of this conversation.?
Logan scoffed in response. I glared at him, fucking fuming, and gave him a piece of my mind. At least as much as I could in the lobby of a church during her father’s funeral.
“Hey, man, all due respect, but it’s been a hard day. Maybe read the room and just get the fuck out of here,” I growled.?
Before he could say anything, I turned around, still hand in hand with Paige, and took her into the family restroom around the corner. Locking the door behind us, I didn’t care how it looked that we were in the bathroom alone together. She began to shake, and small sobs escaped her little body.
There was a small bench in the corner where I took her to sit. Kneeling beside her, I looked at her pink, tear-stained cheeks, still as gorgeous as ever, and grabbed some Kleenex to wipe away what I could without ruining her makeup. Noticing a loose strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face, I tucked it gently behind her ear and tried my best to calm her down.
“Shhh… it’s going to be okay.” I just wanted to console her.
“What the fuck is Logan even doing here?” she said with a shaky breath. “Why would he come to my father’s funeral? My dad hated him. He never thought he was good enough for me. And I haven’t seen or talked to the guy since I left home.” Well, that’s good information to have. I guess, if there had been any doubt at all, he was definitely her ex.
I needed to clear the air and say something. It got a little weird back there, with me being so protective of her and throwing out that I was her boyfriend when obviously we’re not together.?
“Hey, look, I’m sorry for what happened back there. Honestly, I just didn’t like how he was speaking to you, and it may have brought another side out of me. Not to mention he was an asshole toward me from the beginning of that interaction.” That sparked a small laugh from her.
“Yeah… My boyfriend, huh?” A small smirk broke out over her face.
I held up my hands in surrender. “I can’t be blamed for whatever idiotic things come out of my mouth when I’m standing up for a pretty girl.” We shared an intimate look before her sweet smile turned mischievous. That look on her face was a little hard for me to read in the moment.
“Should I be worried?” I chuckled.
“Well, actually, this kind of gives me an idea… Hear me out.”
“Okay, now I’m really starting to worry. But whatever it is, you know I’ll help in any way that I can. So, what’s up? What’s this idea of yours?” I couldn’t say no, not to her. She was going through it right now, and if she had some crazy idea that I could be her partner in crime with, I’d say yes to her in a heartbeat.
Standing up, I leaned against the wall nearby and waited for her to finish her thought. I crossed my arms and looked down at her with a questioning gaze.
“So, what if… What if we were actually dating?”?she spilled out, her teeth tugging on her bottom lip.
Ummm… Did I hear that right?
Standing up, she started to pace and continued what she was saying.
“I mean, not for real, obviously. But Logan, he’s… he’s always been crazy. He made me really nervous back there. I haven’t talked to him in years, and he gave me this unsettling feeling.”?She seemed genuinely concerned.
“Yeah, you weren’t the only one…” I grumbled under my breath.
“But maybe you could help me out. If he happens to be around, maybe we could just act like we are dating or something. Like we just did back there. Hopefully help scare him away, so he doesn’t think he stands a chance.”
“Why would he think he stands a chance, anyway?” I questioned.
She ran her delicate fingers through her long brown hair. “Something tells me that wasn’t the last time I’ll be seeing him around. I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I have.” And something told me there was a lot more to this story.
She looked nervous when she asked me to “pretend date” her, and it was the cutest thing. Little did she know, I was going to take this as my opportunity to make her want to date me, but for real. This could be fun.
PAIGE
I can’t believe I just asked Declan to pretend to date me while we were standing in the family restroom at my dad’s funeral. I probably sounded like such a moron. Declan probably felt bad for me. In his eyes, I’m sure I was just a broken girl going through a hard time. After a few extra moments of thinking about the proposition that had slipped out of my mouth, I wouldn’t blame him for bolting out of this restroom right now.
There was no way he would agree to such a crazy idea.
“You want me to help scare that asshole away?” His deep, gravelly laugh came out. “You don’t have to ask me twice; I’d love to be your fake boyfriend, baby girl. Just let me know how I can help get him away from you for good.”
My throat grew dry, and my words refused to come out. I had no idea what to say because this had to be crazy, right? He agreed to my insane idea and was going all-in, apparently. He referred to me as baby girl so effortlessly , taking this fake dating idea to a whole new level. I squeezed my legs together, thinking about how much I loved that term of endearment coming from him.
Maybe this was a bad idea, but I didn’t want to turn back on it now.
Heading toward the sink to wash my hands, I stood up straight and said, “Well, then, it’s settled. Maybe we should get out of the bathroom before people start to wonder where we are?”
Nodding in agreement, we left the bathroom. Luckily, there wasn’t a person in sight, especially Logan.
The smell of rich and smoky incense wafted around me the moment I stepped out of the bathroom. No longer in a safe space with Declan, I was now facing the depressing reality of my life.
After my speech and a couple of others had wrapped up, my mom had planned a slideshow to take place. I could hear the soft sounds of classical music playing over the speakers as we entered back into the chapel. Photo after photo passed by of my dad. Some with his friends, a few of him as a kid, but my eyes were caught on a certain picture that seemed to creep by in slow motion. A photo of us at my high school graduation. He was happy for me; you could see it in how bright his smile was.
I hadn’t even noticed Declan taking a seat in one of the back rows. If I had to guess, he wanted to give me my space as I made my way up toward the front and lit a candle along with the others that illuminated and flickered right back at me.
I’m sure there was supposed to be a specific prayer to go along with the action of lighting candles in a church, but I wasn’t the type of person who prayed. Instead, I saw this as an opportunity to have a silent conversation with my dad.
My dad was never too serious. He lived a vivacious life, laughing and making a joke at any moment he could. Funerals were so goddamn depressing, and I wanted to take a page out of his book. Instead of standing up here and crying because I’d never see him again, I had that silent conversation in my head with him to remember all the good times. All the times he made me laugh so hard I’d cry.
My lips curved, the memories that ran through my mind bringing me an overwhelming feeling of comfort and peace. I looked up at the photos passing by once more, a picture of him and me when I was a little girl staring back at me. When I turned back toward my dad’s friends and family, who watched the pictures scroll by, sadness coating their faces, I chose to be at peace.
I knew the moments of grief and sorrow would hit me again later on, but I was choosing a different approach on my path to healing.
I locked eyes with Declan in the back row, a look of curiosity on his face as he tried to read my expression. For now, the memories running through my mind would stay between my dad and me. As for me and Declan, we’d have to pick up the conversation from the bathroom on another day.