Chapter 2
Chapter Two
brADY
I 'd gotten a response today to my request; I needed a girlfriend to make my show more family friendly. I was determined to make it accessible to everyone, and I needed to avoid the pitfalls of similar shows where the hosts resorted to swearing or reality-show style clips to be more entertaining.
I was stuck on how to go about getting a girlfriend when Hazel stood up with that ring on her finger.
Her grandmother said she was engaged, and when she asked to who, it was natural to say it was me.
I knew she wasn't even dating anyone, and it fit with the narrative I needed.
As best friends, we'd been hounded for years about whether we'd secretly hooked up at some point or whether we'd ever get together. So it was believable.
Mabel took my offer and ran with it better than I could have imagined.
Now I had a fiancée I could share on my social-media pages.
I knew Hazel would do anything to keep her grandmother happy, and if her believing that we were engaged for a few weeks or even months helped, then I was all for it.
"It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. "
"I suppose it is." Hazel pulled her hands out of mine.
I missed the contact, but I couldn't reach for her again. She was my fake fiancée, not my real one. Whenever I imagined getting married, it was to Hazel. I had no idea how I'd manage to breach the perennial friend line, but the possibility was always at the back of my mind.
I'd loved Hazel for as long as I could remember, but I wasn't sure when things changed from being friends to an attraction. I saw her riding her bike by my house one day, and she piqued my curiosity. I grabbed my bike and followed her, bugging her until we were friends.
She was a much-needed break from my family. At her house, it was just her and her grandparents. Mabel always had a baked good on the counter for me to eat and offered me sage advice about staying out of trouble.
I think Mabel was just happy that Hazel had a friend who talked her out of reading books all day. Even when Hazel didn't want to leave the house, Mabel would tell her she had to go on a bike ride with me. She was my partner back then, and I hoped Mabel would unknowingly assist me now.
Hazel leaned back in her chair, creating more distance between us. "How will this look?"
"We'll pretend to be a loving couple. An engaged one, obviously. We'll help Mabel plan the engagement party, and as soon as I get the approval to be designated as kids' programming, we can break things off. I'll say it was my fault. I wasn't the right guy for you."
A pained look crossed her face. "We just got engaged, and we're already talking about breaking up."
I shrugged. "That's what we have to do. It's too late to back out now."
"Will we hold hands? Kiss?" Hazel asked, her brow furrowed.
Hazel preferred plans and organization, and I respected her need to know what to expect. "That sounds reasonable."
"You'll show up at work to take me to lunch and send me flowers?"
"Yeah. I can do that." But her requests were oddly specific. "Is this your wish list of what you want in a boyfriend?"
She let her head drop, her hair falling around her face, hiding her expression from me. "I have an idea of what I want. But no one has ever measured up. I wonder if my expectations are too high. I probably read too many romance novels."
I'd heard her complain about her dates over the years, and I'd mainly blocked it out.
I didn't like to think of her dating at all.
When she got a boyfriend, I usually jumped into my own dating scene to distract myself from what she was doing.
It was a vicious cycle. But this was a nice change of pace.
I could show her how I felt under the guise of a fake relationship.
I didn't let myself hope that it would make her think of me differently, as someone who could be more than a friend. I'd been friend-zoned for too long to hope for meaningful change. "I'll be the best boyfriend you've ever had."
Were her cheeks pink, or was that a reaction to the heat of the fire? "You're going to spoil me for all other guys."
I grinned. "That's the idea."
Hazel shook her head. "You know this is crazy. What if people don't believe us?"
"That's why we have to be seen together, touching and kissing. We need to sell them the story that we're friends who became lovers."
She covered her face with her hands. "I can't believe I'm doing this."
Hazel was more comfortable not being the center of attention. She never participated in drama club or the school play. She didn't share herself with many people. I'd always felt honored that I got that, and I wouldn't let her down now. "It's going to be good for both of us. You'll see."
She lifted her head, her voice tentative. "Should we practice kissing?"
I almost blew her off, telling her we'd tackle that particular situation when it happened. But then I realized this was my opportunity to see if we had chemistry. What better moment than now? The night was warm, the breeze light.
I scrolled through my phone and hit Play on one of her favorite songs, and then I stood with my hand held out to her. "Will you dance with me?"
She laughed but placed her hand in mine.
I tugged her toward me so that she fell into my body. I steadied her with a hand on her back. When she slowly eased into the proper dancing position, I pulled her closer again. "We're dating, remember? We're supposed to enjoy being close."
Her gaze flicked away from mine. "I'm not going to survive this."
"I'm not that bad of a dancer," I teased, even though I was fairly sure she was talking about our physical proximity.
She gave me a look. "You know that's not what I meant."
I smoothed her hair over her shoulder. "It will be okay. I won't let anything happen to you."
She blinked up at me as if she couldn't figure me out.
But I was enjoying the feel of her in my arms. How good it felt to finally touch her. I could get used to this feeling. The one that held out hope for a future with Hazel.
Her gaze dropped to her ring finger.
But there was something about what happened at the bingo hall tonight that had me confused. "I have one question about that ring."
She wiggled her finger. "What's that?"
"You said you found the ring on the floor. Why did you put it on your finger?" If she hadn't done that, Mabel wouldn't have assumed she was engaged.
She chewed her lip thoughtfully before she answered. "I wanted to see what it would feel like to be engaged."
My heart contracted. Hazel was a romantic at heart.
She was afraid to tell anyone she dated that she wanted to get married and have kids.
She wanted the white picket fence. The fairy tale.
But she knew most guys our age would run from statements like that.
So she carefully hid that part of her from everyone but me. "And how does it feel?"
She looked up at me. "I know it's not real, so it's clouding the feeling, if that makes sense."
"For a few weeks, you can let go and imagine all the ways it would feel if you were engaged, because you are."
"I know there won't be a happy ending. No wedding in our future."
It was hard to admit that. "True. But it's not about the ring or the perfect party; it's the guy you choose to spend the rest of your life with.
I can't help but think of my parents whenever I wonder about marriage.
They've been there for each other through thick and thin, a team when it came to raising seven kids.
Yet they still made time for themselves.
They prioritized a standing date night even when we were little. "
"That's sweet."
"That's my example of a good relationship. So it's not that I don't want that for myself, but I want to wait for the right person."
Hazel blinked, then looked away.
What had I said to upset her? I thought if I was honest, it would help me.
Hazel cleared her throat. "What should we do about the owner of the ring?"
"We'll see if anyone claims to be missing a ring.
If so, we'll have to return it," I said, hoping it wouldn't be anytime soon.
I needed this ring on her finger. The only thing that would make it better was if it was the ring I bought or even a family heirloom.
But as the youngest Kingston brother, I wasn't getting any of those.
Anything sentimental would surely go to the two oldest sons.
No one expected me to get married anytime soon anyway.
Hazel blew out a breath. "We're going to be okay."
I twirled her and then dipped her so that her hair skimmed the ground. "Of course we are."
This is the part when I would normally kiss the girl. But since it was our first time, I slowly pulled her to stand in front of me, cupping her cheek.
She blinked up at me. "What are you doing?"
"You said we needed to practice kissing." I dipped my head, and her breath hitched. I liked to think it was because she liked me, that she was overwhelmed by my proximity. But I wasn't naive. It would take some time to convince her to see me as something other than a friend.
But I was a patient guy. I was used to being last, and Hazel was worth waiting for.
My thumb caressed the soft skin of her cheek as I angled her so that she was in the perfect position for our lips to meet.
As soon as our lips touched, it was like fireworks erupted through my body. Her lips parted on a sigh. I dipped inside, wanting to explore every inch of her mouth. Her hand gripped my shirt as if she couldn't decide whether to push me away or pull me in closer.
With my eyes closed, I could pretend that this was real. I was kissing my best friend, and it didn't feel awkward or unnatural. It felt good. I never wanted to stop. But I also didn't want to overwhelm her. She might not feel the same way I did.
I forced myself to ease back, to check in and see how she was feeling.
Her cheeks were flushed, her lips slightly swollen, and her fingers twisted in the cotton of my shirt.
"How was that? Do you think we'll be convincing?" I couldn't help but ask.
She blinked up at me for a second, and then she released my shirt and stepped back. "I think it will be sufficient for what we need."
I frowned. How could she sound so clinical? So dismissive when I wanted nothing more than to pull her back into my body and kiss her again. Every nerve in my body was firing. My lips were still tingling, and my dick was hard.
I wanted to argue with her, to tell her it was earth-shattering for me, but it wasn't the time or the place. She either didn't feel the same way I did, or she was doing a tremendous job of pretending she was unaffected.
Hazel had always been an open book with me, so I was going with the former. Hazel wasn't into me. At least not the way I was into her. This was purely platonic for her, and I needed to get with the program or I was going to end up hurt.
"You want to watch a show?" Hazel asked.
"Sure." It was the one thing we did together a lot.
We'd end up at each other's place and watch a movie or TV show on the couch.
It was comfortable, and I'd begun to rely on spending time with her.
She was the one I wanted to share my day with.
My hopes and dreams. My desires. But I hadn't been honest with her about everything.
I'd always wanted her as more than a friend. I just wasn't willing to cross that line. This was the only way to see if she could feel something more for me, and so far, it wasn't looking good.
She opened the slider and went inside, curling up on my couch and pulling the throw I kept for her onto her lap.
She patted the cushion next to her. "Come sit. I want to watch the next episode."
We were in the middle of binge-watching an old comedy series. One that we'd seen a million times before, but it never got old.
I sat next to her, wishing that we were dating, that she was my girl and not my fake fiancée. I wondered if I'd made a huge miscalculation. What if I ruined things between us for good? What if she found out how much she affected me, and she was turned off by it?
What if this arrangement ruined our friendship forever?
My heart raced, and I flexed my fingers, wondering how I was going to survive this new development in our relationship. I thought I was so clever, solving both of our problems, but now I wasn't so sure.
Best case scenario: I got the kids' programming title I wanted and Hazel in my arms forever.
Hazel frowned at me. "Are you okay?"
I shifted on the cushion. "Why wouldn't I be?"
She waved a hand in my direction. "You're all tense."
Could I sit the way we normally did and pretend that everything was okay. "You want to cuddle?"
"Of course."
I shifted so that she could slide between my legs, resting against my chest. The first time I held her like this, I knew it was dangerous. Now it was playing with fire, because I knew how her lips felt under mine. The grip of her fingers in my shirt. The softness of her skin under my touch.
We'd crossed a line tonight, and I wasn't sure I could go back to a purely platonic relationship. I couldn't hold her between my legs without thinking of kissing her.
Hazel shifted in my lap, turning so she could see my face. "I don't want things to be awkward between us. Maybe this isn't a good idea."
"It's not awkward. Nothing's changed. You're still my best friend," I said stiffly.
She smiled, her shoulders lowering. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Same." Hazel was the sunshine, the person I came home to at the end of a long day. The one with whom I'd shared my biggest secret.
My family would never understand what I was doing in the gaming world. They would think it was stupid and immature.
But Hazel had been supportive. I didn't want to do anything to mess up our relationship. I had to keep my wits about me for a few weeks while I figured out how she really felt for me. I'd been ignoring this attraction to her for years. What was a few more weeks?
The difference was, I was going to be tested in ways I hadn't even anticipated. I had to pretend that we were in love while at the same time covering my true feelings for her.
What if she didn't feel the same? What if it ruined our friendship forever?