Chapter 13
Molly
After filming our fake hard launch—which had the kind of real tension so thick it would have taken a machete to cut through it—Collin and I ended the night with a slightly awkward goodbye and a perfunctory exchanging of phone numbers.
He waited until I got inside the stairwell leading up to the loft where I’ve been staying with Chase and Harper—a perfect gentleman.
They were both asleep, and I stayed up late editing the video and thinking about Collin. Kind of hard not to when I’m watching and reliving the night.
I ended up with videos, plural. One for public consumption and one just for me.
The one for social media is trimmed down so it ends up only being about nine seconds.
The one for me is several minutes long, and the only thing I do is trim the beginning and end and boost the volume so I can better hear what we’re saying to each other.
I mute the version for social media, forgo any filters, and add a popular love song by an up-and-coming new female artist I like. I keep the caption simple, only two words: new beginnings. The hashtags take a little more thought, and I land on using only hard launch and Collin’s full name.
I hit publish around midnight, then turned off notifications, knowing I’d wake up to a flood of messages. And I do.
I’ve never publicly posted about a guy I’ve dated. None of them lasted long enough for me to even consider it. Honestly, I prefer to keep my personal life private, sharing only carefully chosen and curated pieces.
Which means the post of Collin and me positively blows up.
People are thrilled, and they are shipping us hard.
Which gives me something to occupy my time as Chase, Harper, and I drive back to Austin.
It’s the first time since I got to Texas that I actually enjoy being on social media.
But maybe it’s more that I like seeing Collin and me together, like the (mostly) happy reactions from my followers.
Generally, the response is positive. I only have to block a few trolls or people making rude comments.
I wonder how long it will take Collin’s ex to see the video.
It’s a conscious choice not to look her up—at least, not yet. Today, while I sit on the couch at Chase and Harper’s, scrolling as I wait for them to get back from a run, I’m protecting my peace by sticking to things that make me happy.
Like watching the way Collin looks at me in the video. Forgetting for the moment that it’s not real.
And the thing is—looking at us in the video, remembering how it felt to be with him, how I forgot we were filming and why—it’s easy to imagine that it is real. Or that it could be.
It actually feels super weird going so many hours without talking to him after basically having him infiltrate my life. I miss him, and it’s surprising how much.
I could text him to tell him the post is live or just to see what he’s up to, but I feel weird reaching out first. He said he was coming back to Austin today too, and I keep wondering how far away he is and when I’ll see him again.
The last thing I want is to be a too-needy fake girlfriend by messaging to demand he tell me all his plans.
Instead, I watch the video for the twentieth time, my cheeks flooding with heat as I relive the moment. The lighting isn’t good, but that kind of makes it look more like a real moment, not one manufactured for social media—which in and of itself is ironic. We look flirty. Intimate.
Like we really are into each other.
“How’s the response to your hard launch?”
I drop my phone at the sound of Harper’s voice and have to fish it out from underneath their couch where I’ve been sitting for way too long. Half my butt is asleep. “Um, fine? I guess.”
Chase groans, walking in from the kitchen and taking a swig from a fancy water jug. “Can we please stop calling it that?”
They look happy and sweaty and endorphin-drunk—because they’re fitness masochists like that. It’s almost enough to make me think I might like running.
But not quite.
“What?” Harper asks. “You don’t like the term ‘hard launch’?”
“I’m not twelve,” Chase says. “So, no. I don’t.”
Harper pats his arm with a smirk. “I know. You’re an old man trapped in a twentysomething body. It’s okay to use the terms of the new generation. Say it with me: hard launch, hard launch, hard launch.”
“I’d rather not,” Chase says. “Plus, it’s not like it’s real anyway.”
My stomach drops at his words, and I try to maintain an even expression. Harper, I suspect, sees right through me. She’s good at that.
“Well, people are buying it, and that’s good for Collin,” I say. “And for the gym.”
Both Harper and Chase used to work at Grit full-time, but a few months ago, Harper started doing in-home personal training with women, and Chase switched to a CrossFit style gym.
Neither one seemed surprised when I told them—with Collin’s permission—that he was selling Grit, and I wonder if they sensed how he’s been feeling about the place, if that impacted their choice to leave.
“What about you?” Chase says. “Remind me what you’re getting out of this fake relationship thing?”
“A job,” Harper reminds him. “Remember? We talked about this.”
Did they? I wonder what that conversation was like.
For whatever reason, my brother seems irritated and maybe even mildly disgusted by this plan. I’m not sure if it’s because he feels protective of me, protective of Collin, or maybe protective of the whole Graham family. Which up until this week has sort of been his.
Could he feel like I’m encroaching on his territory somehow?
The idea that my brother might not want to fully share the Grahams with me is kind of ugly. But he’s definitely not wild about any of this for some reason.
“I just don’t get it,” Chase says, shaking his head.
“And I don’t need you to get it,” I tell him. “I’m the one who has to live with my choices. I don’t need you big-brothering me about this.”
One corner of his mouth lifts in the smallest of smiles, and tension releases from my shoulders.
“Are we talking 1984 Big Brothering?”
I return his smile. “Nope. Just the normal, nosy, blood-related big brother kind.”
“Noted. And I’m sorry.”
Chase runs a hand through his hair, which is only a few shades darker than mine now. We look more alike now than we have since we were kids.
“Apology accepted,” I tell him. “Though I don’t really understand why you’re so bothered by this.”
“Because fake dating is dumb,” he says. I don’t disagree, but it still stings to hear it. “I think I’m feeling protective over both you and Collin. You’re both family. Both of you are important to me. I don’t want either of you to get hurt. And this seems like it could get messy.”
I don’t tell him that it’s already messy. At least, for me.
Secretly, I share his concern. But I’m definitely not going to admit that. At least, not to my brother.
“While your concern is a lovely sentiment, they’re both adults,” Harper says gently.
“Do you not want me to move to Texas?” I ask.
He blinks, looking surprised. “What? No—I’m thrilled for you to be closer.”
“Then, do you think you could trust me to work this out? Can we call this all good?”
“You and I are good.” Chase’s expression darkens. “As for Collin, he and I will have our own little talk. I have plans for dealing with him.”
“Which I’ll happily help with,” Harper says.
“Neither of you need to do anything to him.” I give Harper a look. “Didn’t you just say we’re both adults?”
She shrugs. “Sure. But I never pass up an opportunity to mess with one of my brothers. I’ll keep Chase in line so he doesn’t go too far.”
“We’ll see,” Chase says.
“I just really think this could be good for me,” I say. “Moving here. Starting fresh.”
Getting away from Mom and Dad.
They’ve continued calling and texting, but I’ve adjusted my phone to hide any notifications. I’m sure at some point Dad will get over it and realize I’m actually doing this. That I’m out of his reach.
Chase probably wouldn’t be as irritated by all this if I told him about the things Dad is trying to do. From getting me job interviews for positions I don’t want to setting me up with guys I definitely don’t want to date. Talking down to me, making me feel like I can’t do anything on my own.
But I really would rather not get into it. Not now, maybe not ever. I’m here, and that’s what matters.
And now, Chase looks slightly less peevish about the whole thing with Collin. Or, at least, he looks resigned to accept it.
“Come here. I don’t like arguing.” He walks over to the couch and pulls me to my feet and straight into a hug. Immediately, I sag with relief, despite his sweat-soaked shirt.
“Were we arguing?”
He chuckles. “I was being a little bit of a turd.”
“Aw, look at you admitting it,” I say, laughing when he squeezes me tighter.
I am a hugger. It’s my kryptonite. If anyone wants something from me, whether it be help with moving, a ride somewhere, or an alibi, I’d do it for a hug. Even a sweaty one.
This is the kind of hug I rarely get from Chase anymore. Mostly because I rarely see him. Which might change now that I’ll be closer. The idea makes me excited.
“I love you, Molo,” Chase says, resurrecting his old nickname for me. “And I’m sorry for being so—”
“Obnoxious? Irrational? Overbearing?”
“Unreasonable?” Harper offers. “Incorrigible?”
Chase snorts. “How about overly invested in your welfare.”
“I think unreasonably invested in my personal business works better.”
“Sure, okay,” he says. “In any case, I’m glad you’re moving closer. I just … don’t think this is the way I expected you to go about it.”
“Yeah, well—that makes two of us.”
“How did Dad take the news of you moving?” Chase asks, and I stiffen.
“Uh, not great. He prefers me close and doing whatever he says,” I keep my tone light, not wanting Chase to press me for more.
“I want in on this hug,” Harper says, and steps up behind me to sandwich me between them.