Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Sophie
“Another round,” Kendall yells out, holding her hand in the air.
The waitress gives us a nod, indicating she’s got us before heading back to the bar.
“Where is Lexi?” She notices one of us is missing and we all start looking around, seeing her at the end of the bar, tucked back in a quiet corner with her phone pressed to her ear.
“She got a phone call,” Sutton says. “Camryn is having her first sleepover at a friend’s house and I think momma bear is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
She’s been checking her phone every few minutes and texting all night.
When her phone rang she picked it up so fast and took off, I’ve been watching to make sure it all seems okay. ”
“And?” I ask, fully invested.
“Well, considering she has been smiling and laughing since she’s been over there, I’d say it’s going good.”
“Awe,” I say with a pout. “That is so cute and so sad all at the same time. We need to be working harder to distract her.”
“She gets even more emotional when she drinks,” Sutton reminds us and I’m reminded of all the times Lex was in meltdown mode over the smallest things after we’d pumped her full of tequila or rum.
She cried one time for eleven minutes and forty-seven seconds after Kendall told her how a guy at the shop lost his dog after thirteen years.
“So alcohol may not be the best form of distraction, unless we want tears,” Sutton says with a laugh.
“I don’t think alcohol is the solution.” She points toward the door. “If it isn’t the perfect distraction right there, I don’t know what is,” Adley hoots, before pushing back from the table and practically skipping across the bar.
Rory, Brantley, and Marshall enter, walking in our direction. Within seconds the door opens once more and right behind them is the second half of their six man crew, Bennett, Aaron, and Finn.
It’s been a couple days since I’ve seen him after the forced confession of my humiliating words. Something I still need to properly thank Kendall for. I was thinking of hair and her shampoo, but I’m still thinking.
I watch as the guys make a pit stop at the bar ordering their drinks before walking over to our table.
My entire body is on full alert of his movements.
Finn’s chuckle hits me from my left and I close my eyes for a moment taking it in. The guys carry on about something that took place before they got here, but I couldn’t tell you what it was. I am too lost in my own head like I always am.
Glancing over I take him in slowly while he is distracted.
The faded, torn jeans he is wearing honestly look as though they were tailored specifically for him.
They fit him perfectly in all the right places and I feel my cheeks heat as I continue to scan over him.
A fitted red Henley, a pair of boots, and a baseball cap turned backwards, I’ll admit one of my absolute favorite looks on a man.
You can even call it a weakness. It’s the hat, why I can’t explain it, but the backwards hat is the key.
My insides are going haywire and I know if I don’t look away, I’ll do something to embarrass myself.
No man should look this good, especially when you are fake dating said man. It’s completely unfair.
Everyone gathers around the tall table, the guys helping themselves to the wings and cheese bites Kendall ordered and we were unable to finish. I remain quiet, unsure of what to say, but Finn rolls right into pretend boyfriend mode and it’s almost scary how well of an actor he’s become.
Stepping up behind me, I feel his palm press to the small of my back, just before he leans in and kisses my cheek. I swear I hear him take in a deep breath.
“How is your night going?” he asks in a whisper near my ear and instantly those familiar chills cover my neck, arms, and legs.
“Good,” I add in a hurry and feel him chuckle.
“Will you ever not be this nervous around me?”
“I’m not nervous,” I say, looking back over my shoulder at him and regret it. Our faces are now so very close to one another. And in true Finn fashion he stays close, holding my stare and adding a little tip up at the corner of his mouth.
The floor needs to open up and swallow me whole. I am a wreck.
Lifting his hand, he drags his finger along my collarbone and pushes back my hair. “You are nervous.” I am damnit. “Come with me.” Before I can ask him where or why he is linking his fingers through mine and leading me away from the group.
I glance back and see Adley give me a thumbs-up and I flip her off making her laugh.
Suddenly we stop. I am spun around and now am chest to chest with Finn, him holding my body to his, one hand on my hip the other still holding my hand in his as he starts to move.
“You need to relax,” he tells me and I am still so shocked that we are in the middle of the dance floor, dancing. Most guys I know, at least the ones I’ve dated, don’t ever dance. I’m normally out here with the girls, but this, it’s nice.
And Finn seems to know what he is doing.
“I’m starting to think that maybe this entire fake dating thing isn’t only for me, but to benefit you too.”
“How’s that?” he asks with a smile.
“All these women see you out here on the dance floor, when most men avoid it. They get a glimpse of how well you move and their interests are instantly peaked.”
“You think I move well?” The intense way he is watching me makes my heart race.
That is the way it is with us, I am constantly trapped in a moment where I have to remind myself that this is all fake and that my heart needs to catch up on the fact.
Any feelings that are inflicted by this crazy game need to be locked away.
“Alright, I guess you get a big bonus for even stepping foot on the floor, so even if you can’t truly move well, you are one step ahead of most men.”
His hips sway and I try not to focus on the seductive movements.
This is bad, it is so so bad.
“You should just go ahead and admit that you like the way I move, Sophie,” he says all cocky and I roll my eyes. “They way my hips move with yours, our bodies pressed together, it’s okay.”
“What’s okay?”
“You don’t have to say it, I can already tell.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you can be very arrogant at times?” I hold his stare and the smile on his face gives me the only answer I need.
“So fine, you can dance, and you do it very well. Any woman would be lucky to be spun around the dance floor by you. You do realize that this entire fake dating thing doesn’t need to keep going on forever.
I am pretty sure that Ryan got the hint the other day. ”
Finn’s jaw tenses at the mention of Ryan’s name.
“I think we should probably carry it on for a little longer,” he insists and I do nothing more than stare at him. “We stop now and word gets back to him, he’ll know. Plus I’m having too much fun hanging out with you, Soph.”
“We hang out all the time anyway, so what would be so different?”
“This.” Finn pulls me in a little closer, and I can feel his breath on the side of my neck. “And this.” His lips skim over the side of my neck and again the chills return. “This too.” He kisses along the side of my neck, over my shoulder and pauses, breathing in.
I am at a loss, unsure of what to say.
What does one say after all that?
“Plus, ole boy’s buddy came in right before us.” I am jolted out of my lustful haze when his words register. Pulling back I look over at him and he jerks his head slightly to the side. I glance over and sure enough Ryan’s best friend is there at the bar watching.
My stomach tenses and not because of him. No, it’s because every action that was just played out, the movements and words I thought were honest and intimate, were all for show.
This, it is nothing more than a show!
I shouldn’t be mad about it. I shouldn’t feel hurt, but I do. This was exactly what I’d hoped to avoid. My heart getting mixed up in the game.
The thing is this whole charade was supposed to make me feel better. It was supposed to build confidence in me, but honestly I feel worse now than I did at the start. Because for once I had a guy that was amazing, a guy that gave me hope, but it was all fake.
All of it is a lie.