Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Danika
Arden put on a tie and I stifle the giggle threatening to burst from my throat. He looks like he’s cosplaying as a CEO. Arden glances at me through the mirror and rolls his eyes.
“I can put on a tie, brat,” he says, adjusting the knot at the base of his throat. The way it knocks against his Adam’s apple makes my own throat slightly dry. I cough to maintain moisture.
“I never said you couldn’t. I’ve just never seen you in one.”
“That’s not true. You were there when I left for my senior prom.”
I pause. “You remember I was there?” I know it wasn’t that long ago, but I always thought that Arden saw me as an extension of his sister. Like a wall decoration that he could just walk by and ignore. I had no idea he even noticed me.
“Yes,” he says simply, turning around to face me.
For this event, I’ve opted to go full glam.
For a few reasons. I want to make a good impression on the people I’m about to work with for the next four years, including professors and mentors.
But, I also need Nico to see that I’m fully capable of being without him, and that means pulling out my tastiest black dress and shiniest beach waves.
Arden looks me up and down and there’s a teeny tiny part of me that thinks he might actually give me a compliment. He opens his mouth. “Ready to go?”
Face. Freaking. Palm.
“Yep.” Grabbing my purse, I move around him and head for the door. He follows closely until we’re both in the parking lot and heading for different cars.
“I’m driving.”
“No, I’m driving.”
Both of us stand at our respective driver side doors. It’s a good thing we’re parked next to each other or we’d be screaming across the parking lot.
“You think I’m gonna let you drive me in those heels, brat?”
“I take them off when I drive, jackass.”
“That’s unsafe.”
“Oh. My. God. You know what? Fine. I’m going to need more than a few drinks to get me through this event anyway so, go ahead, Jesus. Take the wheel.” Moving around the front of my car, I get into Arden’s passenger side. I hear him chuckle as he slides into the driver’s seat.
“I’m surprised your car isn’t a mess like your apartment.” I note as I place my feet down on the empty mat. Based on the state of his apartment, I would’ve expected him to have empty bottles and food wrappers littering the floors.
Arden only grunts.
The drive to campus is short, and Arden parks in the lot next to the library.
“We really don’t have to stay that long,” I say as we walk toward the campus dining hall. I see other students dressed like us on their way to the same place and it makes me feel better that we’re not overdressed. The last thing I want is for Nico to think I dressed up for his benefit.
“Dani, I told you. I’m good to stay as long as you want to.”
I nod a few times and then take a few deep breaths before opening the door to the dining hall. The place is decorated sparsely but the wait staff that greets us with champagne at the door is definitely an upgrade to the usual dinner service.
“Don’t mind if I do,” I say, grabbing the drink from the server’s outstretched hand. Arden declines but moves right to the bar to grab a beer. Typical man.
I follow after him, scoping out the room.
“Okay, I don’t see him yet.”
“Who?” Arden asks before sipping his beer.
“Who? Nico! The whole reason you’re here!”
“Right.” Arden takes another big swig as we walk toward a high top table. I see a few professors from orientation and a few people from my cohort. But I still don’t see–
“Hi!” A cheery brunette pops into my face. I recognize her from our group session yesterday. She introduced herself as Genuine…Gabby? Georgia? Gianna? “I’m Gemma.” So close.
“Hey, Gemma. I’m Danika.”
She nods enthusiastically. “I remember. Isn’t this all so exciting?” Gemma gestures around the space where all the professors and doctors are mingling.
I smile broadly. “Definitely.” I don’t mean it sarcastically either. The swanky parties I can do without but med school itself? I am so freaking excited.
When my Grandma was going through treatment for breast cancer, I would spend hours in her hospital room, playing cards or doing puzzles.
I was amazed by all the doctors and nurses that came in with their clipboards and stethoscopes.
All important and knowledgeable. It inspired me.
Even in the end, she was so grateful to her doctors.
It put me on my path to med school. I wouldn’t be here without her and that experience we shared.
Being here now, I won’t take a moment of it for granted.
Gemma reaches her hand out to Arden. “Hi,” she says with a tone I’m not sure I like. “I’m Gemma.”
Arden takes her hand and shakes it once. “Arden.”
“Arden is my–”
“Hey, Danika.” Nico’s voice cuts through the cacophony. He’s here and he’s standing at my table. The way he thinks he can just walk into any room and get my attention–he’s got another thing coming.
Suddenly, I feel a hand on my back and I tense. Arden has stepped closer. I can feel his breath.
“Nico. Hi.” My voice sounds like ice and I can’t control the hint of malice that seeps in when I say his name. I’ve been avoiding him for years, talking as much shit about him as I can with my best friends. There’s no way I could just flip that switch and be nice to him now. Nor do I want to.
The hand on my back sends warmth across my body and I remember why I brought Arden here in the first place. It’s now or never. Here goes nothing. Finishing the champagne in my hand, I place it less than gently on the table.
“Arden, this is Nico. He’s in my cohort. Nico, this is my boyfriend, Arden.”
A muscle in Nico’s jaw tenses at the word boyfriend and a silent sense of joy spreads through me. Arden reaches a hand out toward Nico.
“Nice to meet you, man.”
Hesitantly, Nico’s hand meets Arden’s in one firm shake before both men pull away. Arden takes the hand he had on my back and moves it to the top of my shoulders, draping his arm around my neck, pulling me in tighter.
“Are you hungry, baby? We should grab some food,” Arden says, so casually. I know this is fake but there’s a teenage girl inside of me screaming about the fact that Arden Davis just called me “baby”.
“Yes, let’s do it. See you guys in a bit.”
I smile at both Gemma, who looks amused, and Nico, who looks suddenly ill, before turning with Arden and heading toward the buffet. We walk the entire way with his arm on my shoulders and he only drops the pose once we hit the table.
“So, that’s the chode, huh?” Arden remarks, handing me a place before grabbing his own.
I balk. “Don’t call him that!”
“Why not?”
I think for a moment. “Actually, nevermind. He is a chode. A lying, cheating miserable bast—”
“Ms. Freeman, is that you?”
Whipping around, I shut my mouth the moment I come face to face with my undergrad advisor, Dr. Wilson.
“Dr. Wilson, hello! It’s so nice to see you. I hope you had a nice summer.”
“It’s nice to see you, as well. I did, if you can describe running after two toddlers twenty-four/seven to be nice,” she chuckles, grabbing an empty plate and joining us in line.
“Oh, totally. More like hectic, I’m sure,” I reply, piling mounds of macaroni salad on my plate.
One thing I’ll never get tired of is Tomlin University macaroni salad.
I attribute my freshman fifteen to that carb loaded dish alone.
I’m going to need to bribe the chefs to give me the recipe before I graduate med school.
“In the best way,” Dr. Wilson smiles, grabbing a portion–nowhere near as large as mine—of macaroni salad and an even larger spoonful of bean salad, which I conveniently avoided. “Who’s your friend?”
“Oh, this is Arden,” I say, spinning around to pull him closer to the conversation. “He’s my boyfriend.” Even saying it has sixteen year old Danika emerging from her slumber.
Arden smiles and shakes my advisor’s hand. “Nice to meet you, m’am.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Arden. Are you a med student, as well?”
Arden scoffs. “Oh absolutely not.” The hand I have on his arm tightens. “I just mean…it seems like a lot of work. I’m an engineering major.”
I smile at Dr. Wilson. “Arden is starting college a bit later in life, but I’ve always encouraged him to do whatever he wants.”
Dr. Wilson chuckles. “It’s great that you’re here now earning your degree.” Arden smiles in return and then someone behind beckons her attention and she leaves the buffet line to chat with someone else.
Arden and I fill our plates with free food and then find an empty table to post up at. “She seems nice,” Arden remarks, filling his mouth with a mystery creme puff.
“Yeah, she’s great. Got me through a lot of hard times in undergrad. I should offer to babysit her kids sometime,” I reply absent-mindedly. I’m looking around the room to catch a glimpse of Nico, but he’s nowhere to be seen.
“I’ve gotta take a leak.”
“Lovely.” I roll my eyes. “Hurry back, darling.” Arden gives me a sardonic smile before pecking me roughly on the cheek on his way toward the door. The movement didn’t feel like it was for show. No, it felt all too natural.
Being close to Arden like this, even pretend, is affecting me in ways I didn’t expect.
I didn’t think that he would be so good at being my pretend boyfriend.
I thought I would have to drag him to events and beg him to put on the show but he’s been very compliant so far.
I guess this whole thing was his idea. He knew what he was getting himself into.
Still, I didn’t think it’d be this…easy.
I don’t have much time to dwell on the thought when an incessant buzzing sounds in my ear. Must be a fly, a wasp even. Oh no, it’s Nico.
“Boyfriend? You have a boyfriend? Since when?” His voice is loud enough that the three tables closest to us turn to see the commotion. With wide eyes and an apologetic smile, I push him closer toward the wall and away from the wandering eyes and ears.
“Will you lower your voice? What’s wrong with you?”
Nico huffs. “Who is that guy? Are you really stooping so low to bring a random guy here just to make me jealous?” Shit. “I must really be in your head.” I hadn’t realized he'd stepped closer until I could smell his beer breath in my face.
“You’re going to want to take a step back now.” Arden’s voice is hard and stern.
“Listen, chief. You don’t know what you’re involving yourself in here. Just bow out now and no one needs to get hurt.”
With a firm push to the chest, Nico reels back in shock. Because it wasn’t Arden that pulled him, it was me.
“The only person that’s going to get hurt here is you if you don’t back the fuck away from us right now.”
Arden quietly seethes next to me but doesn’t say a word.
“Danika, this is ridiculous.”
“The only thing that’s ridiculous is that you’re still standing here.
” My voice is stern and I know my expression is even firmer.
He would be an even bigger idiot to stand here and keep trying this move.
But hey, I wouldn’t put it past him. Luckily, he seems to take the loss here as he turns away without another word.
Arden and I watch him go before heading silently back to the table with our abandoned food plates. We take a few more bites and then look at each other.
“Ready to go?”
“Absolutely,” I reply with a sigh of relief. I think we’ve both had enough “fun” for one night. Leaving our empty plates on the table, we walk toward the exit. Arden’s hand finds itself on the small of my back again and this time I can’t contain the smile that it brings me.