8. Rose
rose
All the blood rushes out of my head like I stood up too fast as the video of us loops to start again.
I had to watch it a few times to make sure that’s actually Reed standing next to me.
The man in the video is wearing his clothes and his Perk Me Up apron.
Same broad build. Same messy, dark hair.
But that’s definitely not a scowl on his face.
I mean…it’s not a full grin or anything. The smile is subtle. But it counts.
Obviously, it counted to whoever took the video and posted it with the flirty caption.
Reed passes me back my phone, but his gaze is glued on the counter in front of us. One guess how this super private guy feels about a video of himself being shared by strangers.
Not a fan.
“The cat’s out of the bag now.” Lucy sighs. “Coffee shop romance trope.”
“Is that a trope?” I ask. The romances I read are usually of the fated mates and destined love variety. I like the security of a forever love right from the start. Third act breakups? Don’t get me started.
She shrugs. “Microtrope, I guess. Although there are coffee shop AUs, too.”
“AU?” I don’t know what we’re talking about anymore, but if this conversation dies out, I’ll have to face my just-pretend romance with Reed going viral. That will either be a boost for our plans to let it ride, or a huge disaster.
If my past relationships are any indicator, a huge disaster is barreling toward us.
“Alternate Universe,” she says. “Like instead of being superheroes, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes are regular guys who work together in a coffee shop. It’s cute and cozy, and they fall in love over lattes.”
Reed blinks. “Cap and Bucky fall in love in these stories?”
Her expression might as well call him a naive baby. I’m well versed in this look. “You need to read more fan fiction.”
A couple of customers walk in, and I distract myself by pouring drinks. Of course, that makes me think about the video I just watched on repeat of myself doing the exact same thing. And the dreamy face Reed made while I was doing it.
I’ve wondered a few times over the last year-plus what Reed looks like when he’s totally relaxed. When he’s not stressed out over inventory or crowds or specialty drinks recipes he doesn’t want to learn. When he’s just…him.
I won’t say it’s a perfect fit, but that video was closer than I’ve ever seen him.
Lucy’s still by the counter when my customers take their drinks out the door.
She hasn’t said anything to him that I’ve heard, but irritation is written in his lowered eyebrows and down-turned mouth.
It’s his default look when she’s around.
I’m pretty sure her goal is always at least a little irritation when it comes to him.
Younger sister hobbies, I guess.
“You two have managed to stay off the radar around town until now.” She drags me back into the conversation. “Because of shame, I’m guessing. You didn’t want to be seen with this big lug.”
Her devious grin doesn’t do much for Reed’s annoyance. He stiffens up even more, like someone poured concrete over him. The only part of him that moves is a tic at the hinge of his jaw as he clenches his teeth.
This is probably generic sibling banter, but the urge to protect him from her ripples through me. He’s so stiff and aggravated, I just want to soothe him. Even if I’m kind of soothing him from myself.
Well. He did tell me to do what comes naturally. Now’s as good a time as any to start practicing.
I move close enough to press my side to his, looping my hand in the crook of his elbow. It takes a second, but his stony muscles relax beneath my touch. Barely, but it’s enough to make him feel human again.
“Actually, I’m kind of glad that video’s going around. I don’t want anyone getting ideas about my man.”
Reed snaps out of whatever’s got him in his head and locks eyes with me. He doesn’t give me anything. No dreamy smile. No exaggerated frown. I’d think I was making everything worse except for the way he subtly shifts his arm, bringing my hand flush against his side.
Like a hug for my hand. I’m counting it.
“Again, I’m sorry about trying to set him up.” Lucy aims a frown of her own at him. “If someone had just been up front about it, I wouldn’t have taken it that far.”
I hadn’t thought about that part. How long have we supposedly been concealing this from our friends and family? Is a short timeframe more believable or less? I have no clue.
“We didn’t want to say anything until we were official.” That’s a reasonable explanation, right? But Lucy’s gasp makes me second-guess that.
“So you’re official?”
Oof. I guess? Isn’t that the whole point of a pretend relationship? Exclusivity, no matter how fake.
I rest my cheek on Reed’s shoulder and put my other hand on his chest in an echo of what I did last night.
Once again, this level of touch is immediately more than I’m prepared for.
He’s warm and surprisingly soft, and even if he’s still standing stock-still, my insides flip as if everything happening is entirely real.
“He’s officially mine,” I tell her.
The butterflies in my stomach sure feel real.
“You guys are too cute.” Lucy sounds like Jovie did last night, all enthusiastic sweetness. Her heart-eyed look is pretty similar, too. “Can I get a picture?”
“No.”
That gets Reed to break his silence, at least.
She laughs. “Fine. But you know Mom and Dad are going to want to meet her now that she’s not a secret anymore.”
I really shouldn’t get such a rush of excitement over that.
Reed’s clearly not enjoying faking for his sister, and I can’t imagine he’ll be any more comfortable in front of his parents.
But Sara and Russ Bridger come into the coffee shop a lot, and they’re so warm and kind, I can’t get enough of them.
I’d love to spend more time with his entire family, to be honest.
If he weren’t going full Grumpy Bear over me spending this much time with his sister, that is.
“She was never a secret,” Reed says.
That brusque statement sets off a thrumming in my heart, the little gal in there going crazy with her drums.
“We should go out one night, just us.” Lucy aims her invitation at me. “Olive and I have roomie plans tonight, but how about tomorrow? We’ll have a girls’ night, and you can fill me in on everything.”
“We have plans tomorrow night,” he tells her.
I’m instantly intrigued that we might. Which is silly, since obviously, we’ll be saying things like that for a while.
It’s a distraction only. We won’t actually be doing anything.
Most likely, he just doesn’t want me to be alone with Lucy and reveal details of our “relationship” without him around to keep track.
She bobs her eyebrows. “Ooh. A date?”
“Yes.”
Okay, that’s the real joy exploding in my heart. I’m way more excited about him confirming a fake date than I should be. We’re not even going to go anywhere, and I’m giddy over it.
“Here, give me your number, Rose. We’ll find a time to make girls’ night happen.” Lucy passes me her phone, and I add myself to her contacts. “Do you like thrifting? Tacos? Wandering through plant stores?”
“Any of that sounds great to me.” I can’t even remember the last time I had a girls’ night. “Whatever you want to do.”
I hand her back her phone and automatically take Reed’s arm again. Appearances, and all that. Not for the floaty feeling that casually touching him gives me.
“We’ll plan on it.” She tucks her phone back into her purse and starts heading toward the door. “Happy for you two.”
“So are we.” Even if only one of us shows it.
She walks out, leaving the bells over the door jingling as they sway.
“She didn’t even buy a drink,” Reed mutters.
But she did leave me with the prospect of a girls’ night to look forward to, and that’s better than a six-dollar drink. Even one of the delicious ones I make.
After a minute, Reed tilts his head toward me. His brown eyes hit mine, and his eyebrows quirk the tiniest bit. Oh. Right. I disentangle myself from his side and put a couple of feet between us. I immediately miss his warmth, but that’s silly. Most of it was probably the flannel, anyway.
“That went pretty well, right?” I don’t have much to go on, but Lucy seemed fooled, which is the most important part.
Even if guilt worms around in my stomach at the idea of fooling my new girls’ night pal.
“Pretty well.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “Explain this video to me.”
That brings my floaty feet back to solid ground. Yikes.
“Oh. Yeah.” I toy with the ties on my apron, wrapping them around my fingers and undoing them again. “Well…it’s a trend to write captions like ‘I want a man who looks at me like this’ and then it’s a video of a dog staring at a pizza. Things like that.”
“I got what the video meant,” he grumbles. “How many people do you think saw it?”
A cringe twists my face before I can stop it. “A lot.”
I’m not going to show him again because the number I saw was staggering, and it will only go up. Hashtag coffee shop guy is trending at the moment.
“But these things usually die out pretty quickly.” I’m guessing. I’ve never had any content go viral. That video of Reed could be remixed until apps become obsolete, like that baby making the “yes” face. But am I going to tell him that? Heck no. “They’ll move on to something else in a few weeks.”
Probably. Maybe. We can hope.
“And until then?”
“We’re your friendly neighborhood coffee shop couple?”
His lips quirk. Nowhere near the almost-smile he rocks in the video, but we’re inching closer. Maybe that should be my new goal: get him to show me that face for real.
“I should probably do some work before we close up.” He starts to head into the back, but I can’t help myself from stopping him.
“But hey, I’m wondering.”
He turns back. “Yeah?”
“When do you think they took that video? Early on in the concert or…you know, after Fran and Nora showed up?” It’s a question I probably don’t want the answer to, but I ask anyway. Hope can be a pernicious weed that will take root anywhere.
He stares at me for a second, no doubt hearing everything I didn’t say. Did they take that before I got you tangled up in this fake boyfriend mess? Or were you already acting?
“Must have been after,” he says.
The little seed of foolish hope in my heart shrivels up like a raisin. Pretty sure I hear a sad trombone somewhere, too.
“Right. Totally.” My hand flashes him a thumbs-up entirely of its own volition. “I’ll get started on closing clean up.”
He pauses but then nods, disappearing into the back.
I start wiping down tabletops, reminding myself that if I’m going to be in a fake relationship, at least I’m in it with a really good actor.