Chapter 14 – Eden
EDEN
It would be safe to say that the condition of my apartment has deteriorated sharply since Brinley moved out.
It's not that I'm a gross or messy person. My bathroom is never disgusting, I don't leave out dishes for more than a few hours, and I wash my sheets and towels on a regular basis, thanks. It’s just that the mess I make working tends to spill off my desk and into the rest of the apartment.
Without Brinley, stacks of papers have started to accumulate on every flat surface.
Cardboard boxes of customized cocktail napkins, nameplates, and various other party items I had shipped to the apartment are stacked against the walls.
The fridge has four different seating charts stuck onto it, so I can puzzle through who to sit where while I’m waiting for my dinner to get out of the microwave.
Which is exactly what I’m doing when the notification hits my phone.
It’s a Toronto Tea post featuring a photo of me and Luke from our dinner with Robert and Katherine. It’s blurry and shot from far away, like the photographer was hiding in the bushes somewhere. Hell, maybe they were. It’s not like I noticed any paparazzi while we were having dinner on the patio.
In the picture, Luke’s leaning across the table to kiss me.
I remember it, of course. It was the only time he kissed me the whole night.
The rest of the night, he was the perfect gentleman, opening doors, pulling out my chair, and sticking to polite touches on my elbow and back.
Even when he dropped me off back at my apartment, he waved goodbye when I got out of the car.
Which means that Luke probably knew the photo was being taken. That's the only reason he kissed me.
Disappointment and relief mix in my chest. As much as part of me wishes he kissed me because he wanted to, I always knew it wasn’t the truth.
Luke told me our first kisses were practice, and the restaurant kiss was apparently what we were practicing for.
It’s obviously not our first kiss, something the caption notes in great detail.
@ TorontoTea: Looks like things are heating up between the Twisted Devil and his newest lady friend.
He’s never been spotted with a woman in public twice, and this mystery lady has been spotted at his side at least three times now.
Has Luke Windsor finally found the angel who can make him settle down?
I roll my eyes. Of course, the Toronto Tea knows who I am. Brinley might not be writing for the gossip blog anymore, but they would know me by sight. Maybe they’re trying to drum up some engagement with people writing my name in the comments.
The microwave beeps, letting me know my mac and cheese is warm. I ignore it and scroll back up to the photo again. Someone must have taken it at that dinner last night, the one where he leaned across the table to kiss me.
It looks just as hot as it felt.
My eyes are closed, my body relaxed, all of me completely focused on Luke. He looks just as obsessed as me, his hand flexing territorially as it wraps around my jaw. I zoom in on the photo to look closer at that hand, because seeing the tendons flex makes my heart beat at a thousand miles a minute.
He’s holding me like he’s afraid what’ll happen if he lets go.
I lean back against the counter. Suddenly, my legs feel a little too wobbly.
My phone flashes, and the photo of Luke and me gets replaced with an incoming call from Brinley. I pick it up and put it on speaker.
“Hey, Brin. I was just warming up some mac and cheese. Let me guess, Beau cooked you some five-star dinner?” I have a feeling I know why she’s calling me, but I plan to stall as long as I can.
“He did make me some butternut squash risotto.”
“Some excellent butternut squash risotto with a balsamic glaze!” Beau shouts from the background.
“She didn’t ask for the full menu description,” Brinley says. “Sorry about him. I was calling to ask, did you see the Toronto Tea post?”
So much for my distraction strategy. “Uh, yeah. I did.”
“It's a good photo. Really convincing. Honestly, it weirded me out looking at it.”
“It’s honestly weird for me to see, too,” I admit. “The whole public attention thing isn’t me. I get that Luke needs it for his side of our deal, but I’d rather not have my business out there for the world to see.”
Brinley sighs. “I should have warned you more about that. I had some idea from my Peppermint era how bizarre it is to have your personal life plastered all over the internet.”
I lean against the counter. “You could have warned me all you wanted. It’s not like I had a real choice, though. After the whole Locke brothers Toronto invasion, the fake relationship was the best shot I had to get them off my back.”
“It must be weird kissing Luke, too.” Brinley’s voice is careful—curious without being accusatory.
“Of course it is. I’ve never had to pretend to kiss someone before. It’s strange, apart from the fact that it’s Luke.”
“It looks like it comes pretty naturally to you in the pictures. I have to ask, Eden. This thing with you and Luke, is it still fake?”
I bite my lip. The honest answer is…it’s mostly fake.
The dates are fake. Any future we pretend to have together is fake.
But the way I feel when he touches me…it’s real.
My heart pounds, my face flushes, my knees get shaky.
I have a physical reaction, but that’s just it.
It’s physical. It’s not something I ever plan to act on.
“It’s an act, Brin,” I tell her. “We’re only doing it to fool my brothers. The PDA is part of that. Luke arranged for a photographer to take that picture, and that’s the only reason he kissed me. It’s not real.”
“Are you sure? Because no offense, but you're not that good an actress. And that picture…”
“You worked for the Toronto Tea. You know as well as anyone that it's easy to print things that aren't true. Pictures can be deceiving.”
Brinley pauses. It goes on long enough that I have time to grab a fork and prepare an emotional support bite of cheesy pasta.
“I just know how charming Luke can be,” she says finally. “You wouldn’t be the first girl to think he feels things that he doesn’t.”
My stomach drops. I put the fork back in the bowl, because I’m not really excited to eat anymore.
I muster up the strength to say, “I know how he is. You don’t have to worry about me, Brin. I’d never expect Luke to have feelings for me. Hell, I’d never even expect him to want me physically.”
“And that has nothing to do with you,” Brinley says quickly. “Any other guy would be dying to hook up with you. You’re the hottest, coolest, smartest person I know. Luke is just…well, he’s a flake. That’s all I mean.”
“I know.” I twirl my fork in the pasta. “I know exactly how he is. Really, Brin, you don’t have to worry. I absolutely do not have feelings for Luke.”
“If you say so,” she says, obviously still unconvinced. “If anything changes, though, press the exit button. Because apart from it being bad for you, it would really suck for me. Losing my best friend to my brother…it would be hard, you know?”
I do know. Seriously, if anyone knows about spotlight-stealing brothers, it’s me. My whole life, people just saw me as an accessory to my big brothers. I get wanting to have a friendship that’s just yours.
“Don’t worry about it, Brinley. Even if Luke and I somehow stumble into a field of lust pollen and we have to fuck or we both die, I’ll perish for you. I’ll always, always, always pick you over him.”
She snorts. “Yeah. That’s my obvious concern. Magical lust pollen.”
My phone beeps with an incoming call—Jasper. I dismiss his call immediately.
“Sorry. Jasper was calling,” I tell Brinley.
“You should probably check your texts, then. I’m sure they’ve seen the Toronto Tea post by now, too. I’m sure they’ve got plenty to say.”
I groan. “Wish me luck.”
“I do, Eden. I really do.”
She hangs up and I switch to my texts. Jasper has sent an article: The Most Annoying Things Couples Do At Restaurants, According to Servers.
Hint: Save the PDA for the Bedroom. Of course, he managed to find a passive aggressive article to make his point.
Reed sends me the Toronto Tea post with the flame emoji attached. He follows it up quickly.
Reed
Sarcastic emoji, for the record.
Wade, of course, ignored the post altogether, though I don’t doubt for a minute he saw it.
Wade
Call Mom.
Eden
I talked to her this morning.
Wade
Fine. Then call tomorrow.
I put down the phone and sit back in the kitchen chair, staring at my now-cold dinner. I don’t feel good about that call with Brinley. I lied when I told her I didn’t have feelings for Luke, and it was way harder than it should have been. Of course, she didn’t believe me.
I wouldn’t believe me, either.