13. His First
Chapter thirteen
His First
Aurora Driscoll
In the midst of contemplating my sanity, the front door to the apartment opens. Saylor bursts in like she’s being chased by a serial killer. Her momentum is slowed by sliding off her shoes, but she uses the break to shout:
“Why haven’t you answered our texts or calls?!”
I blink a few times, wondering why I didn’t. Then I remember.
“I threw my phone.”
Saylor’s mouth opens. Closes. Behind her, entering at a much slower pace, are Jasmine and Marigold.
“What were you texting about? I told you I made it home safe,” I say as I reach across the couch to get my phone.
Sure enough, there are dozens of notifications in the group chat, and a few calls, too. I spot a Hayes mention and my stomach sinks.
“Everyone at the party said that you and Hayes are dating,” Marigold accuses as she walks past Saylor, who’s standing on the edge of the living room like it’s a battle line. “This is the part where you say a terrible rumor has been started about you.”
“Marigold,” Jasmine scolds.
Marigold sits on the edge of the coffee table so she’s facing me.
“Everyone, as in everyone?” I question. “I didn’t think the news would travel that fast.”
Her eyes widen.
“Does that mean you’re dating him?”
“Not exactly,” I hedge.
Her relief is evident, washing over her face. Discomfort twists and pinches like some kind of creature inside me. I can’t believe I agreed to this. My friends are going to hate me.
“What’s going on?” Jasmine asks in a gentler tone.
She sits next to me on the couch, one cushion down. Saylor takes a spot on the floor next to Marigold’s feet.
I flip my phone from one palm to the other, not looking at them. It’s silent for a moment, and for the first time, I wish it wasn’t.
“I’m sorry,” Marigold says before I can muster up the courage to speak. “I was judgmental. If you like Hayes, then I’ll try to like him. And if he’s a jerk, I’ll key his car. Or all his cars, because he probably has more than one.”
A laugh escapes me. “Probably,” I mumble. “And thanks, but I don’t think that will be necessary.”
I force myself to look up at my friends’ faces. They all wait with expectant expressions. Marigold may hate Hayes, but she doesn’t hate me. If she did, she wouldn’t bother apologizing. My chest rises as I draw in a deep breath.
“When I went outside, Hayes was talking to this girl. Mckinleigh.” I try not to scowl when I say her name. “Apparently, she’s been acting weird around him—borderline stalker behavior.”
Marigold’s eyebrows rise. Saylor leans in like she’s watching a true crime documentary. Jasmine nods for me to continue.
“So, when he was trying to tell her they weren’t dating or in love, he told her that he was dating me. To get her off his back,” I explain. The girls nod in understanding.
“What about you leaving together? Wearing his jacket?” Saylor asks.
I tip my head back and groan. “How do you know about that?”
“It’s a college party and he’s a billionaire. People are going to talk,” Marigold says wryly.
Mascara flakes onto my fingertips as I rub my eyes.
“This is why I told him I didn’t want to keep fake dating.”
“Wait, he asked you to keep going?” Jasmine presses.
I drop my hands and sigh.
“Yeah, he told me to think about it for a few days, but that it would be good if we could fake date for a little while so Mckinleigh believed the story.”
“I’m guessing you told him no immediately?” Marigold asks. “You’ve been turning him down for months now.”
“I’ve shot down actual dating, yeah,” I mumble. “I told him I’d think about it, and I did. Or, I was. Then my mom texted me about another blind date—” I lift my head off the couch and decide to rip off the Band-Aid. “I texted him that I’d do it, then I threw my phone so I couldn’t take it back.”
All three of my roommates’ expressions go slack with shock.
“You’re fake dating Hayes Rosewood!” Saylor’s voice is three pitches higher than usual.
“I guess so.”
“You are the exact opposite of a person I’d imagine in a fake relationship with a billionaire,” Marigold states.
I shoot her a flat look. “Thanks.”
“I think what Marigold is trying to say,” Jasmine interjects, “is that this doesn’t seem like you. Dating Hayes will bring a lot of attention, which you hate.”
“This is the only way aside from real dating to get my family to stop asking me about boys and parties and events,” I explain. “That’s why I said yes. A few weeks of fake dating and then a breakup might get me through the next year or so if all goes well.”
They’d attribute my reluctance to date to heartbreak rather than a lack of desire for interacting with the human population as a whole.
“A few weeks? So you agreed on a timeline?” Saylor asks, practically bouncing on the floor like a rubber ball.
I shake my head. “No, we haven’t talked over any details, but I’m guessing he won’t want to be tied to me for long. He usually has a new girl every couple of days.”
Marigold’s nose scrunches in disapproval.
“You know, I heard he’s never had a girlfriend,” Saylor whispers as though someone might overhear us. “You’re his first.”
I’d heard that too, and it didn’t surprise me. Hayes isn’t Mr. Commitment. Not to anything but boxing, apparently. And even then, he could have a talent for it. The same way he didn’t need to study until Digital Logic. Maybe boxing just comes naturally to him.
“No, I’m not, because this is all fake,” I remind her.
“Yeah, but everyone else doesn’t know that. They’ll think you put a spell on him or something,” Saylor replies.
The thought makes me cringe.
“I hope not. Best-case scenario: everyone moves on within a week and forgets all about us.”
Marigold laughs. “Don’t hold your breath. The man is like royalty around here! He finds his way into every conversation.”
I frown and look at Jasmine, hoping she’ll refute Marigold’s pessimism. She gives me a sympathetic look and pats my arm.
“Marigold’s probably right. I wouldn’t count on things dying down so fast. Shepherd and I are in the limelight a lot, and Hayes is probably more well known than him.”
Hayes would love to hear this conversation. He’s been called royalty and that he’s more popular than the university’s star quarterback.
“Ugh.”
Jasmine squeezes my wrist.
“You can always tell him you changed your mind.”
I let myself think for a moment. Truly consider texting Hayes and backing out. I turn my phone over in my lap. The screen unlocks and reveals the messages awaiting me. Hayes’s blinks up at me.
Prince Charming: You’re amazing. Incredible. Perfect. I know I can’t pay you, but I’ll pay you back. In the meantime, I’ll be the best fake boyfriend you could ever ask for. I promise.
Something about his text reassures me. Without responding to my friends, I reply to him.
Aurora: Do you even know how to be a boyfriend? I heard you’ve never gone past a first date.
Hayes: Lucky for me, I’ve got a great tutor.
He punctuates the message with a winky face. I swallow.
“Aurora?” Marigold’s voice makes me look up from my phone.
“I-I’m gonna do it,” I announce. “The worst that happens is I call the whole thing off.”
That’s actually not the worst-case scenario, and saying so didn’t make me feel any better.
In truth, the worst thing that could happen is me humiliating myself in front of Hayes and everyone else, because he’s not the only one who’s never been in a relationship.
And I’m afraid my inexperience is going to show a whole lot more than his.