Ten
More Than Words
MIA
“OH. MY. GOD.”
Amber’s voice slices through the air like a siren, and I freeze, dread pooling in my stomach. I turn slowly, my heart racing, to see her standing just inside the bar, her expression a mix of shock and horror.
She looks between me and Austin, her mouth opening and closing as though she’s struggling to find the words.
“Amber,” I begin, my voice cracking, “this isn’t—”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she interrupts, her eyes wide as saucers. “It’s fake? The whole engagement thing? Why would you do that?”
Austin stiffens beside me, but of course, he doesn’t look the least bit panicked. In fact, he looks like he’s enjoying the entire spectacle.
“No, no,” I say quickly, waving my hands in front of me. “You misheard! It’s not fake. It’s—”
Amber narrows her eyes, crossing her arms. “I misheard? Really? Because what I heard was you two talking about how it’s all some sort of . . . arrangement.”
My mouth opens, but no sound comes out. I feel like a fish out of water, gasping for anything to save me.
“Amber,” Austin says smoothly, stepping in, his voice calm and unruffled, “what you heard was completely out of context.”
She turns to him, her skepticism obvious. “Out of context?”
“Yes,” he says, leaning casually against the bar, his confidence maddening. “We were joking. You know, about how people always assume things about relationships. It’s one of those inside-joke things.”
Amber’s gaze shifts to me, her expression daring me to confirm his story.
I nod vigorously, forcing a laugh that sounds anything but natural. “Exactly! It’s, uh, this stupid joke we have. You know, like . . . role-playing or whatever.”
Her brows shoot up. “Role-playing?”
Austin jumps in seamlessly. “Yeah, Mia pretends to be this uptight workaholic who can’t find love, and I pretend to be this devilishly handsome fiancé who sweeps her off her feet.”
I choke on air, my eyes darting to him in panic. “That’s not what—”
“But it’s all in good fun,” he continues, flashing Amber one of his trademark grins. “Keeps things interesting.”
Amber stares at him, then at me, her expression unreadable. The silence stretches unbearably long, and I’m about two seconds from a full-blown meltdown when she finally speaks.
“You two are so weird,” she mutters, shaking her head. “But honestly? It kind of makes sense.”
“Totally,” Austin agrees, his grin unwavering.
Amber studies us for a moment longer, then sighs. “Fine. Whatever. I’ll just add it to the list of things about you two that I’ll never understand.”
She turns on her heel and walks off, leaving me standing there, my heart pounding in my chest.
As soon as she’s out of earshot, I whip around to face Austin. “Role-playing? Really?”
“It worked, didn’t it?” he says, unbothered, and starts walking away.
I follow him, my irritation mounting with every step.
“Where are you going?” I snap. “Your car is over there!”
“Getting a taxi. I’ve had too much to drink.” He bellows over his shoulder as he heads for the main road.
THE TENSION BETWEEN US boils over the moment we step into the lobby.
“This was supposed to help me, not make me look like a bigger fool!” I snap, spinning to face him. My voice echoes in the empty space, but I don’t care.
Austin runs a hand through his hair, his cool demeanor finally cracking. “I never said I’d be your knight in shining armour, Mia. You dragged me into this.”
I glare at him, anger and humiliation swirling together. “Yeah, well, maybe I shouldn’t have. Clearly, you don’t care about anyone but yourself.”
His expression darkens, and he takes a step closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous low. “Don’t act like you’ve got me all figured out, Jameson. You have no idea how much I care.”
The air between us shifts, charged and electric. His words hang there, heavy and unspoken, and for a moment, neither of us moves.
I swallow hard, my heart pounding. “If you cared, you’d stop making this so hard.”
Austin’s jaw tightens, his eyes burning into mine. “Maybe I’m not the only one making it hard.”
His words hit like a punch to the gut, and I feel the sting of truth in them. But instead of softening, I dig in.
“This was a mistake,” I say, my voice trembling. “This whole thing. You. Me. All of it.”
Austin takes another step closer, his gaze unrelenting. “Say that again, and make yourself believe it.”
I open my mouth to argue, but nothing comes out. Because the truth is, I don’t believe it.
Not for a second.
The silence between us is deafening. My chest rises and falls with uneven breaths, and I can’t tell if it’s from anger, frustration, or something else entirely—something far more dangerous.
Austin’s eyes bore into mine, daring me to say something. Anything. But my throat feels tight. The words I want to fling at him don’t make it past the lump lodged there.
Instead, I turn on my heel and head for the lift, needing to put as much space between us as possible before I completely unravel.
“Mia,” Austin calls after me, his voice rough, edged with something I can’t quite place.
I ignore him, jabbing the call button harder than necessary. The doors slide open, and I step inside, my back to him.
But he doesn’t let it go.
Of course, he doesn’t.
Austin steps into the lift just as the doors begin to close, his presence overwhelming in the small space.
“What the hell are you doing?” I snap, turning to face him.
“Not letting you walk away from this,” he says simply, his voice calm but his eyes stormy.
“There’s nothing to walk away from,” I argue, my voice rising. “This was all pretend, remember? A fake engagement to save my reputation. That’s it. Finito. There’s nothing more to talk about.”
His jaw tightens, and he steps closer, the tension between us crackling like static electricity. “Stop lying to yourself.”
“I’m not lying—”
“Yes, you are,” he cuts me off, his voice low and intense. “And you’re lying to me, too.”
The lift comes to a halt, the doors sliding open to our floor, but neither of us moves. We’re locked in this standoff, the air thick with unspoken words and feelings I’m too scared to name.
“I can’t do this with you, Austin,” I say finally, my voice barely above a whisper. “You don’t take anything seriously. Not this, not me, not us. It’s all just a game to you.”
His expression softens, but there’s still a fire in his eyes. “You think I don’t take you seriously?”
I nod, my throat tightening again. “Yeah, I do.”
Austin steps closer, so close that I can feel the heat radiating off him. His gaze drops to my lips for a fraction of a second before meeting my eyes again.
“You’re wrong,” he says, his voice low and deliberate. “I take you more seriously than you know, Mia. Maybe more than I should.”
My breath catches, and I hate the way my body reacts to his words, to his nearness. My pulse races, my skin tingles, and I feel like I’m standing on the edge of something I can’t control.
But I can’t let myself fall.
“This . . . this isn’t real,” I say, my voice trembling. “It can’t be.”
“Why not?” he challenges, his voice steady.
“Because we’re not real, Austin. We’re pretending. That’s all this has ever been.”
He shakes his head, his eyes searching mine. “Speak for yourself, Jameson. Because nothing about how I feel when I’m with you has ever felt fake.”
His words hit me like a tidal wave, and I’m left reeling, struggling to stay afloat.
“Don’t do this,” I plead, my voice breaking. “Don’t make this more complicated than it already is.”
“Too late,” he says softly, stepping even closer.
We’re so close now that I can feel his breath on my skin, and I know that if I don’t move, if I don’t put distance between us, I’m going to lose whatever shred of control I have left.
But I don’t move.
And neither does he.
Instead, he reaches up, his hand hovering near my face, as if he’s debating whether or not to touch me. His eyes search mine, looking for something. I don’t know if he finds it, but the intensity in his gaze steals the air from my lungs.
“Austin . . .” I whisper, my voice shaky and uncertain.
He leans in, his lips so close to mine that I can almost taste the warmth of his breath.
“Tell me to stop,” he says quietly, his voice a challenge and a plea all at once.
I should. I know I should. But the words don’t come.
Instead, I stand there, completely frozen, as the walls I’ve so carefully built around myself begin to crumble.