16. Macey #2
“It’s so nice to meet you.” I shook his hand. “I’ve heard great things.”
It wasn’t technically a lie if I had heard those things on the car ride here.
Britney and Ariadne froze, their wide-eyed stares defying all biological need for blinking.
I half expected one of them to keel over from oxygen deprivation.
Luckily, Noah stepped in, smoothing things over with a handshake for Xavier.
Britney, after what felt like an eternity, retrieved her jaw from the floor and turned away from Nathan, zeroing in on Kira’s new boyfriend like a detective on a high-profile case.
In between her aggressive questions, Noah brushed a hand against mine. “Should we hold hands?” His pinky intertwined with mine. “Just in case anyone is watching.”
“Good thinking.” I flipped my palm up on the table. “We probably should. Just in case.”
Thank God Kira was too busy answering questions about her relationship to address whatever was happening in mine.
I felt sorry for anyone who would have to face Britney in court.
She interrogated Xavier like he’d just robbed a bank, not dated our friend.
Still, her questions came from a good place.
Kira didn’t exactly glow when Xavier was around—nothing like the way she used to light up with Landon.
Before that idiot wrecked everything, of course.
Out of the corner of my eye, a familiar figure sat down at a table and I jumped.
Holy shit.
Victoria was here. Why was she going out to a bar on a Saturday night and why did it have to be the same one I frequented?
Anxiety spiked in my chest, but I tried to tame it. I was doing so well from a work perspective. My numbers were up. Page views, clicks, comments—everything up, up, up.
But I guess it didn’t matter how well you did at your job. A negative boss could still endlessly make your stomach curdle just at the thought of actually doing the work you’re good at.
“You okay?” Noah squeezed my hand. “Looks like you just saw a ghost.”
I forced a laugh to break through the bubbles in my stomach. “Victoria is here.”
Noah’s gaze followed mine. Victoria was seated at a small table with a man who looked to be in his fifties. She looked good—really good—in a black dress that, frankly, reminded me of a longer version of the one I was wearing.
“Do you want to leave?”
“No.”
He turned back to me, a confused look on his face. “Isn’t it weird that she’s here? I mean, what are the odds she shows up the one night you and I do?”
I wasn’t sure how Noah factored into Victoria’s sudden appearance, but whatever. “I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.”
“You should go talk to her,” Noah suggested, leaning in a little too eagerly. “Maybe this is your chance to level the playing field. You know, so you can stand up for yourself.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. He had to be joking. “No way. What if she finds out I’m starting a blog?”
I’d really be in trouble then.
“She won’t.” He stood, proving he was very much serious. “I’ll go talk to her then.”
“Excuse me?” I grabbed his bicep and yanked him back down. “What is wrong with you?”
“You’re tense just being in the same room as her. This is something you need to deal with.”
“I don’t need to do anything, Noah,” I snapped, my hand dropping to my glass. “There’s no reason to confront Victoria tonight.” I took a slow sip, letting the silence linger. “And please don’t ever fight my battles for me.”
Britney tried to pour some levity into the situation. “Don’t think you’re off the hook from my questioning, Hansley.” She pointed a manicured finger at his chest. “It’s your turn to prove to me you’re good enough for our Macey.”
“Can’t prove what isn’t true,” said Noah, simmering down. Victoria forgotten. “But I’m trying. ”
Britney sighed. “Good answer. I’m still questioning you, though. What is Macey’s favorite color?”
“Light blue.”
“What’s her favorite food?”
“Mint chocolate chip ice cream.” He pulled a disgusted look.
“And her biggest fear?”
Noah paused in contemplation. He looked down at me and said, “Confrontation.”
Well, ouch.
Ariadne pushed away Britney’s finger, which was still pointed at Noah. “Okay, okay. We’re here to celebrate your law internship offer, not turn into lawyers tonight. I’m going to get a drink.”
Nathan watched her go for a second and, before she reached the bar, downed the rest of his whiskey. “I’m getting a refill.”
I sipped my lemonade and pretended not to see Britney’s disappointed face. It wouldn’t last, though—she could get nearly any other guy in here if she tried.
She sighed dramatically. “How is it we’re celebrating me tonight, yet I’m the only one without male attention?”
“Don’t worry.” Kira placed her chin in her hands. “I’m getting some weird vibes from that guy.” She glanced at Noah. “No offense.”
Noah shook his head. “None taken.”
“Britney, I have no doubt that you’ll find someone to go home with tonight,” I said.
“Maybe.” She did a sweep of the room with her eyes. “Oh, that’s someone from my corporate law class. Be right back.”
By the bar, Ariadne and Nathan were engaged in conversation, voices too low for me to make out. Ariadne scowled; Nathan looked pleased.
A smile crept on Kira’s face as she leaned over the table toward me. “Three dollars that Nathan buys Ariadne a drink. ”
I studied Ariadne, whose crossed arms grazed the bar and expression was firmly set on the bartender. Leaning as far away from Nathan as possible. She was one of the most stubborn people I knew. If she hadn’t shown any interest in him by now, she wasn’t budging. “You’re on.”
“Is there a gambling problem I should know about?” Noah interrupted.
“The stakes are low enough not to be concerned,” I said.
He finished his beer. “Why don’t we see who’s the winner of your bet while I get another drink?”
“Sure.” I grabbed my lemonade and followed Noah. “Only because I like to win.”
“We’ll see!” Kira’s voice followed.
Noah tried to order a specific drink—some variation of a whiskey sour—but Bear only shook his head and said he knew a drink Noah would like more. Seconds later, a small glass was pushed in front of Noah.
Instead of heading back to the table, Noah sat down on a barstool, nudging for me to do the same. Oh. Okay. Alone at last. Just the two of us. Out in public, with our friends watching not so subtly from a distance. I could handle this like a normal person.
Just say something normal, Macey.
“Did you know that male whales tuck their genitals inside of them when they’re not mating?”
“Same,” said Noah.
Was I drunk? Was it possible to get drunk off of the drinks your friends consumed? Maybe when Noah blinked next, I could leap behind the bar and hide.
“What?”
“I’m kidding, Macey.” Noah’s smile, the one normally reserved for private occasions between us, appeared.
“Oh, of cou?— ”
“It’s too big to tuck anywhere anyways.”
Oh.
Great. Now I was thinking about Noah touching his genitalia. About me touching his genitalia. I hated the word genitalia. Cock. Penis. Dick. We should make the word genitalia illegal in sexy mind scenarios. It really dimmed the mood.
“Are you blushing?”
“No!” I turned my head away. “It’s just been a long week.”
Noah’s eyes softened. “Is it the comments again?”
Over the past few weeks, I had been inundated with comments from random people on Instagram. Mostly fans of Noah’s, but a few other stragglers too. Many people were positive and encouraging of our relationship, but some got…intense. Not in a good way.
My DMs were flooded with ignorant comments and immature insults about my appearance and intelligence. I’d come to the conclusion that ignorance, paired with access to anonymity on social media, was lethal.
More importantly, I didn’t understand the why behind the hate. If you wanted to hate me for my chipped fingernail polish or my inability to parallel park, sure, but supposedly hooking up with a guy was not a viable reason.
So yeah. The whole scenario sucked. Definitely wasn’t on my Bingo card when we agreed to fake date.
“Yes,” I said. “But it doesn’t matter. I don’t care what people think.”
Noah’s finger traced the rim of his glass, moving down to catch the condensation before it hit the top of the bar.
“It’s not always about not caring what other people think.
It’s about caring what the right people think.
You don’t have to make any changes based on the right people’s opinions, but they can put things into perspective. ”
“What do you think? ”
His finger froze on the glass, and he pushed it an inch away.
“I think if people on the Internet got the chance to know the real you, they’d never leave a mean comment again.
People don’t want to acknowledge their jealousy in a healthy manner, so they take it out on the object of it through insults, then convince themselves that person is the problem.
But you’re not the problem. You’re what they aspire to be, and they hate it. ”
There was a familiar sting in the back of my eyes. “Because they think I’m dating you.”
“No,” he said. “Because you’re a successful, independent woman. One who’s effortlessly beautiful. If only they knew that fake dating is a perk for me, not you.”
A laugh escaped me, a little wet and bubbly. “I wish everyone on the Internet was as nice as you’re being to me right now.”
“I can be nice to you as often as it takes to make you forget they’re not.”
My breath hitched, and for a moment, the rest of the world blurred into the background. I leaned my head against his shoulder, feeling the warmth of him against my cheek as he murmured, “But I have to insult you once more, though.”
“Huh?”
He laughed and pointed behind me, to where Nathan was handing Ariadne a drink. “You are horrible at taking bets.”
A smile crept onto my face, and I hid it in his shoulder, my laughter muffled against him. “Yeah,” I said softly, the words more for him than anyone else. “I really am.”