Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JESSICA
“Talk about a long day.” I sigh as I sit down on the bench and just breathe, letting the adrenaline that’s been coursing through my body for the last twelve hours seep out of me.
Today wasn’t a bad day, per se. There weren’t any big accidents or casualties—and thank God for that—but the flu season is here, and it’s showing.
I lean my head against my locker and close my eyes for a moment, feeling my muscles relax. When my eyes open again, I find Aiden looking at me with a contemplative expression.
“Do you think somebody would mind if I just crashed here for the night?” I ask, the corner of my mouth tipping upward.
“Eva just came in before you, so…”
“Ugh… That girl. I swear, some days I don’t understand how she chose this profession.”
“You and me both.” Aiden grabs the back of his shirt, but before he starts to pull it off, I get up and turn to my locker, retrieving my bag. I’m just debating how much I want to change out of my uniform when my phone buzzes on the bench. I check the message, groaning out loud.
Mae:
Don’t forget about our Pilates class.
Jessica:
Can we not?
Mae:
We have to. We canceled the last one. We can’t do it again. That shit’s expensive.
Jessica:
I know.
Mae:
Besides, I need to get some of this frustration out of me.
Jessica:
Bad day?
Mae:
I’ll tell you all about it.
Meet you in thirty?
Jessica:
Fineeeeeee.
My friend sends me a stream of celebratory emojis, making me shake my head.
Exiting the message, my gaze drops to the other thread, and my stomach constricts just from thinking about it.
About him. He hasn’t said anything back after that last message, and I don’t know what to make of it.
Is he upset by what I said? Does it even matter?
If he didn’t want to do this, he could have just said so.
Pressing my lips together, I drop my phone into my bag. When I turn around, I almost run into Aiden.
“Sorry about that.” I chuckle softly and shoot him an apologetic smile, but his face stays serious. I place my hand on his arm. “Hey, are you okay? You aren’t coming down with this flu, are you?”
When he doesn’t answer, I place my hand on his forehead, testing it for fever, but he seems fine.
“No, it’s… umm… I wanted to talk to you about the other day.”
The other day? What is he…?
The words trickle away as the realization sets in, and my hand falls.
Shit.
He wants to talk about that day.
I shake my head, my cheeks heating. “Aiden…”
“No, let me say what’s on my mind,” he says quickly. “I’ve been thinking about what your friend said, and I think she’s right. Guys like Damien, you cannot reason with them.” He presses his lips together, making the muscle in his jaw tic. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I can do it.”
“What?”
“Be your boyfriend,” he says, his eyes fixing on me as he waits for my reaction. “We’ve been friends since college, so nobody would think twice about it if we started dating.”
Shit.
Talk about a curveball.
“Oh.” I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and just stare at him, unsure of what to say. How to react. His offer is very sweet, but I can’t imagine myself dating Aiden. Not even fake dating. He’s a good colleague. A good friend. I graze my teeth over my lower lip. “Aiden, that’s—”
“It doesn’t have to be for long,” he adds quickly before I can finish. “Just until he realizes it’s over, that you two are done, and he stops bothering you. I—”
“That’s very nice of you, and I really appreciate your offer, but I have it figured out.”
He just watches me for a second, and I can see the exact moment he connects the dots. “So there’s somebody else?”
My cheeks are burning hot, but I refuse to lower my face. “Yes.”
“Who?”
“A… friend,” I finish after a heartbeat, when I can’t come up with a better way to explain my relationship with Matthew. I glance over his shoulder, making sure we’re still alone before continuing, “We both realized it’s beneficial for us. It’ll just be for a short while. Fake.”
“Fake.” He nods slowly.
“Yes, but thank you so much.” I place my hand on his arm, giving him a squeeze. “You’re a good friend, and I appreciate you doing this.”
He clears his throat. “Yeah, of course.”
With one last pat, I pull my hand back. “I need to go now. Mae will kill me if I don’t get to our Pilates class on time. But I’ll see you next week?”
“I’ll be here.”
With one last smile in his direction, I grab my bag and make my way out of the building.
The drive into town doesn’t take long, but the whole conversation made me run late as is, so I’m rushing into the changing room. Thank God for an extra gym bag that I carry in my trunk.
After a quick change and refilling my water bottle, I run into the class and spot Mae in the back of the room, an empty spot next to her.
“You’re late.”
“Well, it’s all your fault, as a matter of fact.”
Mae’s brows quirk up, but the instructor starts the class before I can tell her more, so for the next hour I focus on the class, trying to seamlessly sync my breathing, posture, and movements.
Pilates isn’t about power but connecting your mind and body, which is what I love most about it.
Don’t get me wrong, some days I question my sanity as we’re going through the exercises, but it isn’t just aimless pumping and trying to race to see who can get in the most reps.
By the time the instructor wraps up the class, I’m covered in a fine layer of sweat, my mind feeling a bit clearer.
“You know, I’m glad you forced me to come today,” I say as I take a long pull of water from my bottle.
“You and me both. Now, how exactly was I responsible for you being late? You had plenty of time when I texted you.”
“Well, I would have had plenty of time if Aiden hadn’t stopped me to tell me he’d do it.”
Mae’s brows connect. “He’d do what?”
“What you suggested the other day.” I give her a pointed look.
That furrow deepens before her mouth falls open when it finally hits her. “No way. Really? He told you he’d fa—”
I press my hand against her mouth to stop her from finishing. “Not everybody has to know.”
Talk about embarrassing. I can already hear the gossip about poor Jessica Richards needing to pretend to date a guy to get rid of her ex. It might be true, but I could totally do without the whole world knowing.
“Fine,” she mumbles against my palm, and pushes my hand away. “So?”
“So what?”
“So, did you take him up on it? Don’t hold out on me now!”
I just stare at her, incredulous. “He’s my colleague! No, of course I didn’t take him up on it.”
“Well, I guess I can see what you mean,” Mae agrees reluctantly. “I always thought the guy had a crush on you, and—”
Wait, what?
“What are you talking about?”
Mae quirks her brow at me. “Aiden, of course. I can see how things would get awkward during the lunch break after breaking it off.”
I shake my head. “You’re—”
The sound of leather hitting the flesh makes our heads snap up. All the air rushes out of my lungs as my eyes connect with a familiar brown gaze.
And he looks pissed.