Chapter 27 This Could Be Real
Twenty-Seven
This Could Be Real
Miles
After Nora leaves, I stay at the bench a little longer.
I don’t have much experience with dating or relationships, but part of me knows what she said wasn’t the whole truth.
She’s guarded—that much I understand. Maybe this was her way of protecting herself.
Or maybe I’m just clinging to what I want to believe, and the reality is simpler: she doesn’t like me, and it really was all pretend.
By the time I reach my car, my chest is still tight.
I sink into the driver’s seat and sit there, hands slack on the steering wheel, my forehead resting against the cool leather.
The chill seeps into my skin. Nearby, a car door slams, tires crunch over gravel, life keeps moving while I stay frozen, trying to breathe through the hollow ache settling in my ribs.
What I felt was real. All of it. This started as an arrangement.
Lessons in exchange for taking her mom drone flying.
And now the arrangement is over. I’m technically free to pursue the woman I started all of this for, and I don’t know if I can.
Not when the person I actually want is the one I’m supposed to be letting go.
I straighten, roll my shoulders back, and force a breath through the disappointment.
I wish I could rewrite the whole situation.
No—that’s not true. I wouldn’t change a single moment with Nora.
Beyond teaching me how to date, she taught me how to be comfortable with myself.
That’s something I couldn’t have learned without her.
There was a moment—a tiny flicker—when she was kissing me and I thought This could be real. But I knew better. I don’t want to practice with anyone else or use what she taught me on anyone else. I want Nora.
I close my eyes, and all I see is her—her bright smile, flushed cheeks, her sweet laugh. How her fingers would curl in my shirt. The way she whispered my name.
I’m falling for her.
No.
I’ve already fallen.
On my way home, I stop by the library to return the books I borrowed earlier. I’m lining them up with the return slot at the front desk when Maggie appears from around the corner. She’s wearing one of her signature soft sweaters and a warm smile.
She lights up when she sees me. “Miles! Hey!”
I give her a smile in return. “Hey. I’m just… returning these.”
“You can leave them on the counter.”
I set the books down beside another stack, suddenly aware that my palms are sweating for no clear reason.
She studies me for a moment, head tilting slightly. “You look different.”
I laugh, a little too quickly. Can people tell? Is there some invisible sign hovering over me that says. I recently had sex? “Good different or… just different?”
“Good. Definitely good.” Then she hesitates, fingers twisting together. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask… are you free sometime to go on another date?”
My pulse jumps. “Oh?”
“Yeah.” She shrugs lightly. “Our first two dates were awkward, but more nervous-awkward than wrong-awkward. I kind of wondered if it was just bad timing.”
For a long time, Maggie was the answer. She was the woman I built up in my head back when I believed love was something that grew slowly, earned through time and familiarity.
But Nora was never careful or safe in that way.
She didn’t show up—she crashed into my life and rewrote the rules. And that made all the difference.
“Yeah,” I say, nodding even though I’m not entirely sure what I’m agreeing with.
She shifts her weight, glancing down at the cup in her hands. “Maybe third time’s the charm? Dinner this weekend?”
There it is. The offer I used to want. The woman I once thought was the goal. The endgame. Saying yes should be easy. But it isn’t.
My answer comes without hesitation. “Maggie. You’re wonderful.” Her eyes soften, as if she already knows what’s coming. “But… there’s someone else I like.”
And finally, I know which fork in the road I want to take.
She gives me a small, sad smile, but there’s no bitterness in it. “Oh. Well, she’s a really lucky girl.” She touches my arm, friendly and sincere. “Take care, Miles. And if it doesn’t work out, you have my number. Even if it’s just to talk—as friends.”
“Thanks.”
I leave the library and step out into the cool air. The weight in my chest shifts—not gone, not healed, but no longer trapped. Because even if Nora doesn’t choose me, I know exactly what I want. Who I want.
Trey’s voice echoes in my head. When the time comes, you’ll know who you want.
And I do.
It’s Nora. Even if she never chooses me back.
The moment I walk into Mallory’s house, I know I’m screwed.
Melanie is at the stove, stirring something that smells incredible.
Mallory is on the floor with her kids, toys scattered around them.
My dad is half asleep in the armchair, pretending he isn’t listening to every word.
All the usual noise crashes around me. Everything that’s comfortable, familiar, and safe.
My mom’s voice carries from the kitchen. “Miles! You’re late—where’s Nora?”
I freeze with one foot still in the entryway, jacket halfway off. “She’s not coming.” Five heads turn at once.
Melanie squints. “Is she sick?”
Mallory folds her arms. “Did you forget to text her?”
My mom steps into the doorway, dish towel in hand. “Did something happen?”
I swallow. It felt real in the moment, but pretending it was fine now would just be another lie. “I need to tell you all something.” The room quiets. I move to the edge of the couch and sit, rubbing my palms against my khakis. “I messed up.” All eyes are on me now.
Melanie straightens. “What happened?”
“Nora and I…” I pause, then push through. “We haven’t been honest with you.” The silence thickens as they wait. “Nora and I,” I finish, my voice steady even as my heart pounds, “weren’t actually dating.”
Mallory blurts, “What?”
My mom’s mouth falls open. “Miles.”
“It was fake,” I say quickly because once the word is out, there’s no pulling it back. “The whole thing.”
My dad cracks an eyelid. “Fake how?”
“I joined OneDate,” I explain. “I matched with someone, but she bailed. Nora ended up showing up instead.”
“You joined a dating app?” Mallory asks.
“It’s not a traditional dating app,” I say with a sigh. “It’s for people who are tired of the ‘why are you still single’ questions and don’t want to explain themselves.”
Melanie’s voice is careful. “So… you lied.”
My pulse stutters. “Yes.”
“To all of us,” she adds.
“Yes.”
My mom sits across from me, her eyes searching my face. “Why?”
The question hits harder than I expect. I swallow.
“Because for once, I didn’t feel like awkward Miles.
For once, I didn’t want to show up alone.
” My voice wobbles, but I keep going. “Mallory has Ben. Melanie has Randy. Everyone’s married with kids except me.
I guess I got tired of being the odd one out. ”
The room goes still.
“After the birthday party,” I continue, staring at my hands, “I felt like I finally fit. I wasn’t single Miles anymore. And it felt… good.” My head drops. “I’m sorry I lied. I know how much you all liked Nora.”
Mallory stands as toys clatter around her feet. Her hands clench at her sides. “You lied to us. You let us get attached. You let me get attached. You invited a stranger into our home, repeatedly. We hugged her.”
“I know—”
“No.” She shakes her head, already backing toward the hallway. “I need a minute.”
She storms off. My mom hesitates only a second before following her, murmuring her name softly as they disappear down the hall.
The house feels hollow without Nora. I feel hollow without Nora. My gaze drops to the carpet. I messed up—with Nora, my family. A few silent minutes pass. Then Mallory comes back, eyes a little red, jaw set as if she’s already fought this out with herself. She walks straight to me.
“I’m mad. You hurt us.” She exhales, shoulders dropping. “But I also get it. And I hate that you felt like you had to pretend to belong.”
I stand and wrap my arms around her. “I’m sorry.”
“And you?” my mom asks softly. “What do you want?”
I exhale and sit back down. “I enjoyed spending time with her. More than I expected.” My throat tightens.
“I wanted to keep pretending because it felt good. Because I enjoyed it. But somewhere along the way, I fell for her.” My voice cracks.
“She doesn’t feel the same way. I didn’t want you all thinking I had this perfect relationship when I don’t. ”
Melanie snorts. “That’s what you’re confessing?”
I blink. “What?”
She sits on the couch next to me, resting a hand on mine. “Miles, not one single thing about you and Nora looked fake. You can’t fake chemistry. If so, give that woman an Oscar. All of them.”
Mom nods immediately. “You brought her into our family and she fit—seamlessly. You looked at her like she’s something worth holding on to.
You listened. You watched. I’ve never seen you relax like that with anyone.
And I don’t know everything about Nora, but I know she looked at you the exact same way. ”
My dad lets out a quiet chuckle. “Son, I knew the moment you sat down at that picnic table with a slice of cake that you were already done for.”
My voice drops. “Done for… what?”
“For her.”
The room feels too small for my heartbeat. My mom steps forward and takes my hands in hers. “Do you like her?”
The answer comes instantly. “Yes.”
No one looks surprised. There’s only a soft, collective understanding.
“Then what’s the problem?” Melanie asks.
I blow out a deep breath. “She thinks I’m too good for her.”
My mom’s grip firms on my arm. “Oh, Miles. That poor girl has no idea what she brings with her when she walks into a room.”
“She thinks she’s too messy,” I whisper. “Too unfinished. Too broken.”
My dad shakes his head. “Then you tell her the truth.”
I look up. “Which is?”
“Love doesn’t show up when you’re finished. It shows up when you find someone willing to help you finish it.”
The tension inside me breaks. They never saw fake. And I finally know exactly what—and who—I’m fighting for.