Page 21 of Rival Season
I’m not sure I believe him. I stare at him, waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the real reason he’d be my fake boyfriend.
Finally, Penn sighs. “Okay, fine. I hate your ex-boyfriend, and making him miserable is actually very fun for me.”
I nod. “There it is.”
“So, are you in or not?”
I worry my bottom lip, considering. “Yes, but I think we need some ground rules.”
“Rules make everything boring.”
“Rules make everything safer, thereforemorefun,” I snap back.
Penn chuckles as he gives me a sidelong glance. “Whoa, I bet you’re fun at parties.”
I look at his handsome, laughing face for a moment, then turn away to pull up the notes app on my phone. I title the new noteRevenge Dating Rules.
“Rule number one, no, um…” My cheeks heat. “Stuff.”
Penn grins. “You mean, like, bedroom stuff?”
My throat goes dry. “Yes.”
“Good luck resisting me,” he says with a wink.
I ignore his comment as I type in the rule, but feel a blush creeping up my chest. “And you can’t bring anyone else home, either. I’m sorry, but I don’t want Chadwick to see and think I’m getting cheated on. Again.”
“Of course not.” Penn looks genuinely taken aback. “I’ve been cheated on before, too, and I’d never do that to anyone I was with—real or fake.”
“And not, erm, seeing anybody else for that long isn’t going to be a problem for you?”
He laughs. “Bubbles, did you not hear a word I just said about all that stuff getting old?”
I’m still not sure I believe him on that, but I do believe he’s not the type to cheat. So I nod.
“Rule two…” I think. “What day will we fake a break up?”
Penn hums thoughtfully. “How long is Chadwick doing PT here?”
“He said six weeks.”
“Okay, well how about after that?”
Six weeks. That seems like a long time, but we also need enough time for it to be convincing, so Chadwick will give up and leave me alone. “Okay. Six weeks.” I type in our expiration date.
“Rule three,” Penn says with a teasing lilt. “Kissing and touching is allowed during times we’re in front of others and need to be convincing.”
“Kissing, like on the mouth?” My voice raises several octaves on the wordmouth.
Penn glances down at my lips. “Bubbles, if we were really together…there’s no way I wouldn’t kiss you every chance I got.”
I swallow, feeling suddenly quite warm. Are these bulb lights emitting heat? “Um, okay. But only when absolutely needed.”
“Rule four,” I say on an exhale. “You need to spend some time in my apartment. Especially while Chadwick is staying there.”
“Easy enough.”
“Are you scared of spiders?”
