Page 36 of Between the Boards
“It’s not a rumour,” I say. “It happened.”
His eyes narrow. “Are you two…dating now or something?”
I wish I could say yes, just to see his expression; just to make him feel as shitty as he’s been making Kairi feel for years; just to?—
“Yes,” Kairi says, reaching forward and grabbing my hand with a death grip. “He’s my boyfriend.”
My brain short circuits and it takes everything in me not to react surprised. I lean back against the bar slightly, pulling her closer into me, and letting a smirk settle on my face as I watch shock and rage ripple across Zale’s face.
“Is that a problem for you?” I ask.
He ignores me and looks at Kairi. “Can we talk?”
“She’s busy,” I cut in, “and your girlfriend is waiting for you.”
I lift my bottle in Alessia’s direction, who’s watching this all play out from her seat.
“She’s not my girlfriend,” he hisses, looking over his shoulder to see if she heard him, and I can’t help but chuckle and shake my head in disbelief.
“Sure, whatever you say.”
“Kairi,” he tries again.
She exhales. “We can talk tomorrow before practice.”
Zale presses his lips into a thin line, surprised to hear her say no to him, and I’m so glad I’m here to witness this monumental moment. He hesitates, then nods stiffly and returns to his spot next to Alessia.
Once I’m sure he isn’t looking, I let go of Kairi and slowly turn back around. “So apparently I’m your boyfriend now.”
“I’m sorry,” she says quickly. “I panicked.”
I study her. “What’s the plan here, Kai?”
“Well,” she twists a curl around her finger. “What if we just…fake date?”
I almost choke on my drink. “Are you joking, or are you being serious?”
“It makes sense. You can teach me everything I need to know about dating without me needing to go on a million dates with random guys, and it’ll make Zale jealous.”
I stare at her with my lips parted and brows raised because this is a terrible idea. Areallyterrible idea. It’s no secret to eitherof us that we have chemistry, and this could blur the lines of our friendship too much.
And yet…if I agree to this, I’d be close to her all the time. I’d be able to touch her, kiss her, and call her mine—even if it’s just an act. This might be the only version of dating her I’ll ever get, so why would I say no? I stare into her hopeful, hazel green eyes, and when she flutters her lashes I know I don’t stand a chance.
“I’ll do it,” I say slowly. “On two conditions.”
She goes still and looks at me cautiously. “What’re the conditions?”
“We only do this for the summer,” I say. “And we don’t have sex.”
She blinks, surprised, but nods. “I can agree to those terms.”
“Then you have yourself a boyfriend.”
I hold out my pinky and she smiles softly as she hooks hers around mine.
“And you have yourself a girlfriend.”
My chest tightens at her words, and I force a smile in return.
