Page 25 of Faking it For Summer

“I don’t know. I haven’t gotten there yet. We’ll see.”

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea, Mia, especially if?—”

“My gosh, Luke. Let me have some fun. You and Beatrice had fun recently, didn’t you?”

There’s silence on the phone.

My friends look at me with questioning eyes, and I whisper, “I’ll tell you after I get off the phone.”

“What did you just say, Mia?”

“Nothing. Hold on. Let me FaceTime you.”

I press FaceTime on the screen and wait for him to pick up. He answers after a couple of seconds, and I can see that he’s still in the office.

“Hey.” He glances at me, his eyes narrowing as he takes in my outfit. “Are you wearing a belly top?”

“It’s called a crop top.”

“But it’s showing your belly.”

“Yes, Dad. It’s showing my belly. I live in a beach town, where most of us show our bellies.”

I move the phone around so he can see how the other girls are dressed.

“Hey, everyone. Say hey to Luke.”

“Hi, Luke,” they all chorus.

“Hey, girls,” he says. “Have fun tonight.”

“We will,” Juniper says. “Can’t wait to see you.”

“Yeah, you too, Juniper. So, I have something to tell you.”

He sounds nervous, and all of a sudden, my heart drops.

“Oh shit. What is it, Luke?”

“Hey, I haven’t even told you yet. No need to sound like that.”

“It’s fine,” I say as a million different thoughts pass through my mind. Has he found a real date? Is he about to tell me that he doesn’t want to go with me? Is he about to tell me that he’s changed his mind?

I’ve been having so much fun, talking about and getting ready for this fake summer relationship, that I didn’t realize that it was taking the place of a real relationship.

I wonder what it would be like to really be in a relationship with someone who chose me—someone who wanted to go to this wedding with me as my partner, not just as my best friend.

I’m desperately single, and I hate it. I don’t even want to think about what it’s going to be like, being at the wedding by myself with Luke there with someone.

“Hey, what’s going through your mind, Mia? You look miserable.”

“It’s fine. What is it? Are you going with Beatrice or something?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Why are you calling? You’re not changing your mind, are you?”

“Why would I change my mind?” he asks, looking genuinely confused. “You mean because it’s not going to be aFifty Shades of Greycontract?”