Page 83 of Playing His Game

For once, Adam hadn’t blushed, and for what felt like the first time since this charade started, Mo had no idea what he was thinking.

They’d been back in Phoenix for a week—or Mo had, anyway. Adam got back just in time to catch a team flight out east for an extended road trip. That left Mo in the awkward position of trying to figure out what to donow. They’d agreed to fake break up, but beyond the fact that they’d be telling Adam’s parents first—something they hadn’t settled on a timeline for—they hadn’t ironed out the details. Mo half-hoped he could get Adam to agree to pretend it was a mutual decision and that they were still on good terms, but if Adam needed to make Mo the bad guy, well, it wasn’t like he didn’t deserve it. He couldn’t expect Adam to take the fall with his own family. He should get to have them on his side.

His fake side, because this was the fake breakup of a fake relationship. One they’d only started to reform Mo’s image long enough to stay on his parents’ good side, and to preserve Adam’s sterling reputation. It had worked. The breakup was earlier than expected, but surely, they could keep things publicly civil, and Mo could get out of this mess with what remained of his reputation—and his heart—intact.

Either way, Mo suddenly had time to kill and no convenient Adam to fill it with. That was probably what made him text the old club crew to go out for drinks at New Year’s.

It should’ve been fun—dancing, flirting, drinking. Mo had always enjoyed the attention he could get with a slutty little shirt and a pair of jeans that fit right. But even though a sloppy public midnight kiss would’ve been a good way to “organically” spread news of his breakup with Adam, he found himself turning away when Bruno went for it, and got a kiss on the cheek instead. He went home alone, almost sober, just after twelve.

Most of his “friends” didn’t notice.

Naturally, the one person he didn’t need commentary from chimed in first.

“Oh my God, what are you even doing awake at this time on New Year’s Day?” Sage gasped dramatically from the screen of Mo’s phone. “Wait, is itawake, orstill awake? That would make more sense.”

Mo poured himself a second mug of coffee. “Happy New Year to you too! Look at all the commentary on your life choices I’m not making.”

Sage laughed. “You love my commentary. Seriously, though. I haven’t heard from you since before Christmas. I’m glad you’re not dead. Text me someday, maybe.”

Yeah, okay, Mo could’ve done that. “Sorry. Christmas was a weird time.”

“Oh, I bet. First holidays with the in-laws.”

“Fakein-laws,” Mo protested. “Or, uh, they were. We fake broke up.”

Sage’s brows disappeared off the phone screen. “Didyou. A fake breakup and then a sober New Year’s Day.Somethingfishy’s going on.” They paused. “What’s with the breakup, anyway? Does your man think he met someone better? I can put a hit on him. I know people.”

“Take it down a notch, killer. I’m the one who said we should call it off.”

“Oh. No, that makes sense.”

Something about their tone made Mo think he ought to be offended. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He expected an eye roll, but Sage just shook their head. “Please, sweetie. Give me some credit. What excuse did you use?”

Fuck.Was blushing contagious? It couldn’t be, right? Mo’s cheeks just felt hot right now because… of the residual alcohol his body was still processing from last night.

Alcohol he hadn’t drunk enough of to blame.

“It was fake, and it wasn’t fair to let people think it was real.”

“Wasn’tfair.” Sage arched a brow.

Mo groaned. “They were reallynice, Sage. Like these are people who unironically decorate trees together and wear matching Christmas pajamas.” He couldn’t bring himself to look at the screen, to meet Sage’s eyes, even virtually. “They were excited about meeting me, about Adam having a boyfriend.”

“So you felt bad about lying to them.”

“The worst.” He finally looked at Sage. Their face was soft, understanding. So he found the courage to say the next bit. “But it wasn’t just the lying. They were gettingattached?”

“To you?”

Mo flinched. “To theideaof me. Adam went from never even telling them about a boyfriend to inviting his squeeze of three months for Christmas.”

“Ah, so you weren’t just the boyfriend, you were the one true love.”

His mouth twisted unhappily. “Pretty much.”

“I’m going to ask a question, and maybe I’m way off base here, and you can tell me to buzz off, but have you thought about, I don’t know, not-fake dating instead of fake breaking up?”