“Huh.” It was too late for me. My digital footprint was so large it could qualify for its own zip code. “Can’t relate.”
A smile flickered over his mouth. “Do we have a deal, then?”
“As long as you agree to my conditions as well.” This time, I was the one who smiled at his flash of surprise. “You didn’t think you were the only one who got to make the rules, did you?”
“Of course not.” Lazy amusement surfaced in his eyes. “What are your terms?”
I ticked them off on my fingers. The bartender was serving customers at the other end of the bar and no one was sitting near us, so I wasn’t worried about eavesdroppers.
“One, we engage in physical contact only when necessary. Handholding is okay. Kissing is permitted on a case-by-case status. No sex.” I peeked at Christian to see if that would be a dealbreaker. His expression remained impassive, so I continued.
“Two, we continue the arrangement as long as it’s beneficial to both of us. If either of us wants to end it for whatever reason, we give the other two weeks’ notice. And finally…” I took a deep breath. “We remember what this is. A fake relationship. That means no catching feelings and no falling in love with each other.”
I didn’t think Christian would fall in love with me, and I doubted I would fall in love with him, but it was good to set the right expectations. It kept things from getting ugly down the road.
A soft laugh rumbled from his throat. “I accept those terms. I’ll draw up the contract tonight.”
“A written contract seems like overkill.”
“I never make a deal without one.” He raised an eyebrow. “Is that a dealbreaker?”
Part of me wasn’t comfortable with a formal contract for something so fluid, but another part agreed it was the smart thing to do. It would lay out the ground rules in clear terms and protect both of us.
Just in case.
“No. A contract is fine.”
“Good. And don’t worry, Ms. Alonso.” Laughter remained in Christian’s voice as he lifted his glass to his lips. “I don’t believe in love.”
6
STELLA
March 13
I think I signed a deal with the devil.
Okay, that sounds a little dramatic, but you get the idea. Christian has been super nice and helpful since we met, but he didn’t get to where he is today by being all warm and fuzzy.
It’s been four days since we signed (I still can’t believe he made me sign a formal agreement, but I guess that’s why he’s a CEO). And every time I think about our first couple post, I feel a little sick.
I’d come to terms with having to lie to my followers, but my friends and family will see the post too. Well, not my parents, but Natalia will see it and she’ll tell Mom and Dad. And I’ll have to explain the sudden appearance of a boyfriend to my friends, who KNOW I don’t want a boyfriend. They’re going to flip out, especially Jules. She hates not being in on all the gossip.
Then there’s the matter of hiding Christian’s face when I make our official post. Maybe I can put an emoji over it. It’s so cheesy it could be funny…
Christian emoji ideas:
Devil (for obvious reasons)
Neutral face (basically his expression 80% of the time)
Heart face (makes sense if he’s supposed to be my boyfriend, but might be too cutesy?)
“I’m so happy we can catch up.” Jules sighed and popped a fry in her mouth. “I feel so out of the loop since I got back.”
Jules and her boyfriend Josh went on a weeklong trip to New Zealand a few weeks ago, and this was my first time seeing her since she returned. Between her demanding schedule as an attorney and Ava’s constant travels as a photographer for World Geographic magazine, it was hard for all of us to be at the same place at the same time.
We still scheduled at least one meetup every month, though, even if it had to be virtual. At least then, Bridget, who lived in Europe, could join.
Adult friendships took work and conscious effort to maintain, but the ones that stayed were the ones that mattered most.
That was why it was so hard to lie to Jules, Ava, and Bridget. They knew I’d been fired, but they didn’t know about Christian.
At the same time, I didn’t want to burden them with too many of my problems, and the longer I kept things from them, the less I wanted to explain why I hadn’t said something in the first place.
The fish tacos I ate for lunch churned in my stomach.
“You haven’t missed anything big.” Ava brushed a strand of hair out of her eye. “My life is just work and wedding stuff until October.”
Despite her casual words, her face glowed with excitement.
Her boyfriend Alex proposed last summer, and they were planning a fall wedding in Vermont. Knowing Alex, it would be the most lavish wedding the state had ever seen. He’d already hired the top wedding planner in the country to coordinate an army of florists, caterers, photographers, videographers, and whoever else was involved in the nuptials.
“Hmm.” Jules sounded disappointed that there wasn’t juicier news waiting for her. “What about you, Stel? Any chance you hooked up with a celebrity at an event? Won a million dollars? Got offered a trip to Bora Bora in exchange for pictures of your feet again?”
My laugh came out strained. “Sorry to disappoint, but no.”
Though I did get a fake boyfriend.
The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them along with the rest of my water.
I needed more time to process my situation before I discussed it with anyone else.
“Oh.” Jules pouted. “Well, the year’s still young. And oh my God, speaking of celebrities…” Her eyes lit up again. “You won’t believe who we saw at the airport on our way back to D.C. Nate Reynolds! He was with his wife…”
I relaxed into my seat as she rambled on about her favorite movie star. That was a safer topic than anything about my life.
The remnants of shame prickled my skin, but I consoled myself with the fact that I wouldn’t lie to my friends forever.
I’d tell them about Christian soon.
Just not today.
We stayed at the restaurant for another half hour before Ava had to meet Alex for some wedding thing and Jules went to “surprise” Josh after his shift at the hospital. I was pretty sure that was code for sex, but I wisely chose not to ask.
After we said our goodbyes, I took the train to Greenfield.
It was an hour-long ride from the city, and when I’d worked at D.C. Style, I had to rush here after work. Sometimes I didn’t make it; when I did make it, I usually only got ten or fifteen minutes with Maura before visiting hours ended.
That was one perk of being unemployed, I guess. I no longer had to take the train to and from the middle of nowhere at night, and I didn’t have to worry about not having time to see her.
I absentmindedly toyed with my necklace as I watched the city’s concrete sidewalks and European-inspired architecture give way to open fields and flatter land.
I hadn’t talked to Christian in person since our agreement, though he’d texted me the following day asking me to join him at a fundraiser.