Columns : Barnaby Brooks Jr x Reader

Commes des Garçon

You'd never been a patient person, your parents would be perfect witnesses to attest to that fact. They learned quickly from the early years of having you to hide Christmas presents instead of leaving them under the tree for 25 days. In the past when they left gifts out in the open you treated the presents as advent calendars.
So it was surprising, even to you, when you waited for your date to show up three hours after the assigned time.
Checking your phone for an update for the thousandth time it showed no other notifications except for users thv and abcdefghi_lmnopqrstuv wxyz updating on Instagram. Sighing through your nose you decided to leave in thirty minutes to spare yourself from the embarrassment of still waiting as the restaurant closed.
"Your attention had returned back to the activity you had been distracting yourself with, turning the pyramid of wine glasses in front of you into sand. At some point of waiting you wondered if since you could control sand, could you condense glass back into it?
The activity kept you distracted from the ongoing stares and the far from inconspicuous cameras all on you. Ignoring the thought of everyone's eyes on you, you focused on your hand. Relaxing and clenching your hand you closed your eyes and steadied your breathing. Taking a deep breath in and releasing it.
A thunk startled you from the exercise. Alarmed your eyes flew open and darted to the waiter in front of you. He smiled sweetly and whispered a message to you:
"He's on his way, please stay a little more patient."
Unbeknownst to you the flared annoyance you felt made a crack upon the highest glass.
"Well he better be if he can send you instead of a call."
The waiter laughed before retreating to other nearby tables.
With the night getting later you held yourself to the promise of leaving in thirty minutes. But with the clock hitting 11:25pm you decided leaving five minutes early wouldn't hurt. After all you did wait three hours. As you stood up and began shaking out the static feeling going down your legs and feet. The next time blondey was late for a date you planned to leave 10 minutes after the set time.
Walking out after paying you were spun back into the direction you had intended on leaving.
" I hope you aren't planning on standing me up." Barnaby spoke through rushed breaths. You watched with confusion as his chest heaved up and down.
"You're one to talk, what happened to meeting at eight?" Your eyes traced over his appearance, your date had been wearing a burgundy suit with a white undershirt.
"Sorry me and the old man got caught up with a group of idiots stealing cars." Barnaby pulled a long piece of fabric from his pocket toward you.
"Could you help me with this?"
Playfully raising your eyebrow you took the tie from his hands and lifted the collar of his shirt.
"First you're three hours late and now you're underdressed? What will people think of you Brooks?"
"At least this let's everyone know I'm all yours."
Against your will a goofy smile spread across your face as you made a loop and tightened the tie around his collar. As you did so you focused on the burgundy fabric you missed him giving you a look over. A small smile that mirrored yours rested on his face.
"You look amazing tonight."
Pushing the collar back down and laying your hands on his shoulders you hummed back in agreement.
"Not even all the flattery in the world is going to get you out of being late."
"That smile says otherwise." He teased.
You slapped his shoulder, " I'll have more than just your feet under the concrete this time if we don't get into that building within the next ten seconds."
The cute blonde laughed and smoothly lifted a hand to one of yours that rested on his shoulders. Slipping his fingers, in a way that seemed to melt like butter, into yours he pulled you toward the restaurant. As he held the door open for you, somewhere in the back of your mind you wished he kissed the palm of your hand as he held it.

A different waiter sat you and your fake boyfriend down at the same table that had been reserved for you both earlier. As you were seated Barnaby stared at the small pyramid of wine glasses that were being cleared from the table. When the waitress finished cleaning away the glass she placed menus on the table and dismissed herself.
"Are you drunk?" Barnaby blurted out.
Resting an elbow on the table and leaning on the palm of your hand you sarcastically responded.
"I seemed pretty drunk fixing that tie for you didn't I?"
"I don't know... kiss me so we can find out." He said boldly.
"W-what?" You sputtered over the word, you felt as though the air was knocked out of you.
"We still have to make this look real, lean in and kiss me." Barnaby muttered through a fake smile. Your eyebrow twitched.
"Why don't you kiss me?" You responded, not wanting to give into his suggestion.
"Did you forget what it said in the file?"
You furrowed your eyebrows, there was a file? If there was you hadn't gotten it.

"Right." He sighed, "You stormed out and lost it."

      Barnaby leaned on the table, to others it seemed as though he was engaged in your appearance, trying subtly to get closer to you. "You're the shy one in the relationship, it would be more of an impact if you kissed me."
     You sucked your teeth and grabbed him by the collar roughly, your body trembling as you searched for the courage to look up.

  "(Y/n)."

     Your face burned with embarrassment and your heart fluttered. There were so many people watching and counting on this to be real. So many people who'd continue to watch until this dumb contract ran out.
     "Sorry." You felt your arms buckling from the weight applied to your elbows.
"I want to kiss you but it's just...everyone's watching so closely and I-"

      "(Y/n) look up at me."

     You lifted your head and stared at his green eyes. The only thing on his face you didn't want to mess up.
       "We can wait if that's what you nee-"
    You smashed your lips against his and hated it. Hated how everyone watched and filmed like this was live television. You hated the way his hand made its way to your cheek and caressed it. Even the way he could probably tell this was your first. Everything about it made you hate him, yet your heart had been flipping.