Fake Fiancé

No Such Thing As Normal Anymore

Joe's breath got caught in his throat when he looked up and saw Isabella walking into the office. He continued to watch her as she put her bag under her desk and took off her jacket, draping it over the back of her chair. He glanced down, his eyes instantly landing on her fake engagement ring.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw that she was still wearing it. The longer he stared at it, the more he thought that maybe his Mom was right. Maybe he did want that ring to be real. . .

"Sorry, I'm late," Isabella whispered, her eyes on the ground.

"I don't care," Joe said, cutting her off. "I don't care that you're late, Isabella. I care that you're safe."

Joe walked over to her and hesitantly took her hand. He let out a sigh of relief when she didn't pull away.

"Isabella," he whispered, waiting for her to look up at him. When she did, he took a deep breath and continued, "I'm not mad. I'm not mad that you took off. I was worried about you, Isabella."

"I'm sorry," she said under her breath. "I didn't mean to make you worry."

"I'll always worry about you, Isabella," Joe said quickly. "And not because I'm supposed to worry about my fiancé. I'll always worry about you because I've gotten to know you over the past few months and I care about you."

"Joe," she said, her voice slightly breaking. His heart sank when she pulled her hand out of his and instantly wrapped her arms around herself.

"I'm sorry for running out," she continued. "I know I should've called you and let you know where I was staying. I was at a hotel not far from our. . . the house. I don't really know why I ran. I just. . . I got a little nervous. It all just got a little overwhelming. I didn't know we were going to get physical."

"You ran because I kissed you?"

"I was caught off-guard," she stuttered. "I didn't know. . . It's a little confusing."

"Isabella," he said gently. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. . . I shouldn't have kissed you. I promise that nothing else will happen."

He thought about it before adding, "You know, you aren't the only one who got a little confused."

"I'm not?"

"No," Joe confessed. "You're not."

* * * * *

Throughout the day, Joe constantly caught himself watching Isabella. He didn't even care that he wasn't getting any work done. There was a tension between him and Isabella that he hated.

At lunch, Isabella finally went back into Joe's office. She stood in his doorway and hesitated.

"Are you alright?" Joe asked.

"Would it be alright if I went to lunch with an old friend?" Isabella asked, not looking at Joe.

"Of course," Joe said lightly. "Not a problem."

When he saw how nervous she was, he added, "Paul can drive you, if you'd like."

He watched as Isabella hesitated. "Sure," she finally said. "Thank you, sir."

She turned on her heel and left. Joe watched her grab her things and quickly leave the office. He sat back in his chair, his heart sinking when he realized something.

"You haven't called me 'sir' since before I fake proposed."

* * * * *

"Hi, Mom."

"You sound tired," she said gently. "Everything okay?"

"Isabella showed up for work today."

"That's great," she chuckled. "Is she okay?"

"No," Joe sighed. "I don't know. She'll barely look at me. I hate this."

"Joe," Lily tried to interrupt her son.

"This tension," Joe said through his teeth, "I hate it. I hate that she won't look at me. I hate that she won't talk to me. I hate that it's awkward. You were right, Mom. I don't want this to be fake anymore."

"You should tell her, Joe," his mother said like it was obvious. "If you truly care about her that much, she deserves to know."

"How do I tell her?" Joe sighed. "How do I tell her how I feel about her? Before this fake wedding, I only spoke to her about work. I hate to admit this, but she was just my assistant. She answered my phone, scheduled my meetings, brought me my lunch."

"And now?"

"Now. . ." Joe hesitated. He knew what Isabella was to him. He just wasn't sure he could admit it.

"Now I think I'm in love with her."