Fake It Til You Make It

5

Esmeray came into work the next day after thinking long and hard about what Cameron asked of her. It didn't fully come to her in the moment but going home and seeing her parents still struggling and not allowing her to do anything to help made her decision just a bit easier.

"So, do we have a verdict?" Cameron asks her.

"You're dad owns this storefront right? And a few franchises?" Cameron nods his head in response. "I will do it. However, along with you being my slave, I need your dad to give my dad a job."

"So I gotta be your slave and get your dad a job?"

"You want me to be your fake girlfriend or not?" she raises her eyebrow.

Cameron glared at her. "Fine, done." Cameron sticks his hand out for a handshake but Esmeray ignores it and pulls a paper out of her back pocket.

"I have rules." Cameron drops his head, almost like he feels defeated. "Rule number one, there will be no feelings involved. This is a fake relationship, I still hate you and this ends when summer ends. Feelings are prohibited."

Cameron chortles. "I don't think you have to worry about that on my part."

Esmeray blinks and then takes a deep breath before continuing. "Rule number two, there will be no kissing, touching, or intimacy."

"How is that believable? I kiss random girls, it would be suspicious if I didn't kiss my girlfriend."

"You're a whore." she insults him. "If we must kiss or touch it will only be in public. And kisses are not to last for longer than three seconds." Cameron's expression looked amused, he found it funny how seriously Esmeray was taking this. "Rule number three," she begins again. "We have to be seen in public together— on purpose— so, we will go on two dates per week and they will only last for fifteen minutes." he stayed silent this time, he probably knew she would lay down another rule. "Lastly, no other relationships. You can't go out and flirt and kiss random girls. As hard as it is for me to say this, we have to do everything together. I need to convince my parents it's real too or else they'll assume I'm doing it to help them."

"Which you are," Cameron says.

"Anyway, that's all my rules. I'll need you to sign this paper." Esmeray slides the paper on the counter towards him and grabs a pen. He laughs but his smile fades when Esmeray stays dead-faced. He signs the bottom of the paper and slides it back to her.

"I have a few rules too." Esmeray nods. "We need to call each other by nicknames and pet names. Essy—"

"Hell no." she interrupts.

"Everyone knows that you only allow your closest people to call you Essy. I'm your boyfriend," Esmeray gags as he says the word boyfriend. She couldn't believe she was actually going along with this dumb shit. "I am now considered one of your closest people. I need to call you Essy, baby, babe, stuff like that."

Esmeray's face fills with disgust. This honestly felt like her worst nightmare. She had to parade around the city pretending Cameron Carter was her boyfriend after everything he'd done to her. "Only in public," she says sternly.

"Fine. Last one," he says before pulling his phone out. He opens the camera app and holds the phone in front of her face. "Come on, act like you like me, I need to have my girlfriend as my lock screen." Esmeray reluctantly forces a smile and Cameron takes the picture. "Now take one of me."

Esmeray groans and pulls her phone out to take a picture. He looks to the side and Esmeray lowers her phone slightly to look at him with confusion. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Take the picture. I want it to look off guard so people think you love me enough to take off-guard pictures of me."

"For fucks sake," she mutters and takes the picture. She didn't want to change her lock screen from a beautiful picture of Miami to a picture of Cameron Carter that she now had to look at every time she picked up her phone— which was more than she should— but she did it anyway. Maybe this will lower her screen time.

Cameron sticks his hand out again for a handshake. "Will you shake my hand now?" she looks at his hand and then back up at him. She rolls her eyes and places her hand in his and they shake. "So when are we having these two-per-week dates?"

"Maybe Saturdays and Sundays? The weekends are the busiest days, everyone will be everywhere. I can just get the 15 minutes over with and have my weekend to myself."

"It must be so hard to fake date me," he says bitterly.

"Have you met yourself?" Esmeray tilts her head.

"Whatever. Also, don't tell your friends that our relationship is fake."

"Why not? They'll never believe that I'm willingly dating you."

"Well, they're gonna have to. And that Ryan dude clearly likes you." Cameron says in a chilled tone. It caught Esmeray completely off guard. Her eyebrows furrowed and she looked at Cameron crazily.

"No he doesn't," she argues.

"He does. I guess you wouldn't know because you are oblivious."

"I am not oblivious." Esmeray protests, her tone slightly offended.

"Anyone would know he likes you, Esmeray. I bet Valentina knows too."

"She would've told me."

"Unless he asked her not to." she crosses her arms across her chest. "I was in middle school with you guys. He did everything for you, he stuck up for you, he followed you everywhere, and still does. He's in love with you."

"Or he's just a good friend?"

"Nah, that's not it. Ask Valentina." he shrugs. He didn't seem to care at all that he just casually said something that could possibly change her entire relationship with Ryan.

"I will ask her. Just so I can prove you wrong."

"You won't prove me wrong but knock yourself out." Cameron nudges her with his elbow. She couldn't wait to get off work and call Val and prove Cameron wrong just to wipe that smug look off his face.