Fake It Til You Make It

7

Not a thought went through her head while Esmeray was getting ready for work. But when it came time to leave, the realization that she couldn't call Ryan to get a ride kicked in.

Esmeray could drive herself but she hated driving. She didn't have the best experience with driving so it gave her major anxiety to even think about getting behind the wheel.

She didn't want to do this but she picked up her phone and called Cameron.

"Yo," he answers quickly.

"Are you at work already?"

"Nah, I'm about to leave though. What's up?"

Esmeray braced herself to ask this question. Cameron could respond with a cocky attitude and make Esmeray feel miserable which was not something she was looking forward to. "Can you come pick me up?"

"Yeah, sure. Text me your address," he replies calmly. She wasn't expecting such a quick and relaxed answer. There was no cockiness and that was extremely surprising.

Cameron arrived at her house about ten minutes later and she sighed drastically as she got in the car.

"So much for two days only for only fifteen minutes," he says. Essy rolls her eyes and pulls her snacks out of her bag. Cameron tried to grab a chip out of her bag but she shoved his hand away. "You don't have a license?"

"I do, I just don't like driving," Esmeray replied vaguely—she knew what was coming.

"Why?" he questioned.

She was dreading that question. Esmeray didn't plan on telling Cameron the reason behind her fear of driving but if they are going to be fake-dating for the rest of the summer, it's best if he knows the most important things about her.

"I was in a car accident with my cousin when I was 15. She was driving, some idiot rammed into the driver's side and she died. I couldn't get in a car for months after that. The only reason I even got my license was because my mom forced me to. Usually, Ryan would be my chauffeur but we aren't exactly in a good spot after the shit you pulled." Essy tells him. She was extremely proud of herself for not breaking down while telling him.

"I'm sorry that happened to you," he says with a genuine sympathetic expression.

Esmeray cringes. "Don't do that. No sappy shit, I'll put my big girl panties on and drive someday, just not today. Don't say sorry. Can we go?" she wanted to get the memory out of her head as quickly as possible. No time for condolences and whatnot, especially not from Cameron. She instantly regretted sharing that piece of information that she so desperately wanted to keep stowed away in the far back of her brain. Cameron didn't say anything else, just drove off as she asked.

~~~

Esmeray and Cameron barely spoke during their shift. She felt a little bad because she wasn't sure if how she came off earlier rubbed him the wrong way. Sometimes when she speaks it comes out wrong and no one can ever know her true intentions behind her words because she would never express it. Whatever way it came out was how she would leave it. He was probably just trying to be kind but if the conversation carried on the way he wanted, she would cry. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

Regardless of how Cameron felt about the conversation— which he wasn't too sure about himself— he still took her home. The ride was painfully silent, just as the one to work was. He pulled up to her house and they sat in silence for a few seconds while he was parked.

"What time should I pick you up tomorrow?" Cameron asks, breaking the silence between them.

"12 is fine." Esmeray answers while gathering her things and getting out.

Before she could close the door, Cameron called out, "Want a kiss goodbye?"

"Nope." Esmeray quickly replied before slamming the car door shut. She didn't take his question too seriously. That was probably his way of trying to break the tension between them.

Esmeray walked through her living room, waving to her parents on the couch as she passed by them on the way to her room. She pulled out her phone after having it on Do Not Disturb all day and finally went to see what people were saying on social media. Of course, everyone was freaking out about the post Cameron made. Neither of them had confirmed their relationship on social media so the rumors were just going to continue to fly until they did so.

She still found it hard to wrap her head around the entire situation. Out of all the notifications that flooded her phone, none of them were from the people she wanted to speak to the most. She attempted to call Ryan and Valentina but neither of them answered. If Esmeray had known that getting into a fake relationship with Cameron would've caused her best friends to stop speaking to her, she would've never done it. Or maybe she would've. At the end of the day, Esmeray will always put her family first. Getting her dad a job was the only thing on her mind at the time.

She decided to go back downstairs to talk to her parents. She snuggled up in between her parents and instantly felt peace. Every thought in her mind calmed and every fear of the situation with Cameron and her friends washed away when she felt the warmth of her mom and dad.

"How was work, Mija?" her dad asks her.

"Slow. How was your guy's night? I'm glad you guys went out together."

"It was great! Your dad knows exactly how to treat me. He got me those beautiful flowers on the counter." her mom responds, looking at her husband in awe as if she'd just fallen in love with him all over again.

Esmeray always wanted a love like her parents. They're high school sweethearts, they were Esmeray's example of what love should look and feel like. She wanted a high school romance herself at one point but going through her entire high school career single allowed her to fully indulge and be a teenager. On the other hand, it was hard for her to have to let go of that dream. Esmeray was surprisingly patient though. She didn't search for romance, she enjoyed being by herself. Frankly, the overwhelming feeling of having a partner and everything that came with a relationship consumed her. This summer she came to terms with the fact that she was most likely going to be alone forever. Or at least until she was in her late 20s to early 30s. Until then, she planned on living her best life. She wanted to travel the world, try new foods, and skydive, she just wanted to do crazy things and be able to sit on her front porch at 70 years old and reminisce on the crazy things she did when she was young.

That was the life she wanted for herself. That was the life she yearned for.