Player's Guide To Catfishing (PLAYBOOK #1)

CHAPTER 37: The warning bells of a wild fire

LIAM

"So you broke rule number one of fake dating huh?" Jessica's voice startles me in the kitchen.

"Jeez." I hiss but she just walks to the fridge and removes a glass of water.

"You are going to need the big man Liam," she looks at me sympathetically "because you have it bad."

"What are you on about?" I continue with mixing the batter.

"You," she gestures at the pancake batter and fruit. "You're in love with Vecker."

I freeze because her accent makes the words sound like sin, like it is against the law.

"Oh my goodness, you're in love with Odie?" She sounds more shocked the second time, like she is having an epiphany. "You're in love with your FAKE girlfriend."

"Jeez Jess, mind screaming it. I don't think America heard you." I frown and she scoffs. "What?" I scoff back.

So I might have some feelings for my girlfriend, does anyone blame me? You would too if you've been through half of the things we have.

"Liam—" Jessica gives me a look between worry and elation which confuses me because is she happy or scared.

"Morning!" America is back to her miss sunshine self.

She took a dark turn last night when she realized John B wasn't coming over like I did and what The Notebook is actually about. It was like when kids found out Santa Clause was not real, a little hard to watch.

"Hi." Jessica greets her the same time I nod.

"Huh." She also gives me a look before saying to Jessica, "so I wasn't wazzed out of my mind last night because of your meds. Oakwood's very own basketball captain and campus's biggest playboy actually brought donuts, cleaned the house and brought his fake girlfriend tampons?"

"And is now making her pancakes with fruit." Jessica points at the mess I made in their kitchen.

"I'm making breakfast for everyone." I point at the stacks on the counter but their faces don't change.

"Liam." Jessica touches my hand and I look up. "Just remember to go at your own pace okay?"

Something in my chest splits because it's that obvious that all this is one sided. That Odessa, no matter how hard I try, will never feel the same way for me.

"Maybe sex was a bad idea." America bites a strawberry.

No shit Sherlock but...

"Wait, you guys know?" I know Odessa and she couldn't have told them yet, unless "You heard us, didn't you?"

"Yep," they wince but still smirk at each other.

I open my mouth to apologize because we did get carried away at one point, but it closes the moment pale, long and narrow legs enter the room.

"Morning," Odessa smiles politely.

She is oblivious to how she just lifted up the room. To how my heart is threatening to jump out and run to her.

She is stretching, fate marks of my hickeys now less red than before as wet hair strands drip water down her neck.

Yep, sex was definitely a very bad idea.

ODESSA

(2 weeks later)

You know that feeling when someone is avoiding you?

You enter a room, they leave. You end up in the same space and they do everything and I mean everything to not acknowledge you.

Well, here I am at a party with Jessica and America. Where my fake boyfriend—who I haven't seen since the morning he stormed off in the name of an emergency—is avoiding me.