Fake Dating The Enemy

2

Thomas

When Elizabeth showed up to my door with the news that her brother, my best friend since childhood, was engaged and marrying my ex girlfriend, I couldn't believe it. How could he do this to me? My hatred towards Elizabeth doesn't even compare to the way my blood boils at the thought of Luke doing this to me.

So, that is why I decided to address the idea of fake dating until after the wedding. Imagine the look on Luke's face when we tell him we're 'dating'. A smirk rises to my lips at the thought of telling him.

Elizabeth and I decided to tell him in person since he's home for the weekend. We are going to break the news at their grandparents' 50th anniversary party. We thought it would be the perfect time so we could say it face to face.

I fix the collar of my dress shirt and the doorbell goes off. I head to open the door, seeing Elizabeth standing outside. She's in a sparkly red dress that hugs her curves just right. If we hadn't spent so much time tormenting each other, there may have been a chance we could've had something real.

"I figured we could ride together. It might make it seem more real if we're seen getting out of the same car." She says, flashing me a smile.

"Yeah, that's actually a smart idea. I should drive, though." She raises an eyebrow. "It would make more sense. I could actually be a gentleman and open the door for you." She rolls her eyes.

"Do you even have it in you to be nice?"

"Hey now, we're supposed to be civil, remember?"

"Right. Should we go?" I nod, grabbing my keys and heading to her side before she gets there. I open the door, smirking at her.

"See, gentlemanly." She rolls her eyes and gets in. I smirk to myself before getting in and heading toward the venue of the party. "When we get there, we need to make this as convincing as possible."

"What did you have in mind?" She asks, a slight blush coating her cheeks.

"Well, it might do us good to be in each other's arms. We should be nice to each other, obviously."

"I can handle that." She says, flashing a smile at me.

"Can you?" I smirk.

"As long as you behave yourself."

"Me? Speak for yourself." I roll my eyes, and she sighs. "We really need to control this. Why is it so easy for us to hate each other?" I wish I could answer her. If I'm being honest, I don't know when this banter between us started. All I know is it's so easy to get under her skin.

"I- I don't know." I say, honestly. "It's good to get it out in private. This way, we can be better at faking this." She nods, not saying anything. I wish I knew what she was thinking.

We arrive at the party, and I find a place to park. She clears her throat before unbuckling her seatbelt. She gives me a look, and I get out of the car. I rush to her side of the car, looking around to find Luke watching me. I open the door, holding out my hand.

"Your brother is here. He's watching." I say, and she grabs my hand.

"It's showtime." She says. I smirk, and guide her out of the car. She links her arm in mine, smiling up at me. We stride across the parking lot, my eyes never leaving Luke's. He's pissed, I can tell.

"What's going on here?" He asks, directing his attention to Elizabeth.

"Nice to see you too, Luke." She says.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say something doesn't seem right about this. The two of you seem... friendly?"

"Well, I went to tell him about your engagement. One thing led to another, and we discovered we've both been using our hatred to hide our true feelings. So, we're giving this whole dating thing a chance."

"I don't believe this." Luke says, turning his attention back to me. "My sister? Seriously, Thomas? And just how long have the two of you felt this way about each other?"

"I've never not liked your sister, Luke. It all came down to the idea of you not supporting us. That is why I never mentioned it to you." Luke scoffs, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Right." Luke nods, knowing something is off.

"Oh, there's your parents and grandparents, sweetheart. Shall we go say hello?" I use this as a way to get us out of this conversation.

"We shall." She says, and we walk away from a clearly irritated Luke.

"Oh, Elizabeth! Thomas! We are so glad you both made it." Her mother greets us both with hugs. "Did my eyes deceive me or are the two of you... together?"

"We are." I say, her eyes lighting up.

"That's wonderful news!" She says, looking at her husband. "Honey, the two of them are dating!"

"I always thought there was something between the two of you. All the fighting and getting under each other's skin. It was easy to see there was something between the lines." How long have they thought this? I glance at Elizabeth, and she seems just as confused as I do.

"Don't hound them, Greg." Her grandmother says, looking at us.

"We are so happy for the two of you." She gives us both hugs and smiles. "How nice is this? Celebrating 50 years of being married, Luke is engaged, and now the two of you are dating."

"Couldn't be better." I say, flashing a smile at Elizabeth. I glance around and notice Luke keeping a close eye on us. "Care to dance, sunshine?" I ask, holding out my hand.

"Sure." Elizabeth smiles, taking my hand as I guide us to where a few other couples are dancing. "I didn't know you knew how to dance."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, sweetheart." A blush rises to her cheeks as I hold her close. Her arms wrapped around my neck. My hands on her lower back. If this isn't sealing the deal, I don't know what else would. "Have I told you how beautiful you look today?"

"Thomas, they aren't around. You don't have to lie."

"Who said I was? I told you I can be nice. Is it wrong if I pay you a compliment?"

"No, but it's weird when you've never done that before." I say nothing. She's right, it is weird. I don't know why I'm saying things I've never said before. "But thank you." She says, smiling at me. A small smile crosses my lips.

"You're welcome." I gently spin her around, causing her to laugh. I don't think I've ever heard her laugh before. Before I know it, everyone has their eyes on us. I lean down to whisper in her ear, "I definitely think we're selling it."

"Good. I think we can stop now." She says, smiling up at me. I nod, stepping away. As we walk over to the table to sit down, my eyes are drawn to the sight of Ashley walking in, finding her way to Luke.