Fake Dating The Enemy

19

Elizabeth

We were supposed to leave twenty minutes ago. We have a long drive ahead of us. Today's the day we need to leave for Florida.

"Thomas, we're going to be late." I say, his lips still placed on mine.

"It's only a five hour drive. Just a little longer." He mumbles, pulling me closer to him. "I just can't get enough of you." I giggle, trying to push him away.

"We have to go." He looks at me, longingly.

"What's the rush?" His hands are still wrapped around me.

"We have to be at their place in time for dinner." I say, pecking his lips. "Do you want to hear Luke's rambling if we're late?"

"No." He says, groaning. "Can't we just kiss a little more?"

"We have plenty of time for kisses," he smiles, going in for a kiss, but I stop him. "Later."

"You're the worst."

"You won't be saying that later." I wink at him, dragging him along so we can get on the road.

"What do you mean by that?" He asks, a smirk lying on his lips.

"If we get there on time, you'll find out." He chuckles, grabbing our luggage and throwing it in the car. He grabs my hand, pulling me back and pinning me against the car. "Thomas." I say, breathless.

"We have a five hour drive ahead of us. I need something to tie myself over." He crashes his lips to mine, his hands tightening on my waist. I wrap my arms over his shoulders, relaxing into the kiss. He rests his forehead on mine, his breathing ragged. "I think that'll suffice for now." I giggle, giving him one more small kiss before we get in the car.

"I have dibs on music." I say, earning a playful eye roll from him. He begins to drive off as I put on my playlist.

"I should've brought headphones." I playfully slap his arm.

"My music is not that bad." I turn the volume up, singing way off key.

"Wow, so talented." He laughs as I slap his arm again. "I'm only joking."

"Mhm." A smirk lays on his lips. "You only wish you could sing this good." I continue singing off key, and he laughs.

"Oh yeah, if only." I roll my eyes, ignoring him.

*

Three hours into the trip, my phone starts to ring. I grab it, seeing Luke's name flash across the screen.

"Hey Luke." I say, putting him on speaker.

"Oh thank god I get a break from the singing." Thomas says, and I shoot him a look.

"Elizabeth are you making him go deaf?" Luke asks, laughing.

"Why is this pick on Elizabeth day?"

"Sorry, babe." Thomas says, rubbing his hand on my thigh.

"Anyway, I was just checking in to see how your drive was going." Luke says.

"It's been fine. There's not too much traffic so far. We have about two hours to go."

"Perfect. You guys should be here just in time for dinner, then." Luke and Ashley planned a big, fancy dinner for the four of us to celebrate all of us being together again.

"Yes, we will be there on time. I promise." I say, my voice sincere.

"Alright, drive safe. I'll see you guys soon." We hang up, and Thomas clears his throat. I look at him, and he offers me a smile.

"Don't smile at me like that."

"Come on, don't be mad at me."

"I'm not." I say, cracking a smile. "I don't want this turning into something it doesn't need to be."

"Agreed." He says, grabbing my hand and placing a kiss to it. "I'm really excited to spend time with you in Florida. I think this will be good for us."

"I think so, too. It'll be a nice change of scenery."

"Maybe there will be a chance for us to have some alone time." He winks at me, causing me to turn bright red.

"Time will tell." I say, trying not to look at him.

Little does he know what I have planned. Well, it's not so much a plan, but a goal. We have a whole month until the wedding, and I refuse to wait that long before we are intimate with each other. It's getting harder every day to try to avoid my craving for him. If we could do it in this car right now, I think I would. I just hope there's a moment where the timing is perfect.

"What are you thinking about?" Thomas asks, taking me from my thoughts.

"Oh, nothing." He smirks at me, knowing when I'm hiding something. "I do have to pee. So, if we could stop somewhere soon that'd be great."

"I can take the next exit, and we can stop." He pulls off onto the exit and finds a gas station. "You want a drink or anything?" He asks as I basically run inside.

"No, thank you." I run to the back and go inside the restroom. I breathe a sigh of relief. I go out to wash my hands, and my phone begins to ring. I dry off my hands and grab it, thinking it would be Luke again, but a different name comes across the screen. "Conrad?" I question, answering the phone.

"Elizabeth." He says, breathless as if he didn't think I'd answer.

"What do you want?"

"I... I was just wanting to see how you were."

"I don't think it's any of your concern." I can't believe he called me. It's been so long since the night he walked away from me.

"Listen, you don't need to be rude. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for how things went down between us. I've been thinking about you a lot lately, and I wanted to try to rekindle our relationship."

"Let me stop you right there. I'm seeing someone. So, no." How could he have the audacity to just, all of a sudden, want to come back into my life?

"You're with him. Aren't you?"

"Not that it's your business, but yes, and it's all thanks to you." The call ends, and I put my phone in my pocket before exiting the bathroom. Thomas stands outside the bathroom door, waiting for me.

"Feel better?" He asks, smirking at me. I throw my arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. He grips my waist, pulling me tight against him. I never thought I'd be the girl to make out with someone in a random gas station, but here I am. "Well, hello." He says, breathless.

"Sorry." I say, and he shakes his head.

"Never apologize. Especially for moments like that." He places a soft kiss on my forehead. "Everything alright?"

"No, actually." He raises his eyebrows, and I take a deep breath. "Conrad called me. He tried to apologize and wanted to rekindle what we had. I told him no. I told him I was with you. He hung up after that, but I have such a bad feeling about it."

"What? Like he'll show up and do something?"

"I don't know." He pulls me in for a hug, rubbing a hand over my back before stepping back so I can look at him.

"It doesn't matter. I'm here, and I won't ever let him hurt you." I nod, giving him a soft kiss. "Come on, let's get back on the road. We don't have much farther to go." I take his hand as we head back out to the car. Maybe it was pointless to tell him he called me, but I wanted to be honest with him. I don't want any secrets between us even if they're small. He means too much to me. I won't let anyone or anything come between us.