Fake Dating The Enemy

32

Thomas

When Elizabeth places her hand in mine, my heart skips a beat. Her hand is soft and warm, and it reminds me of how long it's been since I've held it. Of course, that is my fault. I lead us to the dance floor, my hands resting on her waist. She hesitates before wrapping her arms around my shoulders.

"Thomas-"

"Shh." I say, interrupting her. "Let's just dance." She nods, hiding her face in my chest. I hold her close, but not too tight. I don't want her slipping away from me. I glance around while we sway back and forth and notice Luke and Ashley watching us. Luke gives me a soft smile which I return and then I glance down at Elizabeth. Her eyes are closed, a small smile resting on her face. As if she senses me watching her, her eyes open and she lifts her head to look at me.

"I'm sorry." She says, and I give her a confused look. "For not kissing you last night."

"Elizabeth-" She shakes her head.

"I wanted to. I really did, but I can't take the risk of getting hurt again."

"I would never make that mistake again." I say, and she opens her mouth to speak, but I take the opportunity to spin her around as the music increases in tempo. As the music slows down, I spin her back towards me, dipping her. As we slowly stand back up, her eyes move to my lips and then back to my eyes. I lean in, hovering my lips above hers.

"I- I'm sorry. I can't do this." With that, she breaks away from me and rushes towards the entrance of the venue. My heart screams at me to go after her, but my feet are glued to the floor. I can't blame her for running away. I deserve this.

"Thomas." I look to see Luke and Ashley standing next to me. "Go after her."

"I don't deserve a second chance." I say, and Ashley shakes her head.

"God damnit, Thomas. Go!" She says, practically shoving me towards the door. I rush outside, looking around frantically for any sight of her. My eyes lock with hers as she stands next to an open door of an uber. She gives me a look that says she's sorry, and she gets in, leaving me standing there on the sidewalk absolutely heartbroken.

Elizabeth

Why do I keep getting myself in these situations? My heart aches more now than it ever did. As the uber takes me back to the house, tears cascade down my cheeks. If I would've kissed him last night or even tonight, I would've been sucked back into the hold he so easily has on me.

"Thank you." I say to the driver as I get out of the car. I walk inside the house, wondering if I should just go to bed. Instead, I take off my shoes, sitting them by the back door that leads down to the beach. The warmth of the sand feels satisfying between my toes as I walk towards the water. I stand at the edge where the water barely reaches my toes. For a warm night, the water has a slight chill to it. It feels nice. I take a few steps into the water until it's ankle deep. A few more steps, and I'll risk the waves pulling me under. Before I can go any further, a familiar voice calls out.

"Elizabeth." I turn, seeing Thomas standing only a few feet away from me. His suit jacket lays over his arm and he looks sweaty as if he was rushing to get here.

"How'd you know I was here?"

"I saw your shoes by the door. I figured I'd find you here." He takes a step closer, and I put my hand up telling him to stop. I take a few steps backwards, the water up to my mid calf now.

"Thomas, I can't keep doing this with you. I want to trust you so badly, but I don't know how."

"I understand, and I know I don't deserve a second chance, but I promise I don't ever want to hurt you again. Hurting you has hurt me more than anything." I stand there, speechless and not knowing what to say. "Come out of the water, Elizabeth. Let's go inside and talk."

"I don't want to talk. I'm trying to face my fears."

"Elizabeth, it's dark. Let's go inside and you can face this fear tomorrow when it's light out."

"No. This is the only fear I can face right now."

"What are you even saying?" He asks, obviously confused.

"The only other fear I have is trusting you again. I don't think I have it in me to do that just yet." I take a few more steps into the water, and it is now up to my hip.

"Elizabeth, please." Before I can say anything, I lose my balance and fall under the water. "Elizabeth!" I hear him shout as he rushes in to rescue me. He grabs onto me, his arms around my waist as he pulls me out and closer to the sand. I cough due to some water getting into my mouth and nose, and Thomas sits next to me on the sand. "What were you thinking? You could've been pulled out farther than you were!"

"I don't know." I say, honestly. "I don't know what I was thinking because when I'm around you, I can't think clearly."

"Elizabeth-"

"You drive me crazy, Thomas, and not in a bad way." He tries to hold back a smile, but it creeps onto his face just a little.

"Come on, let's get you inside." He says, wrapping his suit jacket over my shoulders before helping me up. As we walk inside, Thomas clears his throat. "I'll run you a warm bath."

"I'm fine, Thomas."

"No, you're not. You're shivering." I hadn't noticed it until he mentioned it, but I know it's just from shock. "Come on, let's go upstairs." I nod, following him up to the bathroom. He turns on the water, getting it to a warm enough temperature. "There, that should be good. Go ahead and warm up. I'll wait for you in the room."

"Thomas, wait." I say, stopping him. He turns to look at me, and before I realize what I'm doing, I'm asking something crazy. "Can you help me get this dress off? I can't reach the zipper." He clears his throat, nodding as I turn around. I feel his hands brush my wet hair gently over my shoulder. My heart is beating so fast and loud, I barely hear the zipper slide down my back. The dress falls into a puddle at my feet, and I cover myself as I turn around. "Thank you." I say, looking at him. He nods, and exits the bathroom without a single word.

I slip into the bath, letting the warmth of the water relax my body. I stare at the ceiling, thinking about everything that has happened in the past 24 hours. I almost kissed Thomas, twice, and I almost drowned. Okay, that's a bit dramatic, but it could've been a lot worse. I think about how Thomas came to my rescue, and how, if he wasn't there, how bad it could've been.

As I soap up my skin, my heart skips a beat at the thought of him taking off my dress and how he didn't even try to look at my naked body. It was as if he was just trying to help me and make sure I was okay. I sigh, rinsing off the soap. I sit up and get out of the bath before reaching for the towel to dry off. I hang up the towel before slipping on my robe. As I step out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, I notice Thomas lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey." I say, causing him to sit up quickly.

"You feeling better?" He asks, and I nod before walking over to him. I sit next to him on the bed, fiddling my fingers together.

"Thank you for being there." I say, not looking at him.

"Elizabeth, I'm always going to be there. I never want you to be alone again. I never want to hurt you again."

"You keep saying that, and it's getting harder for me to not believe you." He places a hand on my face, turning my head so I'm looking at him.

"Good, because I mean it." He tucks a strand of my wet hair behind my ear, and his eyes flick back and forth between my lips and my eyes.

"Thomas." I whisper, his eyes locked on mine.

"Yes?"

"Just kiss me already." He lets out a shaky breath before crashing his lips to mine. The second our lips touch, all of my doubts and all of my fears fade away.