My Year in Chicago - Carl Gallagher

Continuing the dating act.

A few days into this whole fake-dating act, things started to feel... different. Not that it was ever normal pretending to be Carl's girlfriend, but lately, something had shifted. At first, we were just playing it cool, holding hands in the hallway, acting close whenever Lexi or her crew were around. But now? Now it felt like there was something else simmering underneath the surface.

It was the little things—how Carl would lean in when he talked to me, how he'd brush his hand against mine, or how he'd laugh at something I said, even if it wasn't all that funny. He was good at making this feel real, but the problem was, it was starting to feel too real for me.

We were standing by the lockers, waiting for the second bell to ring before class. I caught Carl glancing over at Lexi, who was chatting loudly with her friends. She hadn't confronted either of us yet, but I could tell it was only a matter of time before something went down. This whole thing was for her benefit, after all, and Carl was just waiting for her to snap.

"You think she's buying it yet?" I asked, leaning against the locker and folding my arms.

Carl shrugged, his eyes still on Lexi. "Hard to tell. She hasn't said anything, but you can tell she's pissed."

"Good," I muttered, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Carl turned to face me, his expression unreadable. "You sure you're cool with all this?"

I blinked, caught off guard by the question. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, pretending to be with me. I know it's not exactly what you signed up for."

I shifted on my feet, unsure how to respond. I hadn't expected Carl to bring this up—he usually kept things so casual, like none of it really mattered to him. "Yeah, it's fine. I mean, it's weird, but whatever."

He raised an eyebrow. "Weird, huh? You seemed pretty into it when you grabbed my arm in the cafeteria yesterday."

I felt my face heat up. "That was part of the act, Gallagher. Don't get too cocky."

Carl smirked, but there was something different in his eyes. He stepped a little closer, and suddenly the space between us felt too small. "You sure about that?"

Before I could respond, the bell rang, and the hallway started to fill with students rushing to class. I turned to head in the opposite direction, trying to brush off whatever had just happened. But Carl grabbed my wrist, stopping me in my tracks.

"Hey," he said quietly, his voice low. "You're not bailing on me, are you?"

I looked back at him, his hand still wrapped around my wrist. "I'm not bailing, Carl. But let's not make this... weird, okay?"

Carl's smirk faded, and he let go of my wrist, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Whatever you say, Anabelle."

I hurried off to class, my heart racing. What was that? Why was he suddenly acting like this was more than a fake dating thing? And worse, why was I getting caught up in it?

---

Later that day, we were sitting together in the cafeteria, just like always. Except today, something felt different. The energy between us was off. I picked at my food, barely eating as Carl scrolled through his phone, his leg bouncing restlessly under the table. Normally, he'd crack some joke or tease me about something, but today he was unusually quiet.

"So," I said, breaking the silence. "What's the plan? You think Lexi's going to say something soon?"

Carl shrugged, not looking up from his phone. "Who knows? She's probably too busy with that guy she's been seeing."

There was a bitterness in his voice I hadn't heard before. He didn't talk much about Lexi outside of our plan, but I could tell her moving on had bothered him more than he let on.

"You okay?" I asked, tilting my head to get a better look at his face.

Carl glanced at me, then back down at his phone. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... tired of this whole thing, you know?"

I nodded, even though I didn't entirely believe him. "Yeah. I get it."

We sat in awkward silence for a moment before something strange happened. Lexi walked by, her arm draped over the guy she'd been seeing. Carl's eyes followed them as they moved past us, his expression hardening. I could practically feel the tension radiating off him.

And then, without warning, Carl reached across the table and took my hand. I stared at him, wide-eyed as he laced his fingers through mine, pulling me closer. My heart skipped a beat, and I could feel everyone's eyes on us, including Lexi's.

"What are you doing?" I whispered, trying to pull my hand back, but Carl held on.

"Just go with it," he muttered under his breath, his eyes never leaving Lexi and the guy.

I swallowed hard, trying to play it cool, even though my brain was screaming at me to let go. This wasn't part of the plan—Carl had never done anything like this before. But as Lexi glanced over her shoulder, her expression unreadable, I realized what was happening. He was trying to push her buttons, trying to make her jealous.

And the worst part? It was working.

Lexi shot Carl a look, her jaw tightening, and then turned away, pulling her new guy along with her. Carl smirked, satisfied with her reaction, but I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling settling in my chest.

When Lexi was out of sight, Carl finally let go of my hand, leaning back in his chair like nothing had happened. "See? Told you it'd work."

I stared at him, still trying to process what had just happened. "Carl, you can't just—"

"I know, I know," he said, cutting me off. "It was a spur of the moment thing. Don't overthink it."

But that was the problem. I couldn't not overthink it. Because for a split second, when Carl had grabbed my hand, it hadn't felt like an act. It had felt real.

And that scared me more than anything.

---

After school, I found Carl leaning against the lockers, waiting for me as usual. But today, there was a tension between us that I couldn't ignore. The fake dating act was starting to blur the lines, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could pretend it didn't affect me.

"Hey," Carl said, his voice casual, like nothing had changed.

"Hey," I replied, trying to keep things normal.

He looked at me for a long moment, like he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Then he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You good?"

"Yeah," I lied, avoiding his gaze. "Just... thinking."

Carl nodded, but there was something unreadable in his expression. Something I wasn't sure I wanted to figure out.

"Let's get out of here," he said, grabbing his bag. "We'll deal with this Lexi thing tomorrow."

I nodded, following him out of the school, but deep down, I knew this was more than just about Lexi. Something between us had shifted, and I wasn't sure if it was for the better—or the worse.