Faking It For Real ✔

Ch 9

"Practicing?" I asked, slightly confused.

He nodded, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Yeah. We need to make sure we look natural together, especially in public."

"You mean like... holding hands and stuff?" I asked, oddly feeling a sudden wave of nerves.

"Holding hands, casual touches, lingering glances... you know, all the little things that couples do," Ethan explained, a hint of amusement in his voice.

I smirked, "Oh, I don't need practice. I'm a natural lover."

Ethan's laughter echoed through the café, causing several heads to turn in our direction. "Oh really?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with mirth. "And here I thought you needed all the practice you could get."

I rolled my eyes dramatically, crossing my arms over my chest in mock offense. "Excuse me, I'll have you know that my acting skills are top-notch. I could give Meryl Streep a run for her money."

Ethan chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Alright, I'll believe it when I see it."

"You'll be eating your words soon enough," I said, grabbing my coffee cup and taking a triumphant sip.

"We'll see about that."

I leaned in, lowering my voice, "I mean, think about it. We are in public."

He narrowed his eyes, "Yes... You wanna get started right now?"

I threw my hands in the air as if to say Obviously.

He rolled his eyes, "Let's do this then."

I stood up and walked to his side, my voice still low, so no one could hear us, "Look who just walked in."

"Who's that?" He glanced at the café's entrance.

"Victoria." I whispered, "The gossip queen of our university. She runs a gossip blog and has a famous fashion, lifestyle forum online."

His eyes found mine and I suddenly realized how close I had gotten to him.

"So?" He asked.

"So if she knows we're a couple, everyone will know." I said, smirking.

"Ah, I see what you're getting at," he said, a sly smile spreading across his face. "Let's give her something to talk about then."

He stood and my neck craned up to look at him. He was probably a couple inches taller than me but I don't know how he managed to appear larger than life.

He gently took my hand and intertwined his fingers with mine, causing my heart to skip a beat.

"How's this for starters?" he asked, his voice dropping low.

"Not bad." I tilted my head, smiling.

With my other hand, I grabbed his shirt and pulled him with me towards the barista. "I want a croissant." He raised a brow at me but his smile turned into a playful grin.

The barista, a young man with bright eyes and a friendly smile, greeted us warmly as we approached the counter. "Hi there! What can I get for you?

Ethan looked at me, a playful gleam in his eyes. "We'll take a chocolate croissant and..." He turned back to the barista, "What's your best coffee?"

"Our caramel macchiato is pretty popular," the barista replied, his gaze darting between Ethan and me.

Ethan nodded, "Perfect. I'll take one. To go please."

As the barista turned to prepare our order, Ethan tightened his grip on my hand, sending a wave of warmth through my body. "You're right," he whispered, his breath hot against my ear. "This is kind of fun."