The Fake Girlfriend

Chapter 13

After I felt better, every trace of my cold gone, I was left antsy and energetic. Scarlett didn't call me for the next couple of days, even though I was desperately wanting to do something- anything. I guess I should have been thankful for this time of liesure.

Thursday morning my phone rang though. I was already up, dancing around the house and enjoying the a.m E! news ringing through the TV.

"Hellooo?" I sang, swinging my free arm back and forth, craving the the idea of leaving the house.

"So glad to hear you've gotten better, darling," Scarlett practically purred through the speaker.

"Yeah," I replied. "Nick was a lot of-"

"Listen, there's a baseball game this afternoon that I've gotten you and Nick very nice seating too. He loves baseball if you didn't know," she cut me off, speaking quickly like she had another call on the line. "Wear something casual, I think you know the drill. This is a very public appeareance though. Remember I want a lot of affection for the crowd, there's going to be some papparazzi around, word has gotten out that a Jonas will be there."

I sighed, my smile slowly fading. I wanted to do something- but not THIS. I didn't want to go and lie to a bunch of people again. The stone started to weigh again in my stomach.

Scarlett continued talking, reminding me of good conduct and how she was going to be watching- and yada-yada-yada.

I tossed my phone on my bed, staring disgustedly at it. "Why do you fail me?" I asked it. "a call from a very nice looking guy wanting to take me out to dinner would've been nice."

In the end though, I pushed myself into dark skinny jeans, folding the hem up to my calf and wearing a elbow length shirt with the team logo for the baseball game. I braided my blonde hair down my back, letting a few irritating curly strands fall loose around my face.

After slipping my white converse on, I hailed a taxi to meet Nick where Scarlett said he was waiting by the corner of the baseball stadium. Pushing my black shades up my nose, I walked out into the blinding sunlight to Nick's outstretched hand. Our palms slapping together and fingers intertwining like it was only natural, and I fell into step beside his stride.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, as we approached the gates to the stadium. Everyone around us wearing matching shirts of the team and foam fingers were being passed out by yelling employees and I desperately had the urge to buy one.

But instead, I smiled up to him. "Perfectly new, Dr. Nick. I feel like I could sprint a couple miles."

Nick passed our tickets to be scanned and he momenrtarily let my hand go as we walked through the rotating bars.

His arm wrapping around my shoulders, we continued walking along the crowd. "I hope you have that attitude when we work out tomorrow." A playful edge to his voice, he looked down to me with one dark eyebrow humorously cocked.

Nick was in a good mood today, and I noticed that the layer of awkwardness that had been there on our last public appearance had officially dissapeared. Now it was just two friends hanging out- except for the fact that I had to hold his hand and sit exceptionally close. We really were becoming good friends.

We sat on the first row of the boucany, our view perfect, eyes hanging over the first base line. I scooted into the back corner of my seat, my back comfortably relaxed against Nick's broad shoulder, his arm loosely on the back of my chair. As the game started I felt his long fingers absently wrap themselves between the curly cues of my fallen braid.

"Did you date alot before me?" Nick asked, his eyes still glued to the next baseball player strolling up to bat.

I shook my head, folding my hands in my lap. "No. I dated a couple of boys in high school and then one when I first moved to New York- but things didn't really work out, you know?"

My back was still too him, but I could almost feel him nod. "What happened?" he asked.

I sighed. "Honestly? It was during my early college days and I was- like I told you- a crazy party girl. He told me that I was being too immature and that either I 'adult-up' or it was over. So I told him 'bye'. And that was that."

He lightly chuckled behind me, his chest hitting me with every inhale. "And you just let him go?" he asked.

I shrugged. "At first, yeah. And then it took a lot of ice cream, Vampire Diaries marathons and Ruby to get over him. I really hated myself after that, he was pretty much my incentive to shape up- that and I was broke." I lightly laughed to myself.

I felt Nick's eyes on my face. "Why didn't you two get back together?"

I looked down at my knotted hands. And old spark of ache pounding my heart. "I-" I started and stopped, trying to form my words before I made a complete fool of myself. "He wouldn't take me back. Shortly after I asked, he started dating another girl. There's always someone better, you know?"

I knew he was looking at me, silently trying to will me to turn around and see that he DID know. That he understood because that was why he was here, in this situation- with me. Because there was someone better and that tore him up.

I was about to give in when Nick said, "I do-" but his phone did a small beep and he reached into his pocket to pull it out. He read it and dropped it back into his pocket.

"I was going to say," he said, his breath ruffling my hair. "that I know."

I turned my head this time, his dark brown eyes deep and mesmerizing. We stayed frozen like that, staring at each other.

His voice low, he said, "Believe me, I know. The fact that there is always someone else sucks." He breathed the last word and my jaw tightend.

His eyes were so- beautiful. So beautiful and as deep as a hole that I felt myself falling into them...

I was getting closer to him and he was leaning forward too, until his his pink heart shaped lips were on mine. Lightly brushing, like I could be asleep and he was trying to not wake me. I leaned into the kiss a bit, urging him forward thinking: You can kiss me, it's okay. It could be like that.

He pulled back, a smile playing on his lips and his eyes averting to the field where one of the players were running past first base, second... on there way to-

"HOMERUN!" Nick stood up, his fists in the air, he clapped his hands, a smile stretching across his face- ear to ear. He high-fived the man on his right who was also whooping in excitement.

I felt a confused crease on my brow, the one that used to make my mom groan and say, "Rayne, you look so much older when you do that."

I felt my phone vibrate twice in my pocket, indicating that I missed a text message.

I pulled it out to reveal a message from Scarlett, it was sent to both me and Nick a minute ago.

"The cameras better get some lip action today! Rumors that you two were fighting at the hotel are flying around. And if you think that I can't make you guys kiss, keep in mind the contract, dear." And then she put a smiley face.

I saw that Nick had already read the text message and I felt my face heat up. How could I have thought anything other than it was for the cameras? How stupid am I that I thought it could be like that.

As Nick started chatting with the man on his right about this year's winning streak, I hung my head thinking about our conversation before the kiss. "Yeah," I murmured. "there's alway's someone better."