The Fake Girlfriend

Chapter 21

I had spent the day picking up around our apartment. It was a mess, to put it politely. Ruby and I sometimes got to caught up in our busy lives and forgot to put up a cereal box here, a cotton shirt there and then boom. We lived like pigs.

I worked on the kitchen first, putting up all the dishes that had rested in the dishwasher and again loaded all of the dirty pots and pans. I swept and mopped while listening to the radio and piled the dirty clothes into the laundry room to wash.

I had just sat down in front of the TV when there was small knock on the door, shaking my relaxed bones. Groaning, I stood and walked to the door.

"I thought you would be hungry," Nick said, while looking rather large in my dingy door frame. In his hands he held a bag of food and from the aroma, I assumed it was fresh deli.

My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him still, thinking of last night's confessions. No one had said anything yet about those events, were we even supposed to talk about it?

I opened the door wider, allowing him to walk in. Nick held his chin up and marched straight into my living room, setting the bag on the coffee table.

"We need to talk." Was all he said.

I closed the front door and wondered where in the world Nick had found this sudden confidence. I also wondered if he was going to tell me that it was all a mistake- but I pushed the thought quickly away.

"Yeah," I muttered after clearing my throat.

I sat down on the floor with him while he set out the deli sandwiches and bottled water. With the glass table in between us, I was fairly certain Nick could still hear the erratic beating of my heart.

"You are being paid to date me," he stated, eyes on the table.

I took a bite of my sandwich, muttering a small, "Yeah."

He set down his drink with a thud. "Look," he finally sighed. "I'm just going to say it. If we are going to at least try to work... How do I know you aren't only dating me for the money?"

I sat up straighter. Was he serious? I didn't know if I should be appalled that he thinks that I might just be with him for money or ecstatic that he actually wants to be with me. I clasped my hands together. "Nick... I thought you would know me enough to know that I wouldn't do that."

He put his head in his hands for a moment, looking up to me with his chocolate eyes. "I know, Rayne. And I don't mean to sound rude at all, but just put your self in my shoes, it's happened before."

I nodded, completely understanding. And I did understand, I wouldn't want that small question of "what-if" playing in the back of my head twenty-four seven.

"What about the contract?" I asked, watching as his soft eyes brushed across me. "I could maybe talk to Scarlett. See if she would be willing to drop it."

"And honestly," he said. "I think you are about to own that Cosmo interview. But, would you really do that for me? You know, for us."

My heart skipped in my chest. But I nodded. "If there's a possibility that we could have something, Nick, I'll go talk to Scarlett tomorrow."

His eyes lit up and he walked over to my side of the coffee table. Wrapping one arm around my shoulders, he pulled me to him and pressed a small kiss to my lips. "Okay," he breathed.

I let out a shaky laugh and gave him a smirk.