The Fake Girlfriend

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

I was driving to the airport to pick Nick up the next day. After parking, I nervously walked inside to wait where he had told me to.

How could I tell him that Scarlett wouldn't cancel the contract for us? It would make him just want to end the relationship before it even started and my heart was too far in it for that. I searched the crowd for his broad shoulders and finally got a glimpse of a huddled crowd.

Security guards shoved people out of the way and I saw Nick quickly break through, his eyes landing on me while his steps became quicker. Without a word, Nick grabbed my hand and my arm was being pulled taught as he continued walking.

"Whoa, slow down there will ya?" I laughed breathily, given my lame attempt at easing his tight posture.

"Sorry it's just so many people," he mumbled, slipping his sunglasses down and pulling me into the blinding sunlight. When we had gotten into the open air of the outside and less people, Nick carefully intertwined our fingers, making sure each was tucked beside the other.

I led him the way to my car a little ways back. "It's alright," I said, giving him a small smile. "How was the flight?"

"Long and tedious," he muttered opening my car door and sitting down beside me. He turned and unexpectedly grabbed my chin with his thumb and finger. "I missed your funny commentary." And then he gently lowered his lips onto mine, leaving me itchy and breathless.

I thought of what Scarlett said. Only four more months. Four more months and then the contract between us would be finished.

When Nick had pulled away an inch, letting his minty breath float over me, I averted my eyes from his, wondering what he would say when I told him the truth.

He sighed. "What's wrong, Rayne?" His hand fell away from my face and the absence of his contact left me cold.

I sat back in my seat, thankful for the solitude of the back of the parking lot. It was selfish. I didn't want to tell Nick because I didn't want these chills on my arms that I get from touching him to disappear. I didn't want to feel as cold as I did now for the rest of my life.

I tangled my fingers in my lap. "I went to talk to Scarlett yesterday," I said.

His eyes looked down- he didn't want to look at me either. "And?" he whispered.

I let my shoulders drop in a defeated shrug. "She told me that the contract can't be cancelled, because then if we really break up then she would have no way for us to get back together."

Nick unexpectedly slammed his hands loudly on the dashboard, causing me to jump a foot in my seat. "Why does she have to dictate everything I do!" he screamed. "Why can't I just make my own choices. Is it really so wrong to like who I want to like and do what I want to do?"

When he said that I knew it was more than Scarlett and her company. Nick's anger ran deeper than that. As much as I didn't want to admit it, he was talking about Anna. He was referring to the emotional prison he'd been trapped in for the past five months, not being able to act on feelings or go out to get a drink without the world declaring he's an alcoholic. And now it was throwing him over the edge, I'd never seen Nick like this before.

When I turned to him his cheeks were splotchy with anger, his eyes dilated darker than they've ever been.

I didn't know what to say to calm him down but I eventually mumbled, "She said we only have four more months, and then we're free." hoping it would knead out the tension of knot in the air.

He collapsed next to me, his head rolling back to stare at the blank roof of my car.

"No, after four more months, YOU'RE free. I'm still going to be trapped to their decisions for the rest of my life," he said.

"Nick," I said firmly. "look at me." And he did. "They don't dictate what you do. You are your own person and they can't do a thing about it. And about Anna..." I watched his eyebrows frown under her name between us. "We all love people we can't have. That's just a part of life." I laughed bitterly and mumbled under my breath, "The stars are always going to cross."

I felt it in the air, I was losing Nick. And that terrified me.

But, then he reached over and grabbed my hand in my lap, doing the only natural thing: tangling each finger in their own personal space between his. It was like the spaces of my fingers now could never fit any other way with another person. They were designed for his bones and skin to slid right there were they belonged.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. It was the most simple words but they held the most power.

He then changed the mood completely, the corner of his mouth turning up in an attempted ease of tension. "Just promise for the next four months you'll stay with me?"

I let out a nervous laugh. "Guess I really don't have much of a choice now do I?" I gave him a small wink.

And we were like that the rest of the day. Shaking off the uninvited anger like snow on shoulders, laughter bubbling from the pits of our stomachs and hands that never let go.

*I think this was a good chapter. Please don't forget to comment and vote or whatever it is you do lol. Thank you guys!*