PECK PENALTY

#17 The Date

POV Anna

"You lucky daughter of a bastard, I can't believe you're fucking Joe Felix!" Marge says.

I smirk as I sip my coffee. We're at the park outside my school. It's been a few days since I first had sex with Joe. We often hangout at the movie theatre, diner or arcade, but mostly whenever we get the chance, we've sex.

Sex is great. I don't know why I overthought it when I was with Mason. With Joe, the desire to be physically intimate comes as natural as the need to breathe. The rumors about him being amazing in bed are not wrongly founded. He's beyond amazing.

"Good thing Joe is there to distract you. Or else you would've run into Mason's arms long ago," Lizzie says.

I sigh. She's probably right. Mason has been relentlessly messaging me to give him a second chance. Each time I would decide I'll block his number if he texts me again, but I never do.

Sure, having sex with Joe feels great, but so is having a boyfriend. With a romantic partner you always feel like you've someone you can reach out to anytime you want and talk about anything you want.

You don't know till you're single again what it feels like to have a guy who is yours and yours alone. So whenever I miss being with Mason — I miss the late night chatting, lying down on my bed. I miss talking about our future while sitting across him in a cafe. I miss exchanging gifts. I miss introducing him to someone as my boyfriend.

I wish I could get back to the day I first met Mason. And this time, he won't cheat.

My phone beeps. I read Joe's text. He's telling me there's a cake tasting for her sister's wedding on Saturday. His mom and sister are compelling him to go with them, and they want me too.

I almost forgot I'm Joe's fake girlfriend. I realise now Joe can't blackmail me anymore as if he was the innocent virgin untouched by a girl and I took his chastity with an unsolicited kiss for which I've to continue to pay the price.

I can tell him no.

But I tell him I'll go.

My eyes moisten as I try to swallow what possibly is the worst tasting cake I've ever had in my life. It tastes like rotten grapes. Opposite me, Ruth's face lights up. "Wow, I've never tasted anything like this before," she says to the owner of the cake shop. Okay, that's one way to put it. I hope she doesn't pick this one if she wants the guests to eat the cake.

The next one is much better: A chocolate cake with a tinge of lemon flavour and vanilla frosting.

After tasting about ten cake samples, Ruth goes with the chocolate one.

And then Ruth and her mom move next to tasting the sweets for the wedding party favors while Joe and I walk around the shop. "The wedding preparation seems to never end with those two," Joe says, taking off his jacket.

I can't believe he's tired from just this. He would make a grumpy groom in the future.

After they're done, it's time to leave. Ruth and her mom drive away first. When I get in Joe's car he says, "You want to have lunch before we go to the tailor's?"

"The tailor's?"

"Mom wants me to pick a suit for the wedding. Thought I would get it done today."

If only Mason could realise how much this is starting to look like we're on a date as a real boyfriend and girlfriend.

I decide to have lunch first. After lunch, he takes me to a high end tailor shop his family is a regular in. The store manager greets him and shows him the fabrics personally.

I look at the array of unrolled clothes and my eyes keep coming back to the third one — a dark navy textile with a slight sheen to it. "This one," Joe says pointing at the first fabric, a plain black suit piece.

The manager nods and then he looks at me, "Ma'am?" he says. I glance at the navy blue one.

"You like that one?" Joe asks. "It looks better to me," I tell him. "Okay. That one then," Joe says to the manager. That was probably the quickest change of heart in the history.

Then the manager shows us ties. Joe looks at me. What? I'm his stylist now? I choose the pale blue tie. Later, I also choose the dark brown shoes for him.

After we're out of the store Joe takes me to the dress shop a few stores away. "Pick a dress," he says once we're inside. "You're giving a dress to your sister as a wedding present?" I ask. I don't think dress is a common wedding present.

"No. It's for you. Pick a dress for the wedding."

My eyes go wide. "I'm going to the wedding with you?"

His eyebrows frown. "You were just there with me and my family for the cake tasting. What do you think?"

"I'm staring to feel guilty, Joe. Are you really going to take a pretend girlfriend to your one and only sister's wedding?!"

"Yes," he says without a second thought. "Now go find a dress for you." I sigh and look around. My eyes land at the most stunning dress I've ever seen — a sunset red figure-hugging short dress.

Joe notices me admiring it. "That one?" he asks.

"No!" I say. "I can't wear that to a wedding." Joe has no sense of association between dresses and occasions.

I ask one of the staff to show me all the light blue dresses they have in there. I choose a baby blue midi dress with a flower pattern.

After my non-date-date with Joe, I return home with a spring in my step and a swinging shopping bag in my hand.