AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Definitely. Who would have thought we’d end up lying to your parents about being engaged? They were so happy about the news of you and me being engaged. Damien, what do we do now? How do we end this whole fake engagement lies?” Her voice trembled as she spoke.
I can detect the fear in her voice.
“I’m so sorry to have put you in this situation. It never crossed my mind that my parents would find out. There is no need for you to worry about this situation. I will take care of it.” I say.
“How are you planning to do that?” She asks, looking very unsure that I could fix it.
In my confused state, I reassured her we would tell everyone soon that we had broken our engagement and everything would return to normal.
What does normal look like? I ask myself.
Seeing how distressed she looked. I feel defeated.
All I desired was for us to have a pleasant evening together so she could feel happy and at ease, rather than causing her additional distress.
I open my arms for a hug. She rushes into my arms without hesitation.
As we embrace, my rapidly beating heart fills my ears.
Lifting herself away from me, she looks at me and asks, “Dating? Is that what we are doing now?”
“Lea, you know how I feel about you. Ultimately, that’s what I want when you are ready.”
She takes a deep breath and lets out a sigh.
As we settle back into the comfort of the couch with her head on my shoulder, I can’t help but feel grateful for her presence and the laughter she has brought into my life in such a short time.
Engaged or not, dating or not, I know one thing for sure—I was fortunate to have her as a friend and an executive assistant. I love her and want more, but I will take things slowly.
I make a mental note to be more diligent about keeping my mom updated on the latest developments in my life. After all, I wouldn’t want her getting news about me from third parties.
However, at the moment, I find great satisfaction in relishing the uncomplicated joy of being in good company and basking in the comforting embrace of friendship during a cozy evening spent at home.
Chapter Fifteen
Lea
The cool evening air brushes against my skin as we walk up to my house, the soft glow of the street lamps casting long shadows on the pavement.
The movie was terrific—a blend of laughter and light moments that made the rest of the world seem distant and faint.
But as the night draws to a close, the reality that our time together for the day is ending nudges at me, bittersweet and gentle.
We reach my door, and there’s a moment of hesitation.
Damien turns to face me, his eyes reflecting the streetlight, shining with a mixture of something like hope and hesitation.
“Tonight was great,” he says, his voice low.
“It was,” I agree, finding myself caught in his gaze.
The air between us charged with something new, something neither of us had planned for when he concocted our little scheme of pretend engagement, which I have gone along with.
There’s a heartbeat of silence, and then Damien steps closer.
His hand finds mine, warm and reassuring.
“I... uh, I enjoy spending time with you, Lea. More than I thought I would,” he admits, and an honesty there makes my heart skip a beat.
