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Surprise
Roxy
She’s gorgeous. Flawless skin, long black hair that’s sleek and shimmering, and a body that’s thin as a rake. She’s everything I’m not. What on earth is happening? Flashes of my conversations with Karl barrel through my mind, revealing all the double meanings that I was too blind to see. The closet space wasn’t for me. The big news he gushed about in his last email wasn’t that he wanted me to move in with him. Him being out with friends all the time these last couple of months. It’s all making sense now, and I realise I’m the biggest idiot on the planet.
“Rox!” he calls when he sees me. He rushes forward before engulfing me in a big, citrus-scented hug. God, I’ve missed this. Missed him. For a second, I forget why I’m hurting so much. “How are you? I missed you,” he says, holding me at arm’s length to get a good look at me. “You look great.”
I give him a feeble smile. At least my efforts to doll up weren’t totally in vain.
“This is Kim, my fiancée,” he adds, gazing fondly at the girl next to him.
I almost choke on my own breath. Fiancée?
“Hi,” Kim says, holding her hand out. “Nice to meet you. Karl told me so much about you.”
“Hi,” I breathe out, shaking her hand. “Nice to meet you too. I wish I could say the same, but he’s kept you a secret,” I say, shooting a glance at Karl and trying not to sound as bitter as I feel.
“I wanted it to be a surprise . . . Well, surprise!” he jokes, squeezing her entire body with one arm.
I can’t take this any longer. I avert my eyes, and they fall right on baseball-cap guy, who’s standing only a few feet away. His grey eyes meet mine for a second, and he gives me a half smile. He probably witnessed the whole fiasco and is now feeling sorry for me.
“Actually,” I say, turning back to Karl and Kim, “there’s someone I want you to meet too.”
I grab baseball-cap guy by the arm and drag him toward me. “My boyfriend.”
He looks surprised but thankfully doesn’t say anything.
Karl looks the guy up and down, then stops, his eyes widening. “You’re dating Wade Hunter?” He seems lost for words for a second and then stammers, “Nice to meet you, mate.” He shakes his hand firmly.
“Uh-huh . . . Wait. Do you know him?”
Karl bellows a laugh. “Of course I do, Rox. He’s the best player in the league. Wade, this is my fiancée, Kim.” They all shake hands, and I don’t dare move, my arm still locked on my new “boyfriend.” Crap. I knew I’d seen this guy somewhere before. On my dad’s TV.
“Nice to meet both of you,” Wade says.
Karl turns to me, his face tight behind his smile. “Geez. I thought my news was big, but bloody hell, you definitely win this one.” If I didn’t know any better, I’d say there’s a hint of bitterness in his voice. But it’s probably just surprise. “How could you even keep this a secret? I’ve wanted to tell you mine for weeks.”
“I’m just full of surprises, I guess.” I try to smile, but it feels more like a grimace.
A bulky man with a tall figure and short dark hair stops next to us. He’s wearing a British Army uniform. “Brother,” he booms, smiling at Wade. I let go of Wade’s arm, and they fall into a hug. It’s like I’m living a freaking reality show.
“How have you been, bro?” Wade asks. “Glad to be home?”
“You have no idea,” he says, wrapping an arm over his brother’s shoulders. “Who’s all this?”
“Oh, this is my girlfriend, Roxy. And that’s her friend Karl and his fiancée, Kim,” he says, pointing to each of us in turn, like this whole thing is perfectly normal. “Guys, this is my brother, Andrew.”
“Nice to meet you all.” Andrew casts Wade a confused side glance, clearly not understanding the welcome committee.
“Karl and Kim were conveniently on the same flight as you. So, we decided to kill two birds with one stone,” Wade explains with perfect calm. Thank goodness for this guy. If there was an award for Best Last-Minute Fake Boyfriend, he’d get it, hands-down.
“Well, that’s great,” Andrew says, slapping his brother’s back. “I didn’t know you had a girlfriend, Wade.” He turns to me and adds, “Forgive my brother. It’s nothing against you. He just doesn’t share much. I always have to squeeze info out of him.”
Wade shrugs, his hands stuffed in his jean pockets. “You were deployed, Drew. You have more important things to deal with than my love life.”
“Your love life is exactly what I’m interested in. We need as many distractions as possible out there. I’m not letting you get away with this. I want all the deets on the girl who finally ended my brother’s celibacy.”
I choke on my saliva and end up coughing like a maniac. This man is celibate? Like, “no sex” celibate? Or just “no girlfriend” celibate. Either way, that shouldn’t be allowed when you look like him. It’s a crime against humanity.
