Page 48 of Faking With You

When we finish, Eliza asks if we can play a game. Not willing to say no to any of her ideas, I show her where the collection of games is. They’re mainly from when I was a kid and used to play with my mother. When she moved out, I didn’t have the heart to get rid of them so they ended up in a box that went to storage. When my father moved back to London, I made sure they came to this flat so he didn’t throw them out.

She grabs the Uno cards and turns to me a look I can’t quite read on her face. “How about this, but with some special rules?”

“What did you have in mind?”

Her smile grows. “We’re going to need shot glasses and booze.”

Liking this free spirit side of her, I pull down a bottle of whisky and two shot glasses before joining her in the living room.

She settles on the couch, wiggling against the cushion as she gets comfortable. “Okay. If the other person plays a skip, you remove an item of clothing. If they play a reverse, you have to do a shot. And if they play a pick up two card, you can either take four shots or pick up two cards.”

“Are you trying to get me drunk, Eliza?” I ask, and her grin is diabolical.

“Me? I’d never do that.”

I shake my head and laugh while she deals. We make it through first hand fairly sober, by the time we finish the second we’re both tipsy, and when we finish the third, she’s drunk. I’ve never seen her like this, but she looks so carefree. We’ve abandoned the game, and she’s got music playing from her phone as she dances and sings into the neck of the whisky bottle.

I pull my phone out and start taking a video. When she notices, she sings at the camera like she’s putting on a performance. I make sure it’s not only saved on my phone but also in every other place I can think of, not wanting to lose this memory of her.

She collapses on the couch beside me, out of breath from all her dancing, and I can see her starting to drift to sleep. I pick her up and carry her to bed, helping her change into her pyjamas before tucking her in. She watches me as I undress and I don’t hide a thing, liking the way her eyes drag across my skin unabashedly in her drunkenness.

“Mmmm, my boyfriend’s hot,” she says, pointing at me. “No, my fake boyfriend.” She pouts. “You know, you could have asked anyone to pretend to be your girlfriend. You’re hot, they’d be a fool to say no, but you asked boring me. The girl who’d never had sex before and prefers a book to a party.”

I’m surprised at how coherent her words come out. I slide in beside her and brush her hair behind her ear. “I don’t think you’re boring.”

She smiles. “You don’t?”

I shake my head. “Furthest thing from boring. Do you really think I would have asked you if I didn’t at least like you as a person?”

She shrugs. “I just thought I was easy to ask because of mymanifestation.” Even in her drunken state, she says the word like it’s fake.

“You don’t think very highly of yourself then. I guess I’ll think highly of you enough for both of us, at least for now.”

She reaches up and brushes her fingers over my lips. “You’re very sweet.”

“Am I?”

She nods vigorously. “Yes. Aaannnndddd, hot. Can’t forget that one.”

I laugh. “I think you should get some sleep.”

“Cuddle me?” she asks, a sweetness in her voice I haven’t heard before.

“Of course.”

She grins as she rolls over, grabbing my arm and pulling it around her as she shuffles back into me. I kiss the back of her head as I listen to her breathing even out before she completely passes out.

CHAPTER 35

Mac

I’m awake before Eliza, and like she has been the last week, she’s curled against me with her arm and leg thrown over me as though to keep me close. She has no idea that there’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here with her.

After last night, I have no idea how she’s going to be feeling, but I know that if she wants to head out today, she’s going to need to get up and get ready. I gently run my hand over her hair, and she starts to stir, nuzzling her face into my chest and pulling herself as close as possible.

“Eliza,” I whisper softly, and she makes a sound that sounds very much like leave me alone. I chuckle and run my hand over her hair again. “Love, it’s time to wake up.”

She makes a noise I can’t quite decipher and nuzzles deeper. I press my lips to her forehead, and her eyes flutter open as the looks up at me.