Blessed by the Fake Boyfriend

“Shall we?” he asked, nodding in the direction of town center. “The parade is about to start.”

She shot him a smile and nodded, very much eager to get on with the day. Joseph had told her that between the parade and the arts festival, she’d be guaranteed to have Garret’s undivided attention. It seemed to already be working. And if that was the case, then she was determined to revisit the night of their graduation. Ask him if he’d ever felt the same.

Five years was a long time. They’d both changed since high school. Matured and developed into new people. She needed to know for sure if she could be the type of woman Garret fell for. No more what ifs.

“Anyone feel like a game?” Joseph asked suddenly. He sipped his coffee and peered over the lid at the two of them. Michelle was walking in the middle, with Garret on her other side. He smacked his lips and nodded toward the road. “To make this parade a little more interesting?”

Michelle glanced at him, her eyes narrowing. Was this part of the plan? It seemed strange, but everything Joseph had done so far seemed to be working. She could play along.

“Sure,” she said.

“All right, I’m in.” Garret shrugged. “What game?”

“How about never have I ever?” he asked, wagging his eyebrows. “We’ll all get to know each other a little better.”

“Isn’t that a drinking game?” Garret smirked. “I’m pretty sure I haven’t played that in years.”

Joseph held up his cup. “We’ve got coffee. I’d say that’s good enough. I’ll go first.”

Michelle held the warm cup between her hands and waited. She’d never played the game before, but she knew how it went. One person would say something they’d never done and everyone else in the group had to take a drink if they’d done it.

She imagined someone like her would always win a game like that. She hadn’t done much in her life worth mentioning, but that didn’t bother her much. She liked her quiet life. Cliff diving and exploring the rainforest didn’t really appeal to her. She could happily live vicariously through people like Garret who seemed destined to tour the world.

“All right. I’ve got a good one. Never have I ever been arrested,” Joseph said loudly, turning and looking pointedly at his brother.

Michelle stifled a gasp and looked up at Garret. He was glaring at Joseph, his face red.

“It was one time and a complete mistake.” His gaze turned toward Michelle. “I went to a party with some friends at a warehouse. I didn’t realize we were trespassing. The cops busted it and took everyone in.”

She swallowed down the sour taste in her mouth. That seemed like a reasonable excuse and it wasn’t like he was hurting anyone. At least he knew better now.

“Take a drink,” Joseph shot back. “Michelle’s turn.”

She took a moment to think of her answer. It wouldn’t do any good to show Garret how lame she was. So she licked her lips slowly and waited until inspiration hit.

“Never have I ever been afraid of heights.”

“That’s not fair.” Joseph watched her intently as he slowly took a sip of his coffee. She stared back at him, feeling the same unexpected warmth explode in her gut once again. “You went straight for the throat on that one.”

“I never fool around when it comes to games,” she said with a laugh. “Garret’s turn.”

Garret chuckled and tossed his head back, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Never have I ever been so lame and played a drinking game with coffee.”

Joseph huffed beside her. “I thought it might be a good way to get to know each other better. But if you think it’s that stupid, then we can quit.”

“It’s not stupid.” Michelle gently placed her hand on his arm. “I thought it was a fun idea.”

“Thank you. At least someone appreciates my genius.”

Garret snorted and grimaced. “Right. Watch out. With that big head of yours, someone might confuse you for a float in the parade.”

“Hey, I never said Joseph was a genius,” Michelle added with a chuckle, hoping to lower the tension she felt on both sides of her. “Let’s not go that far.”

Joseph smacked a hand to his chest and winced. “Ouch. That one hurt, Michelle.”

“I’m pretty sure your ego will survive,” she said with another laugh.

They had arrived at the Town Center by this point and people were lined up on both sides of the street. The parade had just begun, with horses leading the way. Little kids screamed and scrambled to get all of the candy thrown from the floats. Michelle, Garret, and Joseph stood back and watched it all, occasionally catching a rogue packet