I know her better than anyone, and we like spending time together. Pretending to be in a relationship with her will be a piece of cake logistically, and as a bonus, it’ll be like one last hurrah before I make the move to Houston.
I can take a slightly earlier leave than I’d originally planned from Soar Aviation and spend the holidays in Vermont.Me: I changed my mind. I’ll do it.Ava: You’ll do it???Me: Yes.Ava: Just for clarification, what is it you’re saying you’ll do?I roll my eyes.Me: I’ll be your date. To the reunion and your sister’s wedding and pretend I’m your super-awesome boyfriend.Ava: Are you being serious right now???Me: As serious as you were the time you told me you were going to get me a kangaroo for Christmas our senior year at Columbia.Ava: THAT WAS A GREAT GIFT.Me: Sure. Completely impractical but fun for the day I had him before they came to pick him back up.Ava: I’m rolling my eyes at you right now.Me: Oh, trust me, I know you are.Ava: Luke, you’ve met my family before.Me: Do you want me to do this or not?Ava: I do! I’m just spitballing the logistics, okay? My parents were here two summers ago, and we went to dinner.Me: Once. They probably don’t even remember.Ava: My mom talked about you ad nauseum for months straight, AND she sends you birthday cards in the mail. Trust me, she remembers.Me: Fine. If you’d rather keep dragging yourself on dates with guys who want to lick your fucking feet…Ava: Ugh. Obviously, I don’t want to do that!Instead of responding, I wait patiently for Ava to work through her thoughts and come to a decision—one I’m pretty sure involves me going to Vermont.Ava: Hypothetically speaking, if we do this, how exactly am I going to explain to my family that one day we’re in a relationship, and then we’re not?And there it is. I grin.Me: You’re overthinking this.Ava: Okay, Mr. Know-It-All, tell me how I’m supposed to be thinking about this.Me: We’ll just pretend we’re in a relationship while we’re in Vermont for the holidays, and then when we get back to New York, you can just tell them we decided we’re better off as friends.Or she can tell them the truth. Maybe after two weeks of pretending to be in a relationship with me, I’ll actually be able to convince her that’s the best option.Ava: Do you really think it’s that simple?Me: Do you really think it’s more complicated?Ava: Okay. Can you get off work?Me: Yes.Ava: You’re really serious about this? You want to help save my ass by coming to Vermont with me and being my fake boyfriend? You want to follow me? Deep sea, baby, into my treacherous web of holiday lies?A laugh jumps from my throat.Me: Ride or die, babe.LukeAfter a thirty-minute delay getting back from Miami, I finally make home it to my building around nine in the evening, and my key is barely in the lock when Ava’s door swings open from behind me.
I glance over my shoulder to find her carrying notebooks and colored highlighters and a pen tucked behind her right ear. “Sheesh! I thought you’d never get home!”
I unlock my front door, and she just barrels in past me. “We have so much to go over, Luke, but I think I’ve nailed down most of the details.”
“Nailed down the details?” I question. “What are you talking about?” I set my keys, phone, wallet, and duffel on the kitchen island, and Ava plops down on my sofa and sets her three notebooks out across the coffee table.
Flashbacks of college hit me right in the face.
This is work-mode Ava. Which, during events like college finals, is a meticulous, not-messy-at-all, very organized version of herself.
Truthfully, it’s a rare occurrence. Most of the time, my best friend has her head in the proverbial clouds, leaves piles of dishes in her kitchen sink, and lets her laundry go until she’s completely out of clothes. It’s not unusual for me to sneak over to her place and run the fucking dishwasher and water Teddy 12—the small plant in her living room that’s sole reason for staying alive for the past two years is all thanks to me.
“Have you forgotten that you offered to be my fake boyfriend for the holidays?” She rolls her eyes and blows out a breath. “We literally just had the conversation this morning.”
“I remember the conversation, but that doesn’t explain why you’re in my apartment, acting like we have a deadline on an econ project.” I nod toward the notebooks and highlighters she’s organized in record time.
“Luke, we have to go into this with a plan, or else it will end in disaster when my family starts asking us all sorts of questions about our relationship.”
“What kind of plan are you talking about?” I question with a tilt of my head. “We’ve known each other for fifteen years. You live across the fucking hall from me, and I see you every day. I feel like we’ll be able to handle any questions your family or old high school classmates throws at us.”