It’s those thoughts that had me mentally pumping the brakes and deciding that a little time and distance to clear my head would be the shrewdest move to make. The only reason we’re in this situation is because of Kira. The tawny-haired girl might have been skeptical at first, but she seems to have fallen for the fabrication.
Even though a couple of weeks have already slipped by, I think we need to give it a little more time. A solid month, maybe even six weeks, should be enough for her to move on to her next victim.
I mean, guy.
I’m sure by then, I’ll have gotten my fill of Sydney and won’t give a crap about parting ways.
Thankfully, Carson rounds the corner at that precise moment and I’m able to shove these pesky thoughts from my head before I’m forced to inspect them more thoroughly. He pushes his way through the thick mass of bodies until he reaches my side.
“Hey, man,” I say, “what’s up?”
He jerks his head toward the jam-packed dining room. “Did you notice that Kira has turned up tonight?”
It’s almost like my thoughts have conjured her up like a specter. I shake my head. Before I can decide what to do, the crowd parts like the Red Sea and I’m given a direct sightline. I’m tempted to duck out of the way so that she doesn’t notice me. The last thing I want to deal with tonight is her crazy ass. Kira needs to let go of the idea that we’ll ever get together and move on with her life. Find a twelve-step program if that’s what’s necessary.
Strangely enough, her gaze stays pinned to whomever she’s talking with as she flashes the person a smile before twirling a lock of hair around her finger. I straighten to my full height, knowing exactly what a smile like that implies. She’s flashed it at me hundreds of times. Interest piqued, I crane my neck, attempting to get a better look at the person she’s talking to.
It’s one of the junior players.
“Yeah,” Carson says, slapping me on the back, “I’ve seen them together a few times this week on campus. And get this—they’ve been holding hands. Crazy as it sounds, I think your plan actually worked.”
Well, I’ll be damned.
Carson just might be right about that. Air escapes from my lungs as the thick tension that had taken up residence in my shoulders gradually dissolves. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted from me. That girl was really starting to venture into scary stalker territory. It’s a relief that I no longer have to worry about her climbing into my bed or tailing me around campus.
He taps his glass bottle against mine. “Congrats, dude. Thanks to your fake girlfriend, you pulled it off.”
Sydney.
Right. I’ll have to let her know that we can put an end to this charade and go back to—
Not talking.
My brows pinch together at that unwelcome realization. At this point, I’m not interested in our relationship reverting back to the way it’s always been. I’d like to think that we’ve become friends over the past month.
Shocker—I actually enjoy hanging out and spending time with the girl.
And the sex is fan-fucking-tastic.
My gaze bounces to Kira and the guy she’s set her sights on. If Sydney caught them together, she’d pull the plug on our fake relationship faster than I could blink. Maybe it’s a good thing she’s been a no-show tonight. But still...I’ll have to tell her about it sooner rather than later. If those two are walking around campus holding hands, Sydney could stumble across them at any time. And then I would have some explaining to do.
“Now you can cut Sydney loose,” Carson adds.
The thought of actually doing that feels like a fist closing slowly around my heart, squeezing it until it becomes painful. I drag a hand over my face as understanding dawns. Somehow, when I hadn’t been looking, I developed real feelings for her.
Fuck.
Now what the hell am I going to do?
Sydney has made it perfectly clear that she doesn’t feel the same way. Hell, if she’d gotten her way, I wouldn’t have met her family. She attempted to talk me out of attending the party half a dozen times.
Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Carson glances around. “Speaking of Sydney, where is she? I haven’t seen her in a while.”
Yeah, me neither. Although, that had been by design on my part.
I jerk my shoulders. Since we aren’t dating for real, it’s not like we check in with each other every moment of the day. It’s one of the things I like about her. She lets me do me and I give her the same courtesy. We don’t need to be in constant contact every second of the day.
Instead of shooting her a text, I decide to be stealthy and do a little social media recon. She doesn’t need to know that I’m curious about her whereabouts. Even though I don’t post a lot of shit on Insta, that doesn’t mean the app isn’t on my phone. I bring up her profile and check to see if she’s been posting. Chicks are so like that. They need to take a selfie and update the world on what they’re up to every other minute.