Single And In Love With My Fake Boyfriend (Single Girls Club #1)

Chapter Thirty-Six

Callie

I can’t remember the last time I dressed up like this.

I’m wearing a long black elegant dress with the most beautiful jewelry I own, and my hair is tied into a refined updo. My friends helped me with my ensemble to make sure I look the best I’ve ever looked in my entire life because I want to wow Lincoln.

“Are you meeting him at the restaurant?” Alex asks me.

I shake my head. “I offered to meet him there, but he wants this to be a proper real date. He wants to pick me up, drive me there, share a wonderful night with me, then drive me home and hopefully kiss me senseless.”

Emily, Lizzie, and Alex swoon. I walk over to the mirror in my room and check my reflection. I look really amazing, if I may say so myself.

“Oh, he’ll definitely kiss you senseless,” Lizzie says with a giggle.

Sweeping my purse off my vanity table, I say. “Guys, my heart is beating a million times a minute. I’m so darn nervous.”

“I’ll bet,” Emily says. “Tonight is going to be so perfect for you.”

My phone beeps with a text. When I check it, I notice it’s from Lincoln. “He’s about ten minutes away.”

I respond with, The anticipation is killing me . And send a whole bunch of heart emojis.

My friends and I settle down on the living room couch and wait for him to arrive. My heart is still racing throughout my body and it’s hard for me to concentrate on anything but how wonderful tonight will be. But I’ve been so consumed by my life and Lincoln that I realize I have no idea what’s going on in my friends’ lives.

“Guys, I’m sorry,” I tell them. “I’ve been so selfish.”

“What do you mean?” Emily asks.

“I’ve been so self-centered. All I cared about the last three weeks is Lincoln. I haven’t asked what’s going on in your lives.”

Lizzie waves her hand. “We’re totally okay with that. We’d rather live vicariously through you than deal with our boring, guy-free lives.”

“Agreed,” Emily says.

Alex shrugs. “I don’t have much to report. Other than a food critic might be coming to the restaurant in a few weeks.”

“Alex, that’s huge!” I say.

“Yeah. If he likes the food and gives a good review, we might get tons of more guests. But if he hates the food and gives a bad review…”

“Don’t think like that.” Lizzie flings her arm around her. “Of course he’ll like the food. Your cooking is out of this world.”

“And it’ll help a lot when you open your own restaurant,” I add.

Alex nods. “I’m trying not to stress about it, but it is driving me a little crazy.”

“It’ll be okay.” Emily scoots closer to her and rests her head on hers. “I have full faith in you.”

“Thanks.”

“What about you, Em?” I ask her. “Anything interesting happening at the school? Have any new single teachers joined?”

She sighs like the world is coming to an end. “No, unfortunately. But even if there was, I don’t know if it would be a good idea to get involved with him. Office romances are so messy, and it’s even worse in a high school. Could you imagine the mortification I’d feel if the students found out?”

“Aw, but it could be so romantic,” Lizzie says.

“I’m not saying I’m not open to the idea!” Emily quickly says, which makes us laugh. “But like I already told you, there are like no young single male teachers for me. I thought there might have been one, but he looks like a jerk.”

“Bummer,” Lizzie and I say.

“What about you, Liz?” I ask. “How’s work?”

“Stressful. We’re months away from the launch of the game and there’s still so much to do. And of course my boss is being a freakin’ jerk. Well no, I don’t think it’s fair to call him a jerk. He’s actually a decent guy. He’s just distant and pretty strict. I think he’s been under a lot of pressure ever since he inherited the company from his dad. He has so many ideas to make it better, but it’s a lot of work to bring his vision to life.”

“Do you want to quit?” Alex asks.

She vehemently shakes her head. “No way. I love the video games we produce. We have our own unique animation and design style, which I really love. I don’t think I would be happier anywhere else. And like I said, my boss isn’t so terrible. It’s just hard to crack his tough shell.”

The doorbell rings.

“Lincoln’s here,” I say, leaping to my feet. My heart somersaults and I feel like my legs might cave.

“It’s so cute how excited you are,” Lizzie says.

I hug each one of them and then wave before heading to the door. When I open it, my jaw falls open and nearly slams into the floor. Because the guy standing before me? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so sexy before. He’s wearing a freshly pressed black suit with a blue tie that brings out his eyes. His hair is combed back in a handsome fashion that makes him look like a real-life Mr. Darcy.

“You look like you were plucked out of a Jane Austen novel,” I blurt.

His eyes soften as he takes me in. “Thanks. And you look like you were plucked out of a fairytale. You’re so beautiful, Callie.”

My cheeks sizzle. “Thanks.”

He’s about to say something, but then he looks past me and smiles. “Hey, everyone.”

When I turn around, I find my friends trying to subtly peek out of the living room. They are obviously failing terribly.

With a yelp, Lizzie loses her balance and crashes into Alex, who crashes into Emily, who almost topples to the floor. Lizzie and Alex catch her in time.

“Hey, Lincoln,” Lizzie says with a sheepish laugh. “We were just, um…”

“Making sure the right guy was at the door,” Alex finishes.

“Yep, totally,” Emily says.

Lincoln smiles pleasantly. “It’s good you’re looking out for Callie. You’re such great friends. I’m glad she has people like you in her life. I know you enrich her life and make her happy.”

“Yeah, that’s us,” Lizzie says. “The bestest best friends in the world.”

“Not a word,” Alex hisses to her. “It wasn’t a word in high school and it’s not a word now.”

“It is in my vocabulary.”

Alex gives us an apologetic smile. “Sorry about this. We don’t mean to ruin your date. Please, carry on.”

“I’ll see you guys later,” I tell them.

“Bye and have fun!” they wish.

With a grin, Lincoln holds out his arm to me. I tuck mine inside and let him lead me to the car, where he opens the door for me. I thank him before climbing in, hoping I don’t accidentally rip the dress. It doesn’t exactly allow for a lot of movement, something I’m not used to because I usually don’t wear such tight dresses.

Before he starts the car, Lincoln faces me, reaching for my hands. “Callie, I just want you to know how excited I am to be with you tonight. It feels like a dream come true.”

“Me, too. It feels like the best dream in the world.”

He bends to press his lips to my cheek.

He starts the car and pulls out of the driveway. We spend most of the drive telling each other about our days. It’s not the most romantic conversation, but honestly? It’s what I need right now. Because my heart hasn’t stopped pounding, and talking about something neutral like work definitely eases things.

The time passes by fairly quickly, especially because there isn’t a lot of traffic. When Lincoln pulls up before the restaurant, I can’t help but gape at it. Sure I’ve passed it many times, but I never dined here before. It looks so gorgeous on the outside and I bet it’s even more stunning on the inside.

Lincoln jumps out of the car and jogs over to my side, opening the door and holding out his hand with a smile. I return the smile and a thank you as I let him help me out. Then the valet takes the car.

Hand in hand, Lincoln and I make our way into the restaurant. Holding hands with him now is so much different from the past. Now, it actually means something because we’re no longer pretending. When the warmth from his skin touching mine travels all the way up my arm and into my heart, I don’t feel dejected or hopeless. I feel happy, joyous, alive. There’s so much hope and so many possibilities.

I think Lincoln feels it too because he squeezes my hand and sends me a warm smile.

When I pull my gaze away from his, I notice the interior of the restaurant, and oh my gosh, is it breathtaking. The tables are set with the most beautiful white tablecloths, the silverware shining like they’re made out of diamonds. Each table has a candle and flowers, the walls have the loveliest designs, and the chandeliers are from another world. A dream world. I thought the restaurant Spencer took me to was perfect, but this is on a whole other level.

“Have you ever been here before?” I ask Lincoln as we’re led to our table.

He shakes his head. “I always dreamed of going, but I never had anyone to go with. It would have looked pretty odd for me and the guys to eat here,” he adds with a chuckle.

Our table has a beautiful view of the outside. Lincoln tells me that he requested it on purpose, which makes me appreciate him so much more. He’s trying so hard to make this perfect for me, but the truth is that I don’t need him to try so hard. I just want him to be himself. I’d have an amazing time with him even if we ate at a pizzeria. The fact that he’s putting in so much effort makes me want to hug him to death and kiss him until our lips fall off. But there’s time for that later.

When he pulls out my chair for me, I say, “Thank you, my kind gentleman.”

“Anything for my lady.” He does this adorable bow that has me giggling.

Once we’re seated, a server hurries over with the menu. I have no idea what any of this means because it’s written in a foreign language, and Lincoln looks just as clueless as me. We ask the server for help and eventually both order chicken dishes. I think.

With another sweet smile, Lincoln reaches across the table and slides his hand into mine. I return the smile. The place isn’t too noisy, and thankfully, no one seems to be snapping photos of us. Of course people have noticed us, but this isn’t the right time or place to obsess over their favorite celebrity.

“What do you think of the restaurant?” he asks.

“It’s the most beautiful one I’ve ever been to. Thanks so much for bringing me here.”

“Of course. Like I said, I want our first date to be special.”

“Thanks.”

We’re both quiet. Lincoln sends me another smile and I return it, the corners of my mouth shaking a bit. I don’t know why, but I’m so freakin’ nervous.

“So how was work?” he asks.

“We already discussed that,” I remind him.

“Oh. Right.”

Again, we find ourselves in awkward silence. I don’t understand why things are so weird. Is it the restaurant? Neither of us is used to dining in a place like this. Maybe we don’t know how to conduct ourselves?

Lincoln taps the fingers of his free hand on the table. Then he looks at me and I look at him. I want to say something, but I don’t know what. Why is every thought in my head fleeing like there’s a deadly disease inside my brain?

“So did your apartment get damaged from the flooding?” he asks.

“What? Oh, no thankfully. The place is still completely intact.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“What about yours?” I ask, then mentally kick myself. Did I not spend two days there? I know his place didn’t receive any damage.

He shakes his head. “Everything is a-okay.”

I force a smile. “Good.”

He nods.

“We’re not trending as much as we were before,” I inform him. “That’s good at least. Maybe things will finally die down?”

“Maybe. Let’s hope a celebrity couple steals the show and people forget all about us.”

I laugh lightly. “Do you really think that would happen?”

“Honestly? No. But one can hope.”

“Yep.”

Quiet again.

Lincoln runs his hand through his hair, like he’s confused and stressed about something. Maybe the fact that there’s this wall between us? I don’t get it. We grew so close at his apartment. Why does it feel like we’re strangers on a blind date? It’s like we’ve lost all of our chemistry.

Thankfully, the server comes with our food. My eyes widen to epic proportions when I see what’s on my plate. It can literally feed a family of four.

“Oh, wow,” I tell the waiter. “This looks amazing. Thanks.” After he leaves with a nod, I say to Lincoln, “Maybe we should have shared a dish. There’s no way I can eat even half of this.”

He waves his hand. “It’s okay. Eat as much as you’d like.”

“Can you even take home the leftovers from a fancy place like this? You’re paying so much for the meal. Maybe I can pay for my food.”

“Callie, please don’t worry about it. I wanted to take you out to this beautiful restaurant and I would like you to enjoy yourself without worrying about the money. And I think we can take the leftovers home. I’m sure they could accommodate the great Lincoln Walker.” He winks.

I laugh. “I forgot for a second that I’m in the presence of a celebrity.”

“That’s one of the things I love most about you,” he says in a soft tone. “The fact that when we’re together, I completely forget that I’m a famous athlete. I’m just me.”

My cheeks heat up and my stomach twists when I realize he said the word “love” when he was referring to me. But oh my gosh, I need to get a grip. It’s not like he admitted that he loves me.

“I love that, too,” I tell him.

We don’t say much as we dig into our food, mostly because it’s so delicious, but also because it seems like neither of us knows what to talk about. We’ve gotten to know each other quite well over the past three weeks—does this mean we don’t have anything to learn about each other anymore? I thought I could talk to Lincoln about anything.

“Delicious, right?” he asks me.

“The best chicken dish I’ve ever had. I’m curious about yours, though. I think it looks better than mine.”

“Do you want a bite?” He stabs his fork into a piece and holds it out to me.

Oh, wow. A guy has never fed me before. Spencer would never do anything like that. With a shy smile, I bend closer to him and close my mouth over the fork, but instead of tasting chicken, I taste metal.

“Sorry!” Lincoln says. When I glance at the table, I see the piece of chicken lying there. “It kind of fell off,” he says with an embarrassed laugh. “Attempt number two?”

It sort of felt romantic before, but now it just feels awkward. I don’t know why. But I don’t want to hurt his feelings, so I quickly bite into the chicken before it can roll off his fork. My eyes widen and a happy sigh escapes my mouth. “Oh my gosh. This is so much better than mine.”

“Really? I don’t mind switching.”

“What? No, that’s not fair.”

“I really don’t mind, Callie. I love making you happy.”

He’s being so sweet, but I don’t want to take advantage of him. He prefers to put me before himself, but it’s important to put himself before other people sometimes, too.

“How about we split our dishes?” I suggest. “That way, we can have from both.”

He beams. “That’s a great idea. See, compromise. Something couples need to learn to do.”

“We’re off to a great start then, huh?”

“Totally.”

Except, things don’t seem to be that great for the rest of our dinner. We both enjoy the food, but we don’t talk about anything substantial. It’s mostly useless, boring questions with equally boring answers. Where are the deep questions we asked each other over the last three weeks? Where are the questions that will make us feel even closer than we are?

We’re too stuffed for dessert, but the server does agree to pack away our leftovers. We linger in our seats, as though neither of us wants to leave. Like we both want to rewind and start over.

“So, um, are we ready to head home?” I ask.

He blinks and nods. “Yeah.”

We stand and he holds out his hand to me. I’m a little hesitant when I slide my hand into his because I’m worried I won’t feel anything. But a spark shoots up my arm, making me trip over my feet.

He quickly steadies me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I don’t usually wear heels.”

He glances at my feet. “Oh. Is it really hard to walk in them? I always used to wonder. I did try wearing my mom’s heels when I was like five. We have it on video.”

“That’s so cute. They’re actually not that bad. I’m just not used to it.”

With our hands still interlocked, we leave the restaurant and wait for the valet to bring us Lincoln’s car. Then he opens the door for me and hurries to the driver’s side.

The drive is mostly quiet, with both of us trying to bring up various topics. Conversations don’t really take off. Eventually, Lincoln puts on some music.

When we pull up before my house, he runs to the passenger side and opens the door for me. As we walk to the front door of the apartment, my heart feels heavy. Was the night a total disaster, or does it just feel like that on my end? Based on the confused frown on Lincoln’s face, it’s obvious it was a disaster for both of us. I don’t get it. Why were we so off?

“I had a great time with you,” he says when we’re standing outside the front door.

I search his eyes, trying to figure out if he’s lying. Maybe it is in my mind after all? But I still see the confusion in there.

“Um, me, too,” I mutter.

He leans forward and presses his lips to mine. The kiss is sweet, but we’re both somewhat hesitant. Like we’re scared intensifying it might shatter the fragile night we just shared.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he tells me.

“Okay. Good night, Lincoln,”

“Good night, Callie.”

I watch him walk back to his car. Before he gets in, he turns around and waves, offering me another one of his sweet smiles. I return the smile and a wave, though I feel how shaky my hand is. He gets in the car and drives off.

Rubbing my head because I feel a headache approaching, I enter my apartment with a sigh. Lizzie, Emily, and Alex are on the living room couch, exactly where I left them.

“How was it!?” they gush.

With a sigh, I plop down on the couch and grab a cushion, squishing it to my chest. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Emily asks, looking extremely worried. Alex and Lizzie appear just as concerned.

Keeping my eyes on the cushion, I say, “Things were so awkward. I mean, sometimes we had good conversations, but other times it was like there was this thick wall between us. I thought we would be so romantic with each other and spend the whole night hitting it off and kissing. But…” I swallow. “It almost felt like we were strangers.”

When I raise my eyes to my friends, I find them exchanging shocked glances. Like they have no idea what to make of what I just said.

“But maybe I’m blowing things out of proportion,” I continue. “We both obviously still want to be with each other and at times, it felt like all the other times we were together. But I don’t know. Things just felt off.”

“Your relationship isn’t like it was in the past,” Alex muses, tapping her chin. “Think about it. Before you guys admitted that you had feelings for each other, there was no pressure. Sure there was pressure to pull off a fake relationship, but there was no pressure between you guys. Because it was all pretend. But now that you admitted that you like each other, everything has changed. It’s easier to be yourself with someone when you don’t care whether or not he likes you. But now you want him to like you. You want him to love every part of you. You don’t want to do anything to turn him off. It makes things much scarier and nerve-wracking.”

I play with a thread on the cushion as I absorb her words. “I was super nervous. I felt like we were on a blind date.”

“How did the date end?” Lizzie asks.

“He told me he enjoyed the date and kissed me. It wasn’t as mind-blowing as our other ones, but it was still good.”

“See! He enjoyed his time with you,” Emily says. “Maybe you are just blowing things out of proportion.”

I shake my head. “He looked pretty confused and worried, too. And the drive home was so awkward that he put on music. We barely spoke.”

“It may take some time for you guys to get used to this new dynamic of your relationship,” Alex says. “It’ll take time for you to figure out how to navigate everything. It’s almost like you’re meeting him for the first time, right? You can’t expect the two of you to be in perfect sync and understand each other as though you’ve been together for years. Just like it takes time for a normal relationship to build, you guys need to build the foundations of your relationship first. You can’t just jump to Act Three without getting through Act One and Act Two first.”

I’m quiet as her words make sense in my head. She’s totally right. Even though Lincoln and I have gotten to know each other pretty well, we were only in the friend zone. We didn’t go through the normal stages a couple goes through in a relationship. I can’t expect us to have the perfect relationship when we didn’t set up the groundwork first. We need to get through the early steps before we can reach the end.

I grin at Alex. “That was really good advice. Maybe you can have a second career as a couples’ counselor.”

Alex scoffs. “Thanks for the compliment, but I’m just trying to be logical here. I’m sure you guys will be back to normal soon. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

I throw my arms around her. “Thanks so much! I feel so much better about it now.” I hold out my arm to add Lizzie and Emily in the hug. “All of you have been with me every step of the way. I don’t think I could have survived this without you.”

“That’s what best friends are for,” Lizzie says as she squeezes me back.

“Best friends forever and ever,” Emily adds.