Baking With Boys |✔

12. Peach Soufflé

Being single wasn't as easy as people thought it was.

Not when your ex-boyfriend was at your doorstep, asking you to date him again. Well, to my rest my case, I had said no to him. But then with the most puppy dog faced expression he had asked me to fake date him.

"Hello?" I heard Rebecca aka my best friend say through the phone. Whom I was currently supposed to be fighting with, because she had stolen two Oreos from me last week.

It was a sin that couldn't be forgiven.

"Rebecca, hi," I mumbled, feeling a little ashamed that I had called her after full two days.

"Thanks for calling! Do you finally forgive me?" Her high pitched voice and obvious sarcasm instantly warmed my insides and I settled back in my pillows.

"Forgive you? How can you even think about it Reb? You stole two bloody Oreos! " I said with fake anger and I could literally imagine her rolling her baby blue eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Spill it."

"Spill what?" I asked in a tiny voice.

"Ty baby, I have known you for the six years we have been staying in the boarding school. Do you really expect me to believe you are not stressing over something, again?"

God, I had to give her a prize or something for her Sherlock skills.

"Fine. To put it simply... " I stalled.

"Yes?" She urged me on.

"Francis came back." I bit my lip and already winced, anticipating her colorful words.

"That idiot bastard is back? Didn't think it was enough to fuck up your life once? I'm going to hang him upside down and slap him with all his sweet cakes for all I care!" She took in a rushed breath and I knew she could rant the whole night if she wanted, so I quickly interjected.

"He's getting married, Reb."

"He's what?"

"Getting married!" I shouted back, and then quieted down as I remembered the four boys on my floor. Oh, just wait till I tell her that. She'll freak out as if Tom Cruise had moved into my house.

"Not to you, I suppose?"

"God, no! It's someone from their business. Like an arranged marriage."

"Well, he deserves it, I mean, he left you in pieces! Even when your dad died, he—" Rebecca stopped at the sharp intake of my breath at the mention of my dad.

I bit the insides of my cheek, and said for the umpteenth time, "It was not his fault." A nervous energy built up inside me, and I took more breaths to calm myself down.

"Sorry, I didn't meant to say that. Defend him all you want, Ty." Her words had an exasperated ring to it. It made me feel guilty, but I listened to her all the same, "You can't make me stop hating him."

"My dad's gone, it's the truth. Not saying anything about it won't go away. So, stop apologizing."

"I know but--"

"The reason I called you is because Francis asked me to fake date him." I cut her off and her gasp was loud enough to make me cringe.

"OMG! What?! Why?"

I suppressed a giggle at her reaction. She always seemed to switch to text language when she got super excited or uneasy. "He doesn't want to get married, obviously. So, he asked me to fake date him and shoo off his fiancé or something."