My Fake Fiancé

Chapter 13 : The trip

"Lilly Come on!" shouted Elle as I ran to the car.

"Do you know how long it's been since we planned a trip? It's going to be life-changing," she squealed in joy. She was right. It was going to be life-changing to me, but I didn't think that she would know how.

I had decided to change my attitude towards love. My attitude towards Jamie, especially. I looked around to see if he was there, but I couldn't find him. There was a crowd of boys. Joel, Ricky, Alex, Mark, Peter, and some I didn't know. But Jamie was nowhere in sight.

Elle noticed me and said, "Don't worry, princess. Your prince in shining armor will be coming directly to the resort. He had some last-minute emergencies."

"I wasn't looking for him, and I don't need a prince to save me." This was the first thing that I'd decided to follow. Be casual. No lovey-dovey.

"You may not. But that doesn't mean he can't be your prince," she said dreamily and walked away, leaving me in awe. How could this childish girl say something so deep and walk away like we were talking about some stupid weather?

***

"I KNOW YOU THINK ABOUT ME WHEN YOU KISS HER

I LEFT A TASTE IN YOUR MOUTH, CAN SHE TASTE ME NOW?I'M BITTER"

We girls were singing at the top of our lungs, and the boys were cringing and making signs at us. We had taken three separate cars. There were nearly twenty of us. Everyone had brought their friends and friends of friends. It was an open invitation, and it looked like everybody knew everybody else.

I was in the car with Alex, Elle, Ricky, Joel, a boy named Josh, and a couple of other girls. The ride was full of high-pitched singing—more like screaming, giggling, laughing, and loudly blasting music. It was the best ride I'd ever had, but something made the whole thing dull.

Not something. Someone. Jamie. He wasn't there, and though I was nervous about facing him again, I missed his silent presence, reassuring me that I was where my heart wanted to be.

I'd never noticed before, but when it was just me and Jamie, the silence between us felt comfortable and soothing. He knew how to make my soul calm just by existing.

The words pulled me out of my trance.

"CALL OUT MY NAME WHEN I KISS YOU, SO GENTLY

I WANT YOU STAY...I WANT YOU TO STAY, EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T WANT ME."

I started to sing along even though it was the boys' turn. I couldn't resist a good song.

***

We reached the resort after five hours of the fun ride. I was so tired that I would've slept right on the road. My legs were numb from the lack of activity, and my back was killing me. I flexed when I got out of the car, and I felt my joints crack. I was such a grandma.

Again, my eyes automatically searched for that one person. But he was nowhere to be seen. My face drooped but then I felt a presence behind me. Thinking that it was Jamie, I whipped my head back but instead found a smiling Joel. I tried so hard not to show my disappointment on my face. It worked because he didn't seem to notice.

"Hey," he said, and he seemed surprisingly shy. Joel was always confident and... cool. He never hesitated to say something. His humor was on point, and his words were so concise. I had never seen this side of him. The unsure Joel.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, and I realized that I was staring at him.

"Oh... nothing. You seem... different today." He got even more shy and I felt like hiding in a hole.