Sloane
"Ha!" The sudden outburst caught me by surprise, but the almost hysterical laughter that followed didn't.
Me? Chris's PR girlfriend? Yeah, right. Funny.
Cami pinned me with a look that clearly said: "This isn't a joke."
"Cami." I reasoned, shaking my head, "No. It's not– No."
She sat back in her chair, shrugging her shoulder and resting her hands on her lap. "You did say it was a good idea. Someone local, a name the higher-ups would know..."
Her sentence trailed off, ending like this was the most obvious solution to the problem. Of course, I meant what I said, but I meant someone else. Someone... realistic.
I could feel my cheeks flush when I spared a glance in Chris's direction and saw the astonished look on his face.
Great. He's fucking mortified by even the idea of being seen with me as anything other than a friend.
My fingers moved on their own, reaching up to toy with the metal of my hoop earring and I hated it. The need to be moving or doing something with my hands only came over me when I was nervous or vulnerable and neither of those emotions should be felt when I'm supposed to be on my A-game.
The two of us sat stunned and silent, amusement written all over Cami's beautiful face.
I shook my head, a firm rejection that she clearly was not accepting. "Moving on. Who else?"
For making such a bold suggestion, she was entirely too nonchalant about this.
One time... One time in college, I made a comment about wishing Chris looked at me in a different light and this stubborn bitch still wouldn't let it go. The look on her face proved it was just some elaborate plan to force the two of us together and I knew she wasn't giving up easily.
"I think this is a perfect idea," she shrugged again, "You need an excuse to get Stu off of your back and–"
"Camille Lynette Hart!"
Dammit.
Dammit. Dammit. Dammit!
That certainly caught Chris's attention. He sat up straight in his chair, his normally sparkling blue eyes darkened and his jaw clenched in anger.
"What's going on with Stu?" He demanded, his eyes flickering between me and Cami.
Shit.
Chris wasn't supposed to find out about this. Especially from Cami.
I trusted the apologetic look on her face, knowing she probably hadn't intentionally let it slip. But the floodgates have been opened and there was no fucking way Chris was going to be satisfied without some kind of explanation.
But on the other hand, fuck him.
I've been calling and texting the bastard nonstop for the past few months. He was clearly avoiding me, I just didn't know why.
Frustrations aside, I composed myself, straightening my spine and squaring my shoulders, reminding myself to get it together. I'm at work. This is my job. It was not the place to discuss how Stu's been showing up at my apartment complex every night or how he basically stalks me for a living.
It's not the time to feel weak or flustered.
I'm here to figure out his next best step with Cami and Chris. He needed to earn back everyone's trust and dating –fake dating– me, wouldn't do that.
Clearing my throat, I mirrored Cami's posture and rested my hands on my lap. "My answer is no. Nothing is going on with Stu that I can't handle myself. End of discussion."
I leaned over to snag a pen from my purse and my trusty notepad, clicking the tip of the pen, "Okay, so I do have a couple of–"
"What the fuck is going on with Stu?" I peeked over at Chris again, his normally calm, happy-go-lucky demeanor was gone. His face was flushed pink, his carotid bulging as it beat a fast, erratic rhythm in his neck. He clenched his hands into fists on his lap.
My leg started bouncing nervously as my eyes jumped back and forth between a very sheepish Cami and a very pissed-off Chris.
"Sloane, I swear to god–"
I let out an exasperated groan. "Honestly, Chris. Mind your own business. You haven't been around for months. Months. And then I'm coming to your rescue and bailing you out of jail. You want to know what's going on in my life? You have to earn that right," I snapped, turning to face Cami instead of him.
I could feel myself turning red. My eyes blurred with tears of frustration, my chest heaving as I tried to keep myself composed. Seeing Stu, bailing Chris out of jail, and getting absolutely no sleep was almost too much for me to handle.
On top of all of that, Cami was basically taunting me with a crush I had on Chris in fucking college and he was beside himself thinking about actually having to be seen as more than a friend to me in the public eye.
Correction. It is too much.
I grabbed a tissue from Cami's desk, blotting the corners of my eyes to preserve the makeup I wore, knowing I wouldn't have time to run home before court.
Cami looked over at me, the playful edge to her features turning apologetic as I fidgeted in my seat.
I have worked so damn hard to prove myself in this world. Crying with a client, at work, was so fucking frustrating and embarrassing. Thankfully, it was just Cami and Chris, but the current situation I was in still burned every inch of my skin with embarrassment.
Chris cursed under his breath, turning to face me but I couldn't meet his eyes, "Pipsqueak, come on. I've just– I've been–"
I scoffed. I knew this excuse, I've heard it a hundred times. "Busy. I know." I didn't even attempt to hide the hurt that laced my voice.
I've been hiding it for entirely too long. Maybe if he saw firsthand that I was hurt by his 'busyness', he would quit pulling away.
Maybe.
"Our relationship is neither here nor there. Camille, who else do you have on your radar?" I readied my pen, waiting for her to list some names. I could jot them down now, do some research later, and soon, we'd find the perfect match for Chris.
Someone who definitely wasn't me.
"I won't do it if it's not you, Pip."
My head snapped toward Chris, the pen in my hand almost slipping out of my grasp and falling to the floor.
WHAT?
Chris stared at me and I stared right back, almost like we were both surprised those words came out of his mouth.
I won't do it if it's not you, Pip.
I swallowed the knot forming in my throat, suddenly desperate for a glass of water. "What do you mean?" I asked, my voice scratchy from the desert currently forming in my throat.
He shrugged. The fucker shrugged. "It's simple. Cami thinks this is the best idea. You fit into the criteria you both had in mind. I trust you, you trust me. Or at least I hope you do. I know that whatever is happening with Stu must be pretty serious if you won't tell me because you never want anyone to worry about you. So that's definitely a factor, too."
The air left my lungs quickly and forcefully, making me take a second before I could respond. "This is just– it's a little out of left field, don't you think? Everyone knows we're just friends." I cringed at the baseball pun, Chris chuckling nervously beside me.
"It makes sense, babe." Cami answered, her attention shifting to her computer for a second before looking back at me, "Jeff and Katie approve."
Crap.
I closed my eyes, sinking back into my chair. Jeff Lauper. The General Manager of the Red Sox. Katie Murphy. The Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for the Red Sox. So basically, Chris's boss and Cami's boss.
"What happened to the higher-ups needing to be convinced? Doesn't it defeat the purpose if the two of them know?" I asked, my eyes still squeezed shut.
Chris shifted in his chair next to me, probably not enjoying the fact that his little drug incident was basically forcing me to do something I didn't want to.
I peeled my eyes open and stared blankly at the wall behind Cami's desk.
"Katie is in charge of PR, Jeff is in charge of Chris. I needed an idea of what they were looking for." Cami answered, scratching her eyebrow with her thumb. "They both agree. It's you, Sloane."
I shook my head quickly, indecision clouding my thoughts.
Air. I need some fucking air.
Pushing out of my chair, I left my belongings behind and shoved her office door open.
This is ridiculous. I can't be Chris's fake girlfriend. I can't date him.
Being in this industry for the past six years has taught me a lot about PR dating and every single time, it ends one of two ways.
They actually fall in love.
One of them catches feelings and the other doesn't, the former feeling burned and humiliated.
We've been friends for our entire lives. Literally. There are pictures of my mom's baby bump pressed up against Lisa's while they both labored in hospital gowns.
How could this end well?
We couldn't fall in love with each other. If the feelings were there, they would've presented themselves years ago.
They've had 29 years to make an appearance.
What would holding his hand for some paparazzi pictures change?
My heels snapped against the tiled floor as I fled from Cami's office, completely ignoring the curious side-eyes thrown my way from people making their way to their offices.
I opted against the elevator, hurrying down the stairs at a speed that was probably too dangerous for the Louboutins on my feet, but the air in Cami's office was suffocating.
Last night and this morning have been suffocating.
If I just had a second to myself to breathe, I could think about this rationally. I needed some fresh air and a moment to clear my head.
Chris seemed so nonchalant about this. How? How was he not freaking out like me?
This was a big fucking deal.
I pushed out of the stairwell exit, immediately blinded by the morning light. My hand shot up to shield my eyes as I sucked in a breath of fresh air so deep my lungs ached in protest.
Date Chris? Chris? Date? No. Absolutely not.
I plopped onto a bench next to the exit and buried my face in my hands.
There was no scenario in which this works. None.
And now I was even more overwhelmed than I was last night. A contract that Gavin Thomas (outfielder for the Red Sox) had with a sponsor needed to be reviewed. He'd done everything he was supposed to in his Instagram posts and still hadn't received payment, so he was taking them to court and I was his representation.
So now I had that to worry about as well as trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do about Chris and not to mention the 10 other contracts that were up for renewal.
The Red Sox were good to their players, but I was still hired to protect them and their best interests.
Before I could even get a second to compose myself, the exit door was shoved open with force, Chris stumbling out and shielding his eyes the same way I had.
He looked around for a second before his eyes landed on me, his expression softening. "Hey, Pip." His voice was soft as he took a seat, leaning forward to rest his forearms against his thighs while he stared at the ground.
"I'm sorry."
I let out a humorless laugh, not sure what he was apologizing for this time.
The drugs, the money to bail him out of jail, basically giving me no option but to be his fake girlfriend, ignoring me and all of my phone calls and text messages over the past 3 months?
The list felt endless at this point.
Taking a deep breath, I sat up and leaned against the cool concrete of the building. Chris used to be my best friend. Shit, I still considered him to be my best friend. And in a perfect world, I would do anything for him.
But this felt like too much.
On the other hand, Stu's incessant and unwanted presence in front of my building almost every morning was annoying. And starting to get scary.
For some reason, even while we were dating, the security guard at the front wouldn't let him in unless I was standing there with him or in the lobby waiting for him.
When we were dating, it was a little annoying. Now, I was extremely thankful.
Fake-dating Chris would get Stu off of my back.
Hopefully.
Maybe.
And if it didn't... I would at least have a witness to his erratic behavior.
I exhaled a controlled breath from my lungs before turning to look at Chris. "I didn't mean to storm out. That was— it was incredibly unprofessional. I'm sorry."
Chris twisted his head to look at me, cocking an eyebrow. "Are you—" he laughed, sitting back and spearing his fingers through his brunette hair. "Has our friendship seriously devolved so much that you're apologizing to me for being 'unprofessional'?"
Despite the overwhelming weight on my shoulders, I laughed.
I laughed because it was true.
Everything felt off with Chris and I hated it. I hated the awkwardness that hung over us or how I wasn't sure how to speak to him anymore.
Without knowing the reason behind his pulling away from me, Chris was uncharted territory now. He wasn't acting like himself, he wasn't Chris.
Sure, for just a few minutes I could let myself fall back into my usual goofy self with him, but something wouldn't let me fall back into it completely.
I was guarded.
His presence in my life had been scarce recently and it hurt. If I put my guard down, it would be all too easy for him to just leave again. And again, vulnerability wasn't my strong suit.
"I don't know what to say, Chris."
He sighed deeply, his Adam's apple bobbing while he swallowed. I knew this look. This was Chris holding back.
Whatever he wanted to say, sat at the tip of his tongue but his lips stayed pressed together in a tight line.
"You really fucked up." Not that I needed to repeat that. Chris knew.
But the cynical side of me wasn't done rubbing salt into the wound.
"I can't do this without you, Pip," he rasped. Vulnerability and desperation weighed heavy on his voice and I could feel my resolve crack.
Just like it always did when it came to Chris.
A light breeze broke through the morning air, offering just a moment of relief from the dense, humid June air that clung to my skin.
Despite needing to feel on top of my game today, for just a second, I regretted donning my signature "boss ass bitch fit" this morning.
It was hot.
Or maybe it was the overhanging cloud of pressure that'd been following me since I bailed Chris out of jail last night that was making me sweat.
Regardless, the sweat beading at my hairline and slowly trailing down my neck made me curse the outfit choice.
I pulled at the thin beige fabric of my turtle neck in an attempt to cool my skin.
"Let's go inside. You look like you're about to faint."
"It's not from the heat," I replied, inhaling a deep breath and holding it in my lungs until they ached. "Okay," I responded, my breath coming out rushed with my words. "Fine."
Chris stared at me in disbelief. "Really? I don't wanna— I mean— I don't know, Pip. Don't do anything that makes you uncomfortable."
I snorted out a laugh, rubbing the sweat on my palms onto my slacks. "We're past that point, Chris." Rising to my feet, I turned to face him. "Cam thinks this will work. It's my job to protect you and your best interests. If Katie and Jeff are on board and think this is in your best interest, I might as well do what I can."
A small part of me hated that I was looking at this from such a clinical standpoint.
Chris was so much more than a client to me. He was my best friend and well... for lack of a better word, he was my soulmate.
There was a time when we did everything together.
We could still read each other like a book, that hasn't changed and probably never will. Whenever I received good or bad news, his number was the first one my fingers ached to dial.
That version of me would've dropped whatever I was doing in a heartbeat to do this for Chris.
But this version of me was still bitter and burned from Chris's sudden disappearance from your life.
Looking at this from a purely business perspective would give me a clear mind when it came to Chris and not only his reputation, but his contractual obligations as well.
Chris stood, his blue eyes locked on mine as he rose, towering over me. "We'll sign a contract. Something that gives you an out at any time. I don't want you—" he paused, swallowing thickly, "— I don't want you feeling trapped or anything. This ends the second you want it to."
I nodded, feeling small under the intensity of his gaze. "Yeah, sure." Clearing my throat, I stood up straighter and smoothed the wrinkles on my blazer, my skin still sticky from the heat. "I'm the lawyer, remember?" I teased lightheartedly, earning a small smile from Chris.
"I'm serious, Pip. The second it becomes too much, we're done."
My eyes flickered up to his, "Hopefully only on paper? I've... I miss you, Bub."
His long arms wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me into his body. "I missed you more, Pip." Chris's voice was sad and small. Giving me a small amount of hope that he really was just busy and we were okay.
My eyes shut as I inhaled the familiar scent of his musky cologne, ignoring the niggling questions at the back of my mind because if he missed me more... Why was distancing himself in the first place?
Chris cleared his throat, pulling away but keeping his hands on my shoulders. "You good?"
I swiped at the sweat on my forehead. "I should be asking you that. I hear coke highs are a bitch to come down from."
He shrugged, like what I was saying was true but he wouldn't admit it. "Any discomfort I feel right now is deserved."
Well. Couldn't argue with him on that.
"Let's get this shit hashed out. I gotta go soon." I jerked my chin towards the door, waiting for Chris to release me from his hold so I could walk back up to Cam's office.
"I'm serious, Sloane. Don't do this if you don't want to."
I knew he was trying to offer me an out and while I appreciated the fact that he cared, it also stung a little. The more he said it, the more it sounded like he was the one wanting an out.
"I'm okay if you're okay."
I watched his expression, waiting for something to give away a small hint that he wasn't okay with it. Something.
A twitch of his mouth, a tick in his jaw.
But his face remained unreadable.
Or maybe I was losing my touch.
He smiled, his facial expressions softening with it. "I'm okay."
"Okay," I responded, pushing past Chris to swipe my keycard against the reader to unlock the door.
When I stepped inside of the building, the chill of the AC slapped me instantly, as did the reality of what I was about to do.
I was going to date Chris. Fake date Chris. But still!
My fucking best friend.
People Magazine's 'Sexiest Man in Sports' in 2021.
The two of us have been photographed together for years. But almost everyone knew me as the bitchy best friend. Or the 'friend with resting bitch face' as TMZ so lovingly called me last year.
We've been shutting down dating rumors for years. How was everyone going to react?
Fuck.
My parents. Chris's parents.
Both of our families would have to sign NDA's because they would have to know.
We could fake it for the world, but I couldn't fake it with them. I just couldn't.
His picture was plastered on the front of every Boston magazine at this point, so they would know about the incident. Meaning they would probably be fine with the agreement we'd come to without questioning it too much... right?
I was walking with Chris through the lobby, muscle memory leading me to the elevator as my brain ran through every single legal precaution we'd have to take.
The elevator doors closed after we stepped in, Chris pressing the floor for Camille's office while my thoughts were elsewhere.
I could feel Chris's eyes on me but was too distracted to have a conversation with him.
His fingertip tapped against my forehead 3 times, pulling my focus back to him.
"I can see the lawyer brain turning. What are you thinking?"
I exhaled a breath through pursed lips and turned to look at Chris, my hands finding my hips. "Okay, well. For starters, we'll both have to sign NDAs. Our families, too. I can have Andre draft up a contract for—"
Chris palmed the back of his neck nervously before cutting me off. "We shouldn't tell them."
My eyes widened in shock. "Chris, we have to tell them."
My parents would 100% know if we were lying. They have to know the truth.
He shrugged as the elevator dinged and the doors split open. "I don't think they do..."
The two of us stood in silence for a moment, Chris sticking his hand out to stop the door from closing again.
I couldn't lie to my parents. I couldn't lie to my sisters. How?
How could I look Lisa in the face and lie about dating her son?!
"Earth to Sloane?" Camille's fingers snapped in front of my face. "I get that you're in some kind of waking coma, but I need you to focus. If we're gonna do this, we need to hash out legal shit and you have court in 30 minutes."
My eyes somehow widened even further. "30 minutes?" I checked my Apple Watch and sure enough, it was already 9.
How long had I sat outside and panicked with Chris?
Jesus!
"I'm a lawyer Cam, I'm perfectly capable of drafting the paperwork at home or shooting over the logistics to Andre and having him take care of it. I have to go." I pushed past her and Chris, walking towards her office to grab my things.
I picked up my phone, dialing Gavin's number to let him know I was on my way, and then turned to Chris and Cami. "Actually... My apartment. Tonight. 8? Bring food, I have wine." I turned solely speaking to Cami. "Dom can come, too, if you think he can keep a secret."
Gavin's deep voice sounded from the other end as I was heading out of the office so I waved a quick goodbye to my two best friends as I entered the elevator. "Gavin, hey!"
"Door's open!" I hollered from the floor. My legs were folded under me as I rifled through the newest packet of paper Andre sent over.
There were documents spread out all around me on the living room floor and coffee table, some for research purposes, others for legal purposes.
All of them pertain to the agreement I was going into with Chris.
I heard my front door open, footsteps hesitating in the threshold as they took in the current state of my home.
"Ummm okay, true crime. You know Ted Bundy was caught right?"
Rolling my eyes at Cami, I lifted the glass of Merlot I'd poured an hour ago to my lips, taking a small sip. "Har-har. Come in. Sit. Chris, your new phone is on the counter."
I'd taken it upon myself to snag him one on my way home today since his screen was cracked to hell and if I left it up to him, his thumbs would be sliced and bloodied for weeks before he made time to get a new one.
Cami shuffled in, her husband Dominic following immediately behind her.
Chris pocketed his new phone and offered a very timid 'thank you' before making his way over to the living room.
Honestly, from their perspective, I probably did look like some crazy detective trying to make a breakthrough in their case, but I'd spent all night researching different kinds of PR contracts and NDAs.
After winning Gavin's case and stopping at the Apple Store, I came home and made good use of the $700 printer that I'd invested in a couple of years ago when I started working from home.
Chris sat on the couch next to me, dropping a plastic bag of Chinese food on the coffee table, my grumbling stomach reminding me that I hadn't eaten since lunch.
"Okay, so I called Andre and I had him draft a Relationship Contract–" I sifted through a stack of paperwork on the floor next to me, grabbing the contract and passing it to Chris without even looking at him, "give it a little look-see and let me know what you think. I was also thinking–"
He reached down, snagging all of the paperwork from my hands and holding them out of my arm's reach while I stared at him.
"Okay, what are you doing?" I reached out in an attempt to grab the papers, but he'd already passed them to Dom and was ripping open the plastic bag. "Eat. Then we'll talk."
I rolled my eyes, "Chris, I can eat in a min–"
He pulled out an eggroll, stuffing the end into my mouth. "Eat."
Biting down on the end of the eggroll, I swatted Chris's hand away and smiled while I chewed. "Thank you."
Chris shrugged while Dom and Cami shared an amused glance.
Everyone that saw these little moments between me and Chris always assumed there were feelings involved, but this is just how it is with us.
He more than likely knew I hadn't taken time to eat since lunch and while sometimes, him knowing what's best for me before I do is annoying, I always appreciated it.
Even after disappearing for a couple of months, Chris was still my best friend. He knew me better than Cami did and I lived with her for 3 years in college.
I sat and chewed on the egg roll, moving my legs so I was sitting on my butt and relaxed so my back was leaning into the couch. A moan left my lips as I chewed, throwing my head back against the couch seat while my eyes shut. "God, I needed this."
Chris chuckled from beside me, my eyes opening just in time to see him reach over and wipe at the corner of my mouth. "I know."
His thumb lingered on my cheek for a second, his eyes staring down at me. Something passed over his expression that elicited an eruption of nerves.
I have never gotten nervous around Chris before, but the way he was looking at me right now brought a swarm of butterflies to life in my stomach.
I cleared my throat, sitting up and glancing over at Cami and Dom, both of them still wearing that matching, knowing smile. Though, they had no clue what they were actually witnessing.
It was just me and Chris being... me and Chris.
After glaring at them for a second, I shoved the last of the eggroll into my mouth and extended my hands towards Chris. "Papers, please."
"I see we've forgotten our manners." He deadpanned, grabbing the papers from Dom and holding them out to me.
I finished chewing and grinned, taking them from Chris. "Manners don't exist when it comes to you, Chrissy."
He rolled his eyes, leaning back against the couch cushion and crossing his arms. "You can still eat while you give your presentation." Chris gestured to the food that was sitting right at eye level like I could've missed it. Or the smell.
"Yeah, I will." After wiping my hands, I thumbed through the paper again. "Here, read this over and let me know what you think."
Chris grabbed the contract from me, a slow blush crawling up his neck while his eyes skimmed the paper. "I don't know what I'm looking at... I mean, you're my lawyer."
I sighed, "It's a simple PR Relationship Contract. Length of relationship, Exclusivity, Living Arrangements, Income, social media, etcetera."
He nodded very slowly as if his mind couldn't wrap around the idea that he was all for just a few hours ago.
Chris swallowed, passing the contract over to Cami. "Thoughts?" He rasped, clearing his throat.
Cami's eyes skimmed the contract, Dom peeking over her shoulder with a smirk on his face, clearly enjoying how uncomfortable this was making the two of us.
I grabbed a box of fried rice, ripped it open, and shoveled a spoonful into my mouth.
She shrugged, "Pretty standard. You guys just need to agree on the terms."
This was the part I wasn't looking forward to.
After I finished chewing, I grabbed my wine glass, downing the rest of its contents in one gulp before setting it on the coffee table. "You're the PR expert. Tell me, what do you recommend?"
She sat back against the grey cushion of my couch, twisting her lips while she pondered the question. "Well, normal PR relationships last a year."
I sputtered out a cough. "A year? I'm 29 years old!"
Chris's face flushed a deep red, scratching his cheek nervously. "6 months?" He suggested with a raised brow.
"That's fine." Cami nodded, grabbing a pen from the table and filling it in. "6 months would work."
Fuck. I'm going to be 30 soon and instead of taking the next 6 months to date and hopefully find someone to settle down with, I'm going to enter into a fake relationship with someone I didn't stand a chance with.
Doubt crept into my mind, suddenly not sure if this was such a good idea. I stood up from my place on the floor and began to slowly pace the length of my living room. "I mean, yeah. 6 months– that should– 6 months." I blew out a slow breath, my hands finding my hips. "I can do 6 months. That's... nothing."
All eyes were on me as I panic-paced around the living room, chewing on my thumbnail.
"Exclusivity?" Cami asked, her eyes bouncing between me and Chris.
I looked at Chris, waiting for him to answer first, but the flustered expression on his face led me to believe no words were going to come out of his mouth.
"I mean, it would look bad if we were also seeing other people. Right? Can't really help Chris's reputation if he's seeing multiple people or the one person he's supposed to be seeing is 'cheating'." I paused, gulping and eyeing my wine glass, cursing myself for finishing it so quickly. "Right?"
Cami shrugged while Dom's grin grew. She marked something down on the contract. "So, we'll mark it as exclusive. Neither of you can see or sleep with other people."
I choked, patting my chest. "We won't be sleeping together."
Chris's face flushed again and Dom burst out into a fit of laughter, clutching his stomach while his body shook, another blush quickly making its way from my chest to the tips of my ears.
Why is this so fucking awkward?
'This. Is. Amazing." Dom choked out between laughs, earning a smack from Cami and glare from me and Chris.
"Read the room, asshole," I muttered under my breath, giving in to the pressure and snagging my wine glass from the coffee table and walking over to my attached kitchen.
I took a second to refill my glass, then ran a paper towel under the sink, patting the cold fabric against my neck. The A/C in my apartment was set low, but I was most definitely sweating through my shirt.
I am dying.
This shouldn't be so uncomfortable. The two of us were best friends for fucks sake. It was a simple agreement, between friends. That's all.
Nothing more, nothing less.
But still, I was panicking.
Fake dating Chris would be a lot. Lying to my friends and family would be a lot. Am I mentally prepared for this commitment?
"Hey."
I jumped, flipping around to see Chris standing behind me.
"Hey," I responded, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.
"Look, Pip, if this is too much for you, we don't have to do it. We haven't signed anything, I honestly wasn't expecting you to follow through with it. I can– I'm happy to find someone else."
Chris didn't want to do it with anyone else. For some reason, I didn't want him to do it with anyone else, either.
Someone could take advantage of him or his money. Chris had a kind heart and he's been burned too many times. It broke my heart to think of it happening because I couldn't take a few pictures with him.
"Why don't we ask Cam and Dom to go home? We can do this just the two of us," He offered quietly.
Wishful thinking.
I opened my eyes, looking up at my best friend. "We can't. We need two witnesses."
A deep hum sounded from the back of his throat. "Gotcha."
"I'm sorry, I'm overreacting."
Chris chuckled, resting his hands on my shoulders. "You're not overreacting. I'm asking too much of you and you're struggling internally because you know it's a big ask but you don't want to disappoint me."
"I–" I sighed, shaking my head. "How do you do that?" I laughed, my muscles relaxing as he kneaded my shoulders softly.
"Because I know you. You don't have to do this."
I chewed on the inside of my cheek for a second, shaking my head. "But it can't be anyone else." I turned away from Chris, grabbing my wine glass from the counter. "It's fine, let's do this."
He smiled, gesturing for me to walk ahead of him. "After you."
Both of us walked back into my living room, plopped onto my couch, and looked at Cami. "What's next?"
She cleared her throat and looked at Chris. "Living arrangements."
"Together."
"Obviously separate."
The two of us answered at the same time, my head snapping towards Chris. "We do not need to live together."
He shrugged, his jaw set. "Nonnegotiable. If you've got something going on with Stu, we're living together."
My mouth fell open, momentarily stunned. Whatever was going on with Stu was none of his business!
"I think..." Cami paused, shooting me her third or fourth apologetic look of the day. "I think Chris is right. It would help everyone sleep better at night. Chris wouldn't worry, we wouldn't worry." Her voice trailed off and I stared at her in disbelief.
How could she possibly be taking his side with this?
"No." I responded, shaking my head. "I don't wanna live in your apartment. It's not... it's ugly."
Chris snorted out a laugh, crossing his arms over his chest. "Then I'll move here. I basically have a room here anyway. It's fine. Nonnegotiable. Next question."
Cami avoided my eyes as she moved on to the next topic, clearly, I didn't have a say in this. "Income."
"Separate." We answered at the same time.
The two of us made plenty of money, there was no need to combine our income.
"I'll pay rent and supplement groceries."
I nodded, taking a long pull from my wine glass. "We all need someone to tell. This is gonna be hard. We need one person. Just one."
Cami looked at Dom, dipping her head in his direction. "I have him."
"Fine, I get to tell Zoey." My older sister would probably laugh hysterically at the predicament I'd gotten myself into, but at least I would have her in on this huge secret.
Chris nodded. "I'll tell Scott."
There was a brief lull in conversation while the four of us exchanged looks containing wide eyes and something that resembled seasickness.
"Umm– Social media presence?" Camille asked, her voice soft. "I'd recommend at least two posts a month."
"Fine." I responded, almost at the same time that Chris said, "Okay." I rolled my eyes knowing that it would be all on me since Chris didn't even manage his own social media accounts.
"Lastly, public appearances."
My eyes shifted from Cami to Chris, then back to Cami. "Recommendations?"
"You have to go to his games."
I nodded. That's easy, I was used to doing that before he pulled his disappearing act.
"You guys will need to go grocery shopping together, walk around the park, visit Sudbury. Be seen outside of the Fenway, too."
The two of us shared a look, then nodded.
"Okay." Cami leaned forward, sliding the paper across the table with a pen. "Who's signing first?"
Chris cleared his throat, his face still flushed pink as he picked up the pen. He looked over at me. "The second you want out, we're done. I don't care about the legal shit."
I nodded, thankful that he was so considerate of my feelings. "Same to you."
He clicked the pen and leaned forward, signing his name on the dotted line.
Chris passed the black pen to me, placing it in my shaky hand.
"Okay." I breathed out, leaning forward and moving the paper so it was in front of me.
No big deal.
I'm just signing a contract to be in a fake relationship with my best friend.
The pen slid against the paper with ease as I wrote my name.
This was it.
One more swipe and Chris was my boyfriend for 6 months.
I gulped as the pen clattered against the hardwood of my coffee table.
"Done."
My back met my couch, slouching into the fabric, wishing it would swallow me whole.
Chris mirrored my action, twisting his head to look at me. "So... Girlfriend... When do I move in?"