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They both looked at me blankly.
“What?” I asked.
“I’m waiting for the punch line.”
“There isn’t one. I know Levi from high school. He proposed to me at lunch.”
“Proposed like ... marriage?” Lily eventually asked.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Levi hates Calvin. That’s why.”
“And getting married is the only option to do this?”
“He said go big or go home, and Ididsay I wish I could be a housewife with a hot, rich husband.”
“I thought we were done with weird conversations about marriage,” Sebastian said as he rubbed his eyes. “Seriously. How many times can this happen?”
“At least it’s notyourmarriage this time.”
“She’s right,” Lily said, crossing her arms. She considered what to say for a long time. “What are you thinking about telling him?”
“Shouldn’t the answer be no?” Sebastian asked.
“If that’s what she wants, then yes. But we haven’t heard what she’s thinking.”
“I want to not lose my house.”
“Listen, you know how I feel about marriages for a purpose,” she admitted. “And you know how bad it was for us.”
“Even if the benefits are good?”
“They don’t look as shiny when you’re in it, trust me.”
“Itcanstill work out,” Sebastian added. “But it’s not easy.”
“I’m not looking for this to work out. It’s for money. Trust me, IknowLevi. We have a history.”
“You do?”
“He once used me to piss off Calvin by kissing me.”
“That’s ...” Sebastian frowned. “That’s not like him.”
“It was nine years ago.” I shrugged. “But he’s known to hate Calvin. It’s not that I blame him but ... I can’t fall for him. I know what it leads to. Not every fake marriage ends up in a relationship.”
Even if theirs had worked out well for them.
“Well, at least she’s realistic.” Lily turned to Sebastian.
“Besides, how much time would we even spend together? He runs a company, and according to Sally, he has busy nights.”
“He says he spends it relaxing,” Sebastian said.
“There are many ways to relax,” I replied pointedly.