Page 57 of Love Arranged

My teeth grind. “And?”

“No one would choose to vote for you because I’m yourfriend.”

“Not exclusively, of course, but it can cast me in a more positive light.”

“Maybe, maybe not, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t have much of an impact.”

“For someone so invested in me winning, I don’t hear you making suggestions.”

She takes a deep breath. “Just…give me a few minutes.” She walks down the alley and stops beside a mural someone painted to look like a Lake Wisteria postcard.

Her eyes shut, and I focus on the hypnotic motions of her mouth. She was born with lips meant to be kissed, and for one weak moment, I allow myself to remember what it felt like to have them pressing against mine.

I don’t even know why I agreed to let her kiss me. Maybe after spending two months talking toAnaonline, I wanted to prove to myself she didn’t hold this power over me. To show I was still very much in control, even if she has this strange ability to make me question my stance on relationships.

She savored our kiss like one does water after a drought. It was as if she sensed my discomfort, so she took her time, teasing me with the faintest pecks until I was the one slanting my mouth over hers and deepening the kiss.

It’s ironic how I demanded to be in control of how far we took things, yet I was completely at her mercy as she turned a lifelong aversion for kissing into a newfound addiction.

I knew then that I had to let her go. That I couldn’t keep going or pursuing a fake relationship—not when everything about us felt so veryreal.

I give Lily my back, slide my hand into my pocket, and touch the dice I always keep on me, noting how they feel in myhand: cool to the touch, rough around one edge, and smooth besides the random nicks in the glass.

Focusing on my father’s lucky dice always soothes my racing thoughts, and I need the extra help as I wait for Lily to wrap up her conversation, where she has spent the last three minutes listing my pros and consaloud.

“I can hear you,” I say when she mentions my annoying personality.

“I’m only getting started.”

“Let me know if you need any help identifying my more…positive traits.”

“Actually, do you have a few more negatives? I feel like twenty isn’t enough.”

I quit teasing her after that comment.

After what feels like forever, Lily walks back over to where I stand and stops in front of me.

She tilts her head back, and I’m temporarily stunned by the way she looks up at me. The high points of her cheekbones look sharp while the shadows draw my attention toward the subtle curve of her lips.

There you go again.

I force a harsh breath through my nose.

She shifts her weight. “I don’t think us being friends is going to cut it.”

And even if it did, I’m no longer interested.

“I agree,” I say.

Her reply shocks me. “We need to do better than that.”

“We?”

“I have an idea, but you’re not going to like it.”

“Why not?”

“You wanted a fake fiancée?” She jabs me hard in the chest with a manicured finger. “Now you’ve got one.”