Page 44 of Size King

“I’m your fake fiancée,” she argues. “I became your fiancée without even being proposed to. We’re both busy people in New York; we don’t need to see each other every day of the week.”

“Iwantto see you—”

“I’ll keep doing my job well, and you just keep your dick in your pants,” Kate again interrupts. “I feel like a real idiot now, so I’m just going to be on my way.”

She goes right for the door without looking back.

“Kate, wait—”

“I’m so fucking stupid,” she mutters to herself. “I was dumb to think I was different. What’s wrong withme? You don’t need me. I’m just a fun, convenient lay for the rich playboy.”

“Now,wait,” I say assertively. “I’m not going to let you say that. Youaredifferent. You’re different than all of them. You’re the best girl I’ve ever met! You are so much more than just alay. Don’t insult me. Don’t insultyou.”

“I’m sorry that I’m passing on lunch,” she says as she goes to leave. “Take care, Aiden.”

I nearly lunge from behind my desk in order to catch her before she gets out that door. I take her by the hand and pull her close into me.

“Kate.”

“Please just give me a little distance for now, Aiden.”

“I will,” I relent. “But only if you please just stay for two minutes, listen to me, and let me try and say what I have to say.”

She sits down. She is apprehensive and ready to leave, but she finally fills the chair like I’ve been wanting for days.

“I’m sorry that I upset you,” I say. “I wasn’t trying to be difficult the other night. I just sort of felt like I was being put on the spot.”

“Okay,” she says. “I get that.”

“I’ve been inonerelationship my whole life,” I admit. “Looking back on it, I wish I could’ve done it all differently or never even met her. I don’tdoserious commitments; it’s not like me. I’ve been scared as all hell eventhinkingabout giving a relationship a try. I don’t know how to do it. I barely even know how to handle my feelings. I would be a disaster in a relationship!”

“How do you feel about me?” she asks again.

“What?”

“You’re not being put on the spot, Aiden!” she says. “You wanted me here! I’m here, and you’ve had three days to figure out that answer! Just say it!”

Instead of giving a sloppy reply or going with a lie, I choose to awkwardly chuckle to myself and say nothing. I think that will be my best move, but it’s clearly the dumb and safe move.

Before I can come up with anything else, she stands back up from her seat and walks back to the door.

“If you can’t figure out how you feel about me, it really is best that we don’t sleep over anymore,” says Kate. “I’ll keep pretending to be your beau for a month or two. I’ll stick it out and keep playing the part as I have from the moment you threw me into it, and it’ll all be okay. Unless, of course, you’re seen out with another girl. We could hurry up and end this bullshit right away. No one would be surprised that you cheated.”

“I don’t want to be with another girl,” I say.

“We’ll stick it out, and then we’ll say the media put too much pressure on our relationship, and it caused our engagement to come to a messy end,” she says without listening to me. “If you need me for something work-related, I think you should delegate to someone and let them be our go-between. Have Adam do it. I don’t care. Goodbye, Aiden.”

She makes her exit, marching straight out the front entrance from where she came.

* * *

“I’m pretty upset,bro, I’m not going to lie,” I complain to Adam. “I wasn’t expecting her reaction to be like this.”

“You’re surprised when a chick doesn’t listen?” Adam chuckles as he sips from a cold bottle of beer.

Adam and I are out at a bar downtown that we’ve never been to, but it’s dimly lit with a low profile, which is what I want that evening. I want a nice quiet place away from herds of people, where I can get drunk, watch the game, and vent to Adam about everything that’s been going on with me. By the time I’m finally done talking, my throat is dry and my heart feels heavy.

“Wow,” Adam says as he finishes his second drink. “Youdidkind of fuck up.”