I can’t believe she puked on my shoes… again. The fact that I’m still completely enamored by her, despite the ruined shoes, speaks volumes.
The bartender brings us a roll of paper towels, and we clean up the slime.
Holly’s fake relationship plan is not ideal, but it’s better than nothing. Besides, it will give me plenty of time to win her over. I smile at the realization that this fake dating idea may just be the key to our happiness.
Sure, the baby thing startled me at first, but I’m already warming to the idea. I’m not one to run from my mistakes, and I’m starting to think this might be a very happy accident.
When Holly notices my cheesy grin, she waggles a finger at me before saying, “If you think this is some heartwarming love story where we’ll end up living happily ever after, then you obviously have no idea how my life works.”
I chuckle at the charming woman before hinting, “We’ll see about that.”
She’s adamant as she shakes her head and says, “Seriously, don’t get your hopes up. I’m a bit of a hot mess.”
After she splays her hands to indicate her slightly protruding belly, I brighten with an idea just before saying, “We need to spend some time getting to know each other, if we want to have any hopes of people actually believing that we’ve been a couple for several months.”
“You’re right,” she agrees, before saying, “I’ll try to get you a seat next to mine on the plane.”
I’d been hoping for more, but I’ll take it.
“I’ll buy your ticket, since you’re doing me a favor,” she offers generously.
“That won’t be necessary,” I assure her. At her questioning look, I add, “I’m looking forward to a tropical vacay in the sunny Florida Keys. It’s one of my favorite places to visit, and I go there often.”
The bold hint sails right over her head. “It’s not going to be all fun and games. You’ve got work to do,” she warns me.
“I’m all over it,” I promise before adding, “But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy some paninis, bellinis, and bikinis while I’m there.”
She giggles at my silly rhyme before saying, “Keep the bikini-watching on your own time, Buster. The last thing I need is for everyone to see my fake baby daddy ogling other women.”
An idea strikes her. Holding up her pointer finger, she adds, “Although, your wandering eyes could be a believable excuse for our frake-up. I’ll give that some more thought.”
“It won’t be a problem to keep my attention on you and only you,” I promise her, fully meaning it.
“Aww,” she pats my cheek patronizingly. “You’re the best fake boyfriend I’ve ever had.”
“Have there been many of us?” I ask in a dry tone.
“Nope, just you.” Tilting her head to the side, she adds, “So, I guess that makes you the worst fake boyfriend I’ve ever had, too.”
“Gee, I feel so special,” I mutter sarcastically.
Not liking the turn the conversation has taken, I try to lighten the mood by asking, “So, when does our big ‘holi-date’ begin?”
Her eyes brighten, “Oh, I like that… a fake holi-date for the holidays.”
Since she seems amused, I add, “I guess you’re my Holly-date.”
“Holly-date… Yes! You’re so clever. Here, let’s swap phones and add each other’s contact information.”
I hand over my unlocked phone and accept hers. After we enter our digits, we switch back. Just as I’m getting ready to suggest we have some dinner, she gives me a bright smile and says, “I’ll text you the flight details and meet you at the airport.”
With that, she whirls around and leaves me feeling disappointed and wanting more from her… again.