Page 13 of The Purest Fake
She tries to keep her expression stern, but the corners of her mouth twitch before a toothy smile breaks out. “It feels amazing, but I don’t want to lose my edge.” Her smile morphs into a look of concern. “Is being in love with Rogan making me too soft?”
I shake my head. “Not at all.”
Seeing the transformative effect true love has had on my friend makes me wonder what it could do for me. I’ve been in a few relationships where I thought I was in love. In hindsight, I know I just romanticized what I was feeling.
“I guess we should get going,” I say, grabbing my purse and cell phone.
Autumn stands. “I’ll get my shoes on and meet you at the door.”
“Okay.” I step back over, standing in front of the full-length mirror for a final glance at myself. Working from home doesn’tnecessitate putting a lot of effort into my appearance, so I like having a reason to wear makeup and do my hair. Normally, I wouldn’t have reservations about how I look, but I know being with Cooper will mean having attention on me too. But what does it matter? I don’t know any of them.
My stomach’sslightly unsettled as Autumn and I walk across the parking lot of the venue where the event is being held. I don’t usually get nervous in social settings, but I’m about to be in a room full of famous people. If that’s not enough, I’m about to pretend one of them is my boyfriend. And worst of all, I’ll be doing this in front of reporters and hungry social media influencers who are seeking juicy content to post.
With Cooper being a rookie, I’m hoping he isn’t popular enough to draw their attention. However, I’m pretty sure that’s wishful thinking on my part. With the success he’s had in the first two games and how physically attractive he is, he’s the perfect clickbait.
“I hope I’m not underdressed,” Autumn says, shoving her keys inside her purse. “When we were pulling in, I saw someone wearing a dress. I knew I shouldn’t have listened to Rogan.”
“At least we’re together,” I say. “If it makes you feel better, Cooper told me it was a casual event.”
“I guess we’re about to find out if the guys are right,” she says, tugging open the door.
We’ve barely stepped inside when Cooper and Rogan start walking our way.
Autumn leaves my side, meeting her boyfriend halfway and sharing a kiss.
My “boyfriend” stops in front of me, looking me over from head to toe and back up again. When his gaze connects with mine, he smiles. “You look good.”
“Thank you. So do you.” And it’s not an empty compliment. His dark-blue button-down shirt looks great with his eyes, and the rolled-up sleeves look sexy. I’ve always been a sucker for muscular forearms. Hell, who am I kidding? I have an appreciation for every part of the male body.
His arm wraps around my waist, tugging me into a brief embrace. “How was your day?”
“It was good. The podcast was filmed yesterday, so it was uneventful. I ran errands and cleaned the house.”
“We should head inside,” Rogan calls out as they stroll toward us.
Cooper holds out his hand. “Shall we?”
I slide my palm into his and we follow our friends across the tile floor. There are signs with arrows directing us toward the reception room, and when we step inside, my stomach somersaults. I don’t know what I expected but it wasn’t for hundreds of people to be in attendance. Cooper gives my hand a gentle squeeze, as if to reassure me.
“Here goes nothin’,” I say.
I hear his low chuckle. “I guess this makes us official. It feels like every pair of eyes is locked on us.”
I force my red-painted lips to smile. “It sure seems that way.”
“Ignore all of this outside noise and focus on me,” he says, winking.
“Where do you want to sit?” Rogan asks.
“Look.” Autumn points toward the back right corner where Thor is waving us over.
The four of us make our way across the room, winding around tables with people calling out greetings to Rogan andCooper. Thankfully, the two of them don’t stop to talk with anyone and we’re able to slip into our seats without delay.
“Hey, ladies. How’s it going?” Griffin asks.
I smile. “Hi.”
“This is a nice surprise. I didn’t expect to see you, Scarlett,” Thor says, leaning closer.
