Page 20 of Personal Foul
He barks out a laugh and brings a hand up to cover his mouth. “No. Not at all.”
But his laughter makes me chuckle, turning my grimace into a real smile.
“There we go,” he says approvingly, and something about that makes the whole thing turn sour. Like his approval should matter to me. And my smile immediately falls.
Thankfully I’m saved from further chastising by Isabelle. “Okay, lovebirds. The hostess is ready to seat us.”
Isabelle and Andrew follow the hostess, and Dylan and I bring up the rear. “You know,” he says quietly, “for someone who wants to keep her secrets, you’re doing a shit job at the fake dating part. How do you evenhavesecrets when you can’t lie to save your life?”
“Well, the thing about secrets,” I mutter, “is that you simply keep them quiet. You don’t really need to lie.”
He gives me a look that says,Are you kidding me?He points at Isabelle. “You two are friends, right?”
Confused, I glance at him. “Of course. She’s one of my best friends.”
He snorts. “But she has no idea that your dad is Jason Lavoy?”
My mouth open, I hesitate.
Apparently my response is unnecessary, because he continues, stopping several feet away from where the hostess is seating Isabelle and Andrew so we can finish our conversation. “And she has no clue about what’s going on in your life. No idea that we’re not really dating. Completely in the dark about the fact that you’re at my house daily. What is it you tell her when she asks where you’ve been? What about when your background comes up? What do you tell her about high school? Or anything about your life outside of classes?”
Again, I open my mouth. And again, my response isn’t required.
“Save it. We both know you’re a lying liar face.” He smirks, like he’s trying to take the sting out of calling me a liar. “But for some reason, you can’t make yourself do it around me. Why is that, do you think?”
But instead of letting me answer, he gives the hostess a smooth smile and pulls out the chair across from Andrew, leaving the spot across from Isabelle for me.
Disgruntled, I swallow it down and sit.
Isabelle holds up her hand and mouths, “You two are socute.”
Forcing a smile, I mouth, “Thanks,” then busy myself with the menu, barely aware of the hostess saying something about our server’s name and to expect them shortly.
I stare at the menu for longer than necessary, having decided what I want almost immediately. This place has an extensive burger menu, and a really good cheeseburger sounds amazing right now. That plus a strawberry lemonade, and it will feel almost like summer has come early.
Unfortunately, I can only busy myself with the menu for so long before it becomes ridiculous. Once it’s clear everyone has decided what they want, I set my menu down too.
Andrew leans back in his chair, rubbing his mouth with one hand while he contemplates Dylan and me. I squirm under his scrutiny, looking away and unnecessarily tucking my hair behind my ear. “So,” Andrew says at length, gesturing at Dylan and me, “how exactly did this come about?” He leans forward, propping his arms on the table. “I know we’ve all been hanging out more lately, but I don’t remember ever seeing you guys talk much.”
I tuck my hair behind my ear again and clear my throat. “Well, uh, um—”
“Oh, you know how it is,” Dylan says airily. He scoots his chair closer to me, draping his arm across the back of mine. “We spent so much time together, we just couldn’t resist.”
With a masterful effort, I manage not to roll my eyes. Dylan pulls me into his body, and I stiffen at first, not wanting to admit that I actually don’t hate his touch, but then realize I can’t be stiff without screwing myself, so I let myself relax. He’s warm and solid, and he smells good, like he recently took a shower.
Like this is a real date and he cares about impressing me …
Isabelle lets out a wistful sigh. I know it’s because she wishes spending time together would be enough for her and Andrew to be in a relationship. After all, it’s worked for Dylan and me, right?
Ha. If only she knew.
Of course, the whole reason for this subterfuge is to prevent her from knowing exactly that.
My best manufactured smile in place, I face my best friend. “Yup. These things just happen sometimes. Isn’t life funny?”
“So funny,” Isabelle agrees.
The thing I never considered about agreeing to this date was how difficult it would be to lie to my best friend’s face. While Dylan’s comment when we got to the table about me being a liar is mostly true, the things I’ve lied about haven’t directly affected Isabelle or my relationship with her. But this? This is different. This is about my life now.
