Chapter 3

Maria

Still standing in the same spot she was when Darius left her, Maria scrolls and scrolls for the next half hour. She didn't realize how many friends she had on her social media, and she keeps getting distracted by how many of them she doesn't know. So, she's been searching their profiles to get an inkling of who they might be and how they might have met.

If her boss were here, she'd probably be in so much trouble for being on her phone for so long. But it's slow and Darius is fulfilling the orders just fine on his own. He'd probably shove her away and tell her to keep looking anyway.

"This is stupid," she grumbles. So stupid, and so childish, and completely something she wouldn't normally do.

While she wants a boyfriend, what was she supposed to do? Start chatting with someone? Ask one of them on a date at random? She is bold, but could she be so bold this time?

"Fuck it." With her pointer finger poised, she whispers, "Eenie, meenie, minee, moe, catch a tiger by his toe. If he hollers, let him go. Eenie, meenie, minee, moe."

Her finger lands on a man. Thank goodness for that, because she'd have to start all over again. She's not into women.

Squinting at the screen, she reads her pick's name. "Mark," she whispers. "Who are you, Mark?"

In his profile picture, there are two men. Both of them are seriously tall and seriously muscled out. One is smiling and the other is flexing, and the background shows that they're clearly at the gym.

Unsure which one is Mark, she clicks on him and heads to his profile. It doesn't take long to find his picture section, and she begins scrolling through them until she finds one where it's just him.

He was the guy in his profile picture that was smiling, and he's extremely attractive. So attractive, that she's drawn to his baby blue eyes, dark tousled hair, and square jaw that any girl would love to run her tongue along. He's shirtless in the picture, standing on some beach that's water is the bluest blue she's ever seen. Her mouth waters when she visually traces his abs that lead to the V between his hips. That V disappears into his black swim trunks and her mouth waters imagining what's underneath.

She sighs a little. She can't ask him out. He's way out of her league. But maybe . . .

She grins and clicks "in a relationship." Then she rocks back on her heels, her heart pounding at what she'd just done, and pinches her lips together in a mischievous smile.

Adrenaline courses through her body. This might be the dumbest idea she's ever had, or the smartest.

Though he's way out of her league, doing something so morally questionable makes her feel better about herself.

The poor guy. Everyone will think he is taken by some random chick they know nothing about.

Her grin widens.

"Did you find someone?" Darius asks as he looks over her shoulder. She nearly jumps.

"Yes."

"And?"

"We're in a relationship now."

She looks over her shoulder at him to witness his frown. "Wait. Did you talk to him already? Wait. What?"

"Nope," she says, answering only one of his questions. "I randomly picked him, as you suggested."

He blinks at her, clearly at a loss for words. "Normal people go out on dates, Maria. Normal people have discussions about relationships. Normal people don't just randomly pick some unsuspecting guy." His scowl deepens. "Do you even know this guy?"

"No. I don't even know how we became friends on the app. But he's hot." She jiggles her phone. "So why not?" He probably won't feel the same about her, though. She's a toad compared to him and all of his muscles.

"Okay." He grabs her shoulders and turns her to face him. "You can't just do that. Do you realize how insane that is?"

She shrugs. "Possibly. Or maybe possibly not. It's fun."

He shakes her a little bit. "Fun to what? Saddle a guy you don't even know?"

"Sure!"

"What if he's a creep?"

"He doesn't look like a creep." She holds her phone up to him, displaying Mark in his swim trunks.

Darius looks at the screen, then does a double take. He whistles low and takes the phone from her hand to have a good look for himself. "He's a monster. Look at his body!"

"In the best possible way."

Darius takes on a thoughtful look. "Maybe I should date him."

She snatches the phone away from him. "He's already taken."

A smirk takes over his face. "The moment he realizes what you've done, he'll put a restraining order on you."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. He will not."

Just then, her phone dings and they both crowd closer to look at it. She opens the app and freezes.

"What? What is it?" Darius asks.

"It's him," she breathes out. "It's a message from Mark!"

"Well, open it up!"

"No!" she whispers fervently.

He crosses his arms over his chest and gives her a look. "Oh, come on. Are you seriously going to chicken out? You just got this ball rolling."

"You just want the drama of it all."

"Yes." He grins. "Now give it here so I can read what he said."

"No!" She clutches the phone close to her chest.

He pokes the back of the phone case. "Then you do it."

Heart pounding, she stares at her friend who stares right back. She knows, by the look in his eye, that he won't budge on this.

Sighing, she opens it up and reads what Mark has to say.

Mark: Wait. What? Do I know you?

"Shit," she whispers. She really hadn't thought this through. She hadn't anticipated this, though she should have expected it.

"What should I say?" she asks Darius who read the message already.

"The truth. All good relationships start with the truth."

"But this isn't a real relationship."

He raises his eyebrows. "It is on social media."

She growls under her breath. "Tell me what to say or I'll tell your next boyfriend that you wet the bed."

His jaw flexes. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, I would. And that you cry after sex."

His nostrils flare. "You're a monster."

"Damn right. Now, what do I say?" Her fingers hover over the keypad, waiting and ready.

"I already said. Tell him the truth."

She stomps her foot like a child. "You want me to tell him that I picked some random guy because I was lonely?"

"Yes."

She growls again. "Fine." Her fingers fly over the keyboard as she types it out, though she leaves out the lonely part.

Maria: No. Well, I mean, obviously we know each other somehow, but I don't remember meeting you.

His response is immediate.

Mark: Then why does it say we are in a relationship?

Maria: Because I wanted a boyfriend. And I picked you. Lucky man.

Mark: Normal people know each other before they start dating

.

"See," Darius hisses. "I told you!"

"Hush."

Maria: Consider us not normal.

He stops talking and she begins to bite her lip after a minute of no response. Did she piss him off? Why isn't he fighting her on this?

"I think you scared him off," Darius says.

"Possibly. But what kind of a relationship would it be if we didn't have disagreements," she jokes.

"You should cancel the relationship status before this gets out of hand."

"Absolutely not."

"Why?" He crosses his arms over his chest again.

"Because this is the most fun I've had since we were drunk and stole that road sign." She grins at the memory. That seems like forever ago.

He sighs through his nose. "There's no helping you now. You've completely lost it."

"Maybe," she says, shrugging. "Maybe not."

"You're going to see this play out, aren't you." It wasn't a question. It was totally an accusation.

She laughs a little. "Nothing will become of it. Relax."

Looking her square in the eye, he puts on his serious face. "Give it a week. If nothing becomes of it, delete the status and set the man free."

She wrinkles her nose. "Fine."

"Are you going to listen to me this time? Or are you going to ignore my advice?"

She looks at anywhere but him. "That has yet to be determined."