Chapter 3

Corrin

This is not at all how I thought my afternoon would be going.

I'm crammed in the back of an Uber as I listen to the driver drone on and on about my latest tour and how awesome we were even though he only had nosebleed seats. Granted, it could be a much worse conversation, but I'm really trying not to think about work, so his choice of topics is hard to swallow.

"That guitar solo you did near the end of ‘Tear me Apart' was so fucking cool. Like," he raises one hand to do an air guitar motion.

I smirk at the sight despite feeling like my skin is on fire.

"Thanks, man. I appreciate it." Hoping to end the conversation, I don't elaborate about anything.

Thank goodness I'm meeting up with Tenn away from his place. I have no doubt the driver would post a selfie from the front yard to social media if he knew where I was staying. It's bad enough he'll likely share I'm in the city. That will only bring more eyes in my direction when what I really need is some peace and quiet.

"You going to be in town long?" The guy asks as he navigates the streets of Boston.

I immediately shake my head. Lie. Lie. Lie.

It's best when it's obvious he's a fan.

"Not really. I'm here for a night, then I'm going back to the beach. Need to get some sun and sand. Not much for snow."

He agrees so strongly, I worry he'll give himself whiplash. "That makes total sense. I'd love to be on the beach somewhere else too. This place is cold as balls."

I snort a laugh, then focus on my phone. I re-read the texts I got from Tenn earlier when I gave him flight details.

Tenn: Meet me at this address. Austen had to work late, but I think he'll join us. I know the owners, and they'll keep your arrival low-key. No worries.

He'd dropped a pin at an address, and I planned the car for somewhere nearby. I don't need him sending even more people my way. With social media being so powerful, the roads could be flooded with fans in minutes. And since I didn't set up any security, it would be a nightmare to deal with.

"Here we are," the driver tells me a few minutes later after more riveting conversation about the city. I only half listened to him, though I've got the gist.

I thank him, leaving a good tip and even signing his ball cap. With my duffle hanging over my shoulder and my own hat tugged low, I move into the crowd of people walking by. I don't exactly blend in given I'm so casually dressed, though I'm not so disheveled people stare.

At least I've got the cold on my side. I don't mind it nearly as much as I made the driver believe. Cold means long sleeves. And that means being able to hide the tattoos.

If it was stupid hot and I had to go short sleeve, then there'd be no disguising who I am. Everyone knows the symbols and designs lining my arms.

Glancing over my shoulder, I make sure the driver has taken off. Once I make sure I don't have a tail, I slip inside the tiny restaurant with the chili pepper sign out front. Tennyson said that was the only way to know where this place was since they liked things to be subtle.

The second I'm through the door, I'm wrapped in a tight hug. "So glad you're here," Tenn squeals.

I huff out a laugh as I try to break free of his grip. "Glad to be here. I'm starving. Please tell me this place is good."

A woman appears from behind him. "Best authentic Mexican you'll find this far north."

Grinning at her confidence comes easy. It's nice to have someone who isn't trying to bullshit me. She's just being honest in her opinion of this place.

"You work here?" I ask.

"More like owns the place, man. This is Antonia. She's an angel."

The stack of menus in her hands land against Tenn's bicep. "Enough trying to butter me up. I've already booked you in the back where it's private. Come on. I'll bring Austen through when he gets here. He is coming, right?"

I follow the pair of them through the small area. I have to lift my bag a few times to get past people, all of whom ignore me. What a blessing for small favors.

"He's still coming. His boss is coming in tomorrow, and his manager kind of lost it. My bro is running damage control. You might want to have something strong ready to pour though. I think he'll break his no alcohol rule tonight."

Antonia's eyes rise. I mimic the gesture. It's unheard of for Austen to break his no drinking rule. He took it up for soccer and hasn't had a drop since he turned twenty-one, according to my knowledge.

"Wow," she draws out after a long minute. "I'll get him my best then. You two sit here. I'll bring you some food soon."

After dropping the menus, she leaves us alone. The table we're at is tucked in a cove near the kitchen. No one outside of the waitstaff will see us. And since I intend to keep my hat on all night, I might get lucky, and people will ignore me.

I slip my coat off, then turn to Tenn. "What's wrong with Austen that he needs liquor?"

He scrubs a hand over his smirk. "It's pretty fucking hilarious if you ask me. He's not all that happy about it though."

"Still not telling me anything. What is it?"

Before Tenn can reply, I hear a familiar voice. "Please tell me Antonia has something stronger than water."

"Called it!" Tennyson claps his hands together as he motions for his brother to sit down with us. "I've already got her making you something. She should be back — ah! There she is."

"Here you go, dear. Drink slowly." She doesn't manage to get the words out in time before Austen slams the drink back.

Fucking fuck fucknuts!

I'm not prepared for this level of hotness. It's a wildfire spreading through me and causing my cock to thicken before my brain can even remind us that we're in public and with his brother.

Antonia gives me a wink before taking the glass and saying, "I'll bring another."

"Thank you," Austen shouts behind her. Then he promptly drops his head to the table.

Tennyson smiles big as he covers his laugh. Too bad the big idiot can't stop shaking with his amusement.

"I can feel you shaking the table, brother dear. How about you chill out?"

The grumbling man beside me is so different from the Austen I normally see. It's making me question how well I think I know him.

Maybe he wouldn't mind the whole fake dating idea?

I've been putting off thinking about it too much since the idea first came up all those months ago. It's not because I didn't think it would work. More that I couldn't see Austen blindly agreeing to something, especially when I'm such a public figure and he's not… into dudes. Or girls. I don't know.

"I can't chill out. This is hilarious. I was just about to tell Corrin about your dilemma of the day."

As if he's only just realized I'm here, Austen's whole body goes tight. It's literally so powerful, I can see the muscles in his back clench.

With a graceful slowness, he rises from the table to face me. His mouth opens and closes a few times before he finds the words he's looking for.

"Welcome to Boston, Corrin."

Tenn shoves his shoulder. "Don't be a dick, little brother. You're not a concierge or anything."

I give the pair of them an easy smile, even as I feel anything but easygoing. "No need to be formal. Why don't you tell me what's going on instead? That way I can get the facts, and Tenn won't make you look bad."

"Hey! I'm a nice guy," my friend cries before bursting into laughter.

Austen shakes his head, a smile forming on his gorgeous lips as he takes in his ridiculous brother. I want to stare at him all night, but I force myself to keep things simple and normal. He doesn't need me lusting after him to go along with whatever else happened today.

It also does me no good to scare him in the event I do actually ask him if he wants to help me. Yeah, right.

"According to my brother, the problem I've been having is simply a misunderstanding between me and the girls on campus." He says it calmly, like this isn't as bad as Tenn has made it out to be.

Speaking of which — Tenn takes the moment to jump in.

"He's not going to tell the whole truth because he's embarrassed. Poor guy had no idea he was being hit on every time he left the house. He just thought they were annoying."

My eyes widen at that. Austen buries his face in his hands, so he misses the expression. Tenn is too busy laughing at whatever jokes he's telling himself to pay my reaction any mind.

"Umm… so I guess that's not good. Can I ask the obvious question?" When neither of them speaks up, I continue ahead. "How did you not realize they were flirting?"

Austen groans loudly right as Antonia returns with his drink. I could use a few of those. "Sounds like you need this. Starters will be right out."

Tenn calms enough to thank her, then leans on the table. "My brother here is a fucking genius with business and schoolwork. He"s not as smart socially. He missed all the cleavage and heavily perfumed hints since he doesn't date."

"At all?" I ask incredulously.

The younger Page brother frowns at me. "There's nothing wrong with abstaining from dating. I have a busy schedule. Prior to this year, I was also a collegiate athlete."

I lift my hands to show surrender.

"I'm not saying that. I'm merely curious. We"ve never talked about your dating life. I didn't know what was going on there. Just getting a baseline."

"Baseline? There is no baseline. If I didn't know better, I'd say bro was a virgin with how little he interacts with others."

"Not cool, Tenn. No need to speculate," I tell my friend firmly. He has the good sense to apologize to his brother while also looking like I put him in timeout.

Chips, salsa, and a few various plates of delicious looking food come out of the kitchen before I can probe any further. It takes several minutes of eating and general discussion before I get the nerve I need.

Funny, considering I get on stage in front of thousands of people to perform for a living. Yet, somehow, he makes me a mess with just a few glances my way.

"So, I have an idea that might be a little strange. You have to hear me out until the end before you shoot it down though."

They share a look before they nod along. "Hit us with it," Tenn tells me eagerly.

"I think Austen and I might be able to help each other out. As Tennyson knows, my parents are on a tirade to tie me down with someone. I don't need to get married or anything, but they're adamant about me dating."

"They've built a rolodex of young, eligible country club girls for him, bro. It's wild."

Austen looks appalled at the idea. "Sounds terrifying."

"It is," I reply. "The thing is, I was talking to Smith and Zach about it ages ago, and we came up with an idea. Something a little unconventional, though I think it could work. I would just like to say this would be merely a transaction type of deal. Every detail would be outlined before anything happened, and it would benefit everyone involved. I think it would, anyway."

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. When I open them again, my gaze locks with Austen's hazel gaze.

"We thought if I had a boyfriend, a fake one, then my parents would leave me alone. I told them I could only trust a handful of people. Within those people, most of them are either married, dating someone, or very straight." I point to Tennyson to prove my point.

As if it all clicks, Austen's mouth makes an O-shape. He points to his chest.

"You're thinking about me? You want me to be your fake boyfriend? How… what… I'm confused."

Tenn hums softly, all humor gone. "I am too. Do you know something I don't, Corrin? I thought Uncle Kev was the only man-loving Page we had in our ranks."

Leave it to my best friend to make the most ridiculous phrases while I try to keep my head about this.

"This isn't me outing anyone. I honestly have no idea about Austen's preferences. It was merely a ‘this person could fit' idea we had. If you're not up for the acting, then I totally get it. Since you mentioned a problem of your own, I figured bringing it up wouldn't be such a ridiculous notion. Fake dating me would get the girls to leave you alone. Whether you're bi, gay, or not won't matter as long as the ruse goes on. People can believe what they want. I don't think Austen cares about what people think."

Austen nods slowly as he frowns. "I don't care. And I don't like people."

I snort. "I've come to understand that. I know I'm no exception. Maybe we could find a way for that to change so this works."

"You are. An exception, I mean. I don't know you, so I can't not like you."

It should not make me so excited to hear his declaration… You are.

Fuck! Focus, Corrin. Focus.

"Would you be upset if people assumed things about your sexuality because of this? Would it cause you trouble?" I have to ask because in no way do I want to make his life harder. This is meant to help us both.

He shakes his head. "Not at all. I'm not on the team anymore, so no one is going to give me shit at practice. I rarely interact outside of class participation and work. I doubt it"ll affect my internship. Really, the lack of dating has made them assume I'm straight, so they're already out there deciding things for me."

"Wait a minute. Are you saying you'll agree to this?" Tenn's gaze bounces between me and Austen. "Not that I'm against it. Logically, it makes sense. I just don't want things to get messy."

"Messy? How would they get messy?" Austen scrunches his face.

"Because how else do you convince people you're dating than by being close? I've been your buffer for years. I can't go everywhere you two do though. And you'll have to do couple"s stuff, like kissing and holding hands."

Austen goes pale at the notion. Guess that shows how attracted to me he is.

"We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with. And we can practice hand holding if it helps. I'm not really used to it either. Professional single guy here. I literally live on the road half the year."

The self-deprecation brings a bit of color back into his cheeks. I watch him think over the idea for a few minutes quietly. For once in his life, even Tennyson keeps silent to wait for his brother's reaction.

It's only after Antonia comes to take our orders that he gives his answer.

"I'll do it."

And with that, everything changes.