14. Introverted Extrovert

14

Introverted Extrovert

Emma

To say I’m uncomfortable would be an understatement. The room is packed with elegant people wearing expensive clothes and eating gourmet food beneath a chandelier that might or might not be dripping in gold.

Sure, there are giant flamingos, palm trees, and colorful flowers that fit the tropical theme. But this party is way too classy and grown-up for me.

Far from the comfy reading nook I love so much—especially now that the cowboy romance I picked up has broken me out of my reading slump. W ho knew a lighter read could do that?

Auston, on the other hand, is a natural. He was flashing his perfect smile and waving at the red-carpet photographers like it was any other Tuesday. Not that I was looking at him much. I was too busy focusing on the camera flashes, hoping they’d blind me so I wouldn’t fall under Auston’s spell like everyone else.

Because yes, all the women in this place have been enchanted by Auston’s charm. No matter their age.

“Auston, darling,” an old lady with a long floral dress and a large hat says, gliding toward us. “Thank you for coming.”

Case in point.

He kisses her hand softly. “Edith, you look lovely as always. Thank you for inviting me.”

“And who is this gorgeous flower next to you?” she asks, analyzing me over her cat-eye spectacles.

“This is Emma, my girlfriend.” He places his hand on the small of my back, and the contact may have just burned a hole through my dress. It's the temperature. They probably cranked up the heat or something. The theme is tropical, after all.

Auston turns to me. “Emma, this is Edith Wright, Creative Director of Lucacci.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say, fo rcing a smile.

“You look absolutely divine.” Her eyes flit to Auston. “Where have you been hiding her?” Taking my hand, she forces me to spin.

She seems nice enough, and Auston is clearly fond of her, so I don't say anything. But that's not usually how it goes when someone lays a hand on me without my consent.

“Are you a model?” she asks, and I almost choke on my saliva.

If she wasn’t so extravagant, I’d assume she was messing with me. “No, I’m a bookseller.”

“And a movie consultant,” Auston adds, giving me a wink.

“With that figure?” Edith continues. “That’s such a shame. If you ever consider switching to modeling, do call me, dear. You two make a marvelous couple. I can already see a campaign starring the two of you.”

I plaster on another smile. “Thank you.”

Once she leaves, Auston says, “Sorry. Edith is a little extra, but she’s harmless.”

I clear my throat. “Right.”

“Do you want something to drink? That bar looks fun.” He glances at the tiki bar that looks like it belongs on a beach somewhere, complete with a t hatched roof and colorful string lights.

I nod. “Let’s go take a look.”

The cocktail list suits the theme, too, with drinks like Pineapple Paradise, Coconut Crush, and Mango Madness. We order two virgin versions of the cocktails, and I stay away from the “crush” one. I don’t need any more of that.

A few people interrupt us as we sip our drinks, and Auston puts on his charming smile, introducing me as his girlfriend. He’s playing the role perfectly.

“So, you attend a lot of these parties?” I ask, sipping my Torture Typhoon or whatever it’s called.

“It’s part of the job, I guess.” He leans against a giant palm tree, and I’m pretty sure if anyone else attempted that, they’d be flat on the floor by now. But Auston makes everything work in his favor. He might also have a bionic eye when it comes to set materials, instinctively knowing the difference between solid objects and flimsy props. “Not my favorite thing to do, though. I’d prefer to stay home watching a good movie, you know? But once I'm here, it's easy to act like I belong and I actually enjoy it.”

I cock my head to the side. “So, you’re introverted and extroverted.”

He looks up with a thoughtful exp ression. “I guess. I enjoy being alone, but I also don't mind working the room. Does that make me completely insane or something?”

A light laugh escapes me. “Maybe. But in a way, it also makes sense. You don’t have to be completely one way or the other. You can be a mix of both.”

Truth is, that’s exactly how I categorized him back in high school. I saw him content to be walking by himself, not looking for company. But when company found him, he put his big smile on and became the entertainer. But I won’t bring that up. We have rules, after all.

“Which direction do you lean toward?” he asks.

“I'm definitely on the introverted end of the spectrum.” I nod firmly. “Staying home with a good book is my jam, but I’ll admit, I’m not having the worst time here tonight.” And no one is more surprised by that statement than me.

He breaks into a laugh. “Wow, you really know how to give your boyfriend a compliment.”

I press my lips together. “Now you can see why I don’t do boyfriends.”

“Well, well, if it isn’t our new lovebirds!” Madison exclaims with the biggest fake smile in history. Despite her spiteful aura, she looks amazing. The pink and yellow fabric draping her body covers all the sensitive places while revealing just enough of her shimmering golden skin.

“Hey, Madison,” Auston says, looking away.

“So, how did you like your first red carpet, Eva? Hope it wasn’t too scary for a media-shy person like you.”

Auston opens his mouth to defend me, but I’m faster. “It’s Emma. And I actually really enjoyed it. Auston was such a gentleman and helped me through it.”

He places an arm around me, and I pretend it didn’t just launch my heart on a rollercoaster ride. If I act like I’m unaffected by him, maybe my body will get the memo. Actually, scratch that. I am unaffected by him. This is just a weird reaction arising from the situation, that’s all.

I lean into him and place a hand on his torso. His heart is beating fast. Way too fast for someone who’s not about to have a heart attack. I hate how Madison gets to him.

“Who knew you’d acclimate to fame so fast? I guess you don’t mind the spotlight after all,” she says, shooting Auston a sharp glare.

When her eyes return to mine, I hold her gaze. “I guess not. In fact, I kind of like it.”

Madison swallows hard. “Well, that’s great. Um, I see Jay over there. I’d better go say hi.”

As soon as she's out of earshot, Auston bursts into a chuckle. “Wow, you're amazing at this.”

“Thanks. And that’s why I don’t go out much.”

“If you ask me, you should come out every night.” He winks, watching me with an indecipherable look. And for a second, I think I wouldn’t mind that. I’d always enjoyed spending time with Auston in high school, and now is no different.

Feeling a tinge of red coloring my cheeks, I shake my head and take another sip of my mocktail. Whose genius idea was it to throw a tropical party? This beachy atmosphere is not helping.

“Shall we dance?” he asks, glancing at me, then at the dance floor, which is getting quite crowded.

I clear my throat. “Sure.” At this point, why not? How can he have any more effect on me than he already does?

I don’t know the song, but it sounds like a Latin American tune. Everyone is moving so expertly, I suddenly regret saying yes. I’m a bookworm. I don’t do dancing.

Auston, on the other hand, seems to glide over the music, like he’s following a perfectly rehearsed choreography that only he knows. He takes my hand and makes me spin, then draws me closer, laughing at my poor technique. I know I said I couldn’t be any more affected by him, but boy, was I wrong.

If he keeps moving like this, I’ll have a hard time keeping him in the fake zone. Who knew I was into guys with perfect footwork?

Hold on. What am I thinking? It ’s just the heat getting to my head, that’s all. It has to be.

Auston

I need a break, or I’m going to lose it. Having Emma in my arms, swaying to the music. I’ve been dreaming about this since I was sixteen and hoping to take her to prom. It’s all too much, and I’m beginning to think this whole fake dating thing wasn’t such a brilliant idea after all. Sure, I get to spend time with Emma. But with every smile, every look, I fall more deeply in love with her, while she doesn’t seem to care at all.

“Um, I need a restroom break,” I say, guiding her off the dance floor. “Could you wait for me here?”

“Sure.”

I feel guilty leaving her alone, but I’m two steps away from kissing her. What choice do I have? I need out of the danger zone, ASAP.

As I’m stepping out of the restrooms, a voice makes me jump. “Are you okay, lad?” Cillian asks, emerging from out of nowhere.

“You scared me,” I say, throwing a hand on my chest.

“Sorry.” He grimaces. “Saw you zoom to the restrooms. Thought I’d follow.”

I straighten my tux. “I’m fine.”

He places a hand on my shoulder to hold me in place. “You don’t look fine.”

“Well, I am.”

He narrows his gray eyes. “It’s Emma, isn’t it? Haven’t been yourself since you started this fake dating thing. Especially tonight.”

I want to retort, but I stay silent. Cillian has always been observant. I guess it’s an important quality in his line of work.

I sigh. The truth is, I really need my friend right now. Cillian might work for me, but he’s been my best friend for years. “She’s the girl I told you about.”

He frowns, then his eyes widen. “You mean the girl you never forgot?”

I nod.

He slaps my back. “Lad, that’s great. She’s here now. You can make this happen.”

“Except she’s not interested. Have you forgotten we’re only faking it?” I say, dropping my voice to a whisper. “I shouldn’t have agreed to this. It’s torture.”

He smirks. “Come on. You’re Auston Buckley. Everyone is interested.”

“Not Emma. Finding a boyfriend is the last thing on her mind.”

He runs a hand over his beard. “Well, then you’ll just have to change her mind, now won’t you?”

I blow out a breath. “And how am I going to do that, exactly?”

“Use the fake dating thing to your advantage. Show her what a fun bloke you are, and she’ll never want to leave your side.”

I open my mouth to protest, then close it. He’s got a point. Even if she’s not interested in dating anyone, she is going to be dating me for a while. Maybe I can turn that to my advantage, and she’ll finally remember how we hit it off back then.

Full of confidence, I return to Emma’s side.

“Hey, I’m back.” I smile, taking her hand. Sparks ricochet through my veins, and I’m momentarily transported. But when I look into Emma’s eyes, I can see she doesn't feel the same. I try not to let my disappointment show. “Should we go grab another drink? I have my eye on the Coconut Breeze—virgin, of course.”

“I think it’s called Coconut Crush,” she says, her eyes twinkling.

I can’t hold back my goofy grin. “Exactly what I’m in the mood for.”

She opens her mouth to reply, but someone calling her name behind us makes us both turn around.

“Mari?” Emma says, her eyes widening. We’re now face to face with a strawberry-blonde woman and a tall, muscular dude who looks familiar.

“What are you doing here?” the woman asks, glancing between Emma and me.

“I’m here with Auston. He’s a brand ambassador.”

She takes a step back. “Wait. You guys . . .”

“Yep,” Emma says enthusiastically. She grabs my hand, and it nearly bursts into flames. “We actually go way back, and we reconnected.”

The other woman beams. “Wow. That’s great.”

“What about you?”

“Aaron is a brand ambassador too.”

“Oh, I forgot,” Emma says, shaking her head. “Auston, this is Marissa. She co-owns the coffee shop on our street.”

I smile. “Ah! You need to share some of your secrets with me. This one swears by your coffee alone.”

Marissa laughs. “Nice to meet you. And this is Aaron Miles, the—”

“Hockey player,” I finish. “Defenseman for the New York Raptors. I knew you looked familiar.”

We shake hands, and he gives me a lopsided smirk. “Yeah. People say I don’t look the same without the helmet. Maybe they expect more hair? ” he says, running a hand over his buzz cut.

“I’m a huge fan,” I say. “I know I should be an LA Lion fan, but Jurassic Park is one of my favorite movies, so you got me.”

Aaron’s laugh booms, echoing around us. “Why do you think I signed with the team?”

“Should we grab a drink?” Marissa asks, and we walk together to the tiki bar.

It’s a bit more crowded than earlier, so we all grab our drinks and step aside. The conversation flows naturally as we laugh and share stories.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the event photographer says, butting into our group. “Could I take a picture of the two lovely couples?”

“Oh no!” Marissa exclaims, shaking her head and her hands vehemently

Aaron scratches his temple. “We’re not—”

“Dating,” she finishes with an awkward chuckle.

“Just friends,” he adds with a firm nod.

Marissa places a hand on his torso. “Really good friends.”

He wears a tight smile. “Almost like brother and sister.”

Wait. How are they not together? They look more together than Emma and me, and we’re actively pretending to be.

The photographer clears his throat, not sure what to do with himself.

“Oh! The picture,” Marissa exclaims. “Right. Yeah, we can take it.”

Furrowing his brow, he asks us to gather behind a palm tree, then snaps a few shots of us. Emma is standing next to me, her head leaning toward mine, and it’s exactly where I want her to be.