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7. Hallie

We spend the next few hours making a variety of plans. Plans to be seen together more, plans on how to handle his father over the next few weeks given we are about to botch the very plans he’s made himself, and even having a silent and almost completely awkward dinner with Daemon. Josh fills the silence with chatter about their upcoming hockey game of course, something I have presumed he must do often for his teammate, and then Josh offers to drive me home. We bumped into Landon on our way out, who seemed to be confused as to why I wasn’t staying over given the bomb we dropped on him earlier in the night, and I quickly lied about an early workout class. Something which Josh almost cackled at, given I haven”t worked out a day in my life aside from the hockey games I have played with him. Then we were on our way across campus.

The drive is silent yet comfortable, and as always Josh takes the scenic route around the lake that runs by my house, while I try not to think about the weight of what I am actually doing by marrying him. When we pull up in the driveway we both spy Hector’s car by the sidewalk, and the lights on in the house, meaning Maddie is clearly inside.

“Do you want me to come in?” Josh asks, staring at the house, and I’m almost certain he and Maddie haven’t spoken since their argument on Saturday night, which is probably the longest they have ever gone without speaking.

“What, so I can try and play referee again? No thank you,” I tell him, no stranger to their feuds over the years given my close proximity to both of them. I reach down and grab my bag as I add, “So I will see you on…” I let the sentence trail off, thinking he will adhere to our arrangement of being seen together, given the plans we made.

“Saturday,” he confirms quickly, still half-distracted by the house, yet still I almost laugh. Of course, a few hours together isn’t going to change his personality of being a complete asshole the majority of the time, so I’m not sure why I thought becoming his fiancée might make him any different.

“Right, yeah, of course, Saturday.” I roll my eyes with a fake smile as I fling open his car door and climb out, before leaning down and adding, “I’ll be the one in the wedding dress, just text me the details I guess.” Then before he can say anything in defense, I slam the door and move to leave.

“Hals,” he shouts, opening his door, and I can hear his footsteps behind me. “Hallie, wait please.”

I pause, turning on the spot to look at him and he almost slams right into me as I snap in frustration, “What, Joshua?”

He opens his mouth but nothing comes out at first, as if he had no idea what he was going to say to me, but he came after me anyway, and then he sighs. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m not used to having to lean on someone else and it’s going to take some getting used to.”

It’s more of an apology than anyone else would ever get, but I’m not letting him off that easily. “Josh, we’ve been friends for over a decade, that excuse isn’t going to fly with me, not as your best friend, and certainly not as your fiancée,” I tell him, putting my hands on my hips and standing my ground, because this isn’t how our marriage is going to be, fake or not.

His stare trails over me from head to toe, so slowly that I feel my knees wanting to buckle beneath his glare, as he starts to smirk. “Come on, Tink, we both know you can’t stay mad at me, you’re not capable.” He’s right, because of course he is, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it, which is why I smile right back at him as sweetly as I can manage as an idea comes to mind.

“You’re right, Joshua, I really can’t,” I purr, reaching up so I can bring my mouth closer to his ear. “I like to get my aggression out and then move forward,” I whisper, before bringing down my fist and slamming it into his groin, relishing in the deep groan he lets out as it’s his knees that buckle.

“Fuck,” he yells out, dropping down and bringing his hands to his no doubt now aching balls. “Hallie, what the hell?”

I bend down beside him, and shove his shoulder to push him onto his back so he is looking at me as I say, “I warned you I’d hit you in the dick, so you only have yourself to blame. Now remember that I’m doing you this huge favor and that you need to start being nice to me, okay?”

He throws his head back into the grass and closes his eyes with a long groan, a groan that has me thinking of the other ways I could make him make that noise, yet still I stay silent. “I forgot how fucking crazy you are,” he gasps through his teeth at me, bringing his eyes back to mine. “Fucking hell, Tink, I’ll make sure you’re the happiest wife in the history of the world to make sure you don’t do that to me again.”

I nod with a smile, satisfied with his answer before standing to my full height and saying, “Now, be a good boy and go home and plan our wedding.” I once again don’t wait for his response, turning to leave and heading up towards the house.

When I enter I hear music coming from the living room, and find Maddie sitting on the sofa by the window with a glass of wine. She doesn’t look up at me from the magazine in her hand, but she does ask, “Is there a reason my brother is out there on the grass writhing in pain?”

Dropping my bag by the other sofa, I sit down facing her and shrug. “He was being rude to me,” I tell her simply, and her eyes flick up to mine in question, but I don’t elaborate.

Maddie just laughs, shutting her magazine, and reaches out to pour herself more wine. “And to think I’ve been worrying about you, when I should have been worrying about him.” She watches me carefully, closely, as if she is trying to see something before she asks, “You’re home late, have you been with Josh this whole time?”

I know she means since class ended, considering Wednesday is usually the day we both get home early, and I nod. “Josh and I had to sort some stuff out,” is all I respond, not really having the energy to get into it right now, but of course my best friend doesn’t relent.

“Hallie, are you really doing this?” she asks, discarding the magazine by tossing it on the table so she can sit forward on the sofa to look at me. We haven’t talked much in the last week, we’ve not been alone much, so I guess now is finally time for our one on one interrogation.

“Yes, Maddie, I am really doing this,” I grit back, getting tired of being pushed on this. It’s my life, my decision, a decision made between me and Josh, and I am already sick of people questioning it.

“But why?” Her question throws me, not because she is asking it, but because of how she is asking it, like she knows the answer, the real answer. The one where I am secretly in love with her brother and would do anything for him including becoming his fake wife.

I could tell her the truth, I should tell her the truth, but that honesty would ruin everything, so instead I give her something else. “You’re my best friend, Madeline, you have been by my side since I was nine years old, but there is no you without him. He’s my best friend too.” I see the disbelief in her eyes at my words, and I understand it. Josh and I haven’t exactly been making friendship bracelets for one another these last few years, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still consider him my best friend.

“You guys fight all the time,” she says in defense, as if that argument alone is reason enough not to do this, and I almost laugh.

“So? Four months ago you and Nova absolutely despised each other, but look at you now.” It’s a low blow, we both know it, but surely she has to understand where I am coming from.

“But what Nova and I have is real.” I can hear the conviction in her words, see the sparkle in her eye at just thinking of her boyfriend and how they came to be, but still she has to understand.

“And you’re basing the decision to be with him on the last couple of months. You trust in it, which you should, I have never seen you happier, but I’m basing my decision on the last ten years. Our marriage might be fake, but our friendship isn’t, and that’s what I’m putting my trust in. That, and him.”

I see the moment she realizes that I won’t back down on this, not even for her, and I watch as she takes a deep slug of her wine before she stands and moves to sit next to me. “I guess I just don’t understand how you can do this,” she tells me honestly, and I get her concern, I really do, but it won’t stop me.

“You don’t have to understand, but as my friend you do have to support it.” I ensure my voice remains strong and clear, despite how I feel inside, and I see her entire body deflate.

“Hals, you’re my best friend, I’ll support you through anything, you know that.” Words I’ve heard a million times, yet I really needed to hear them again now, and I smile a little as I reach out and pull her hand into mine.

“Then you know why I have to do this,” I tell her, squeezing her hand gently.

We stare at one another for a few seconds before she sighs in defeat. “Then I guess you’re not just my best friend anymore, but my sister-in-law too.” Tears gather in her eyes, and I feel my own burn with emotion as I laugh.

“Well that’s what they tell me these things mean,” I say, holding up my other hand to showcase my newest accessory, and her jaw drops.

“Oh my god, he got you a ring?” she squeals, snatching my hand up in hers, and studying it closely. “Hallie, this is real, like real,” she gushes, and I have to laugh considering her reaction is similar to what mine was.

“Yeah I know, Josh said it’s like Tinkerbell in a ring,” I repeat his words, and her eyes snap to mine, a curiosity in them that wasn’t there before, but she hides it with a smile.

“Well, it’s beautiful, really, and it suits you.” Her words have me examining the ring myself, still so foreign feeling on my hand given I never usually wear any kind of jewelry, and it”s definitely going to take some getting used to. “So let me guess, you guys are having a spring wedding?” She stands, rolling her eyes, clearly knowing her father better than he would like, and it reminds me so much of her brother. They are so alike.

I follow her into the kitchen, cringing a little as I say, “Actually we are getting married on Saturday.”

Maddie stops abruptly and I almost slam right into her, like Josh just did to me, and when she turns around, her mouth is open. “On Saturday? As in Saturday, meaning like, the day three days from this one?” She rambles, and I nod slowly, before quickly explaining that she was right. Her dad did try to force the spring wedding on us, but we are taking back the power and doing it our own way. She looks at me in disbelief before she laughs. “Of course he did, god he’s such a fucking asshole, no wonder Josh gave himself over to him. He’s always been smarter than I am, smarter than him, if anyone can ruin him it’s his own son molded in his shadow.”

Her words have me pausing because she’s right, Josh has a heart of gold that was turned to stone when he grew up and realized the type of man that was raising him. And instead of following in his footsteps, taking the easy route and privilege available to him, he”s done the opposite. He’s stepped up, stepped in, and done whatever he can do to protect his sister from their father and his cruelty, and now he’s willing to risk it all to show everyone just what kind of man their Mayor is.

Most men would be proud to have a son like him, one with a solid moral compass and compassion, but not Hugo Peters. No, he will see this as a betrayal, as an attack against him, and he won’t let the fact that Josh is his son deter him from retaliating. Which means we have to make this work, we have to make everyone believe in us, and then dig up what we can on the Mayor so we can take him down before he ruins us all.

Maddie and I catch up over ice cream, shit talking both her father and brother, until I know she has our backs in this completely. Then I head upstairs to wash off the day. I shower and change into something comfortable to sleep in, climb into bed with Percy Penguin, and then load up an episode of Criminal Minds so I can get my nightly Dr. Spencer Reid fix. What’s a better fantasy to fall asleep to?

That”s when my phone lights up with one new text message.

Peter Pan : Wedding sorted. 5pm Saturday.

That’s it, four words that entail an invite to my own wedding, and all I can do is laugh, because I know Josh will have seen this message as completely fine and informative. Which is why I don’t even bother calling him out on the impersonality of it as I type out my response.

Hallie : It’s not even been two hours since I dick punched you, how the hell did you sort it out so fast?

I watch as he begins typing instantly.

Peter Pan : You forget you can get people to do anything for the right price

I roll my eyes at his response because of course I know that. You can’t grow up in our world and not know that, but it doesn’t make it any less weird. Before I can respond my phone lights up again.

Peter Pan : Oh and my dick is fine by the way

His message is innocent, too innocent for the thoughts it immediately provokes in my mind that I have to block out instantly.

Hallie : I also forget what an asshole you are, hence why I’m marrying you

Hallie : And I have no concern for you or your dick

Lie. A big, bold-faced lie, but what’s one more in a sea of thousands when it comes to him.

Peter Pan : That’s the first time a girl has ever told me that

Hallie : What a shame that girl just so happens to be your future wife

Peter Pan : A good wife would kiss it better

I almost drop my phone when I read that last message, my thighs clenching together involuntarily as I imagine doing just that, yet I snap myself out of it. This is Josh, my best friend, who is used to women falling at his feet for his affections, but that won’t be me, it can’t be, not if I am going to protect myself. I will not flirt with him.

Hallie : And a bad wife would punch it again

Hallie : Now stop flirting with me I’m busy

Peter Pan : Watching Criminal Minds while cuddling Percy is not classed as an actual activity, you know that right?

I look between the Penguin I am cuddling in my lap and the TV screen, and scoff. Silently cursing the stupid prick for knowing me so well.

Hallie : Neither is punching you in the dick, yet I enjoyed it just as much

Peter Pan : You better stay away from my dick in future

Hallie : But I thought a good wife would kiss it better?

Peter Pan : You’re a bad wife

Hallie : And yet you’re stuck with me. This is going to be fun

Hallie : Sweet dreams Joshua

Peter Pan : See you Saturday Hallie Bear

When I finally fall asleep it’s to images of my future husband and his dick.

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