by Eden Finley
Jay, Benji, and Freya have worked so hard at this album, worked so hard on the last tour with Eleven, and it still hasn’t been good enough for the label.
They spouted something about Jay not being ready and needing the exposure being linked to Eleven that has already done amazing things for the band. That might be all well and true, but Radioactive is so much better than an opening act. They deserve to be headliners even if it’s in concert halls instead of arenas.
They’re on the brink of greatness, and I’m worried touring with the boyband again will seal their fate. Always the bridesmaid, never the headliner … or something like that.
I stand outside the band’s Hollywood Hills mansion that they bought as a group the minute their first big royalty cheque came in, and I just hope they take this news well.
Oh, who am I kidding. Jay’s going to flip his lid.
Not only that, I was hoping if they got their own headlining tour that I’d have a valid argument for Marty to stay on and stay with me. He’s great at his job, no doubt. He seems to sense what the band or I need at any given time, and he’s two steps ahead, but I’m not sure he gets anything out of it. It’s not a rewarding job.
We said we’d give it a year. It’s now been eleven months. They’ve been the most meaningful eleven months of my life. Waking up next to undoubtedly the most amazing man I’ve ever met every morning has made this whole experience ten million times better.
I also got word today that the label has offered to extend his one-year contract, but it’s up to Marty.
He took his gap year. It’s done. He has a PhD to get back to.
If he does go back, I want to find a way to make us work, because I’ve never been with anyone like him.
Someone who challenges me.
Someone who’s fun to be around.
Someone who makes my life complete.
Ugh. I need to deal with the tour problem first. Then my love life.
I push the front door open and head straight downstairs to their main living and entertaining area.
There’s a deck out back that overlooks the hills, and that’s where they’re all lounging with beers in their hands as they watch the late-afternoon sun cast an orange hue across the valley.
Marty sits up on his deck chair at my entrance, and the way he smiles at me creates longing in my chest. I left him in our bed this morning, and I’m already aching for him.
I can’t imagine what it’ll be like if he decides to go back home to Australia.
He shifts forward so I can squeeze in behind him and he can lie back between my legs with his head on my chest.
Jay, Benji, and Freya all stare at me, waiting.
“So, what are we doing?” Jay asks. “New album, a tour … what?”
Marty must feel me tense because he sits up and turns to face me. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Jay bites his lip.
I slump. “A tour.” Smiles begin to take over their faces, so I have to stop that fast. “With Eleven.”
Benji frowns. “Dude, that was last year. Did you look at the calendar wrong?”
“You’re gonna be their supporting act again. The first tour was great exposure, and—”
Benji stands. “What the fuck? No. We … no. This was our moment. If they’re not going to give us a tour, they should at least give us another album.”
“That’ll happen after this tour,” I say.
Marty’s gaze darts between me and Jay. “Jay?”
Jay shrugs. “Same shit, different day with the label. No point being angry about it.”
He walks into the house deflated, which is so not how I thought this was going to go. I expected a lot of whining and fighting. Not accepted defeat.
I turn to the others. “One good thing is we’ve got our own jet this time. No more cramped tour bus.”
Benji becomes less mad but still not happy. He follows Jay, and Freya sighs in resignation.
A second later, she’s gone too.
I take Marty’s beer that’s on the table next to us and take a sip. That’s when I notice the concern in his gaze. “What’s wrong?”
“Did … did they say anything about me?”
I take another sip and try to smother my smile, because I don’t want to influence his decision. I want him to stay, but not out of guilt. “They offered to extend your contract, but I told them I want a new model.”
He shoves me. “You did not. You better not have.”
I cock my head. “Oh? Why’s that? I thought you were gonna go home in a month and go back to your lab.”
“No fucking way. Even if I wasn’t totally in love with you, I’d still have to stay to see how this tour goes.”
There’s definitely no stopping the smile this time. “Totally in love with me, huh?”
Marty rolls his eyes. “Duh. It’s not like we haven’t said it to each other before.”
“Just because we’re in love, doesn’t mean we can’t make it work if you wanted to go back to Australia.”
Marty shakes his head. “I want to be wherever you are. Doing whatever you do. You’re stuck with me and my sass.”
“Your sass or your ass?”
“Both.”
“Promise?”
“Would I ever lie to you?”
My lips purse. “What about the time you and Jay went out to a bar before their set, turned up late, and while I stood there getting yelled at by label execs on the phone, you tried to tell me there was an impromptu running of the bulls and it was too dangerous on the streets so you were stuck in the bar?”
“We were in Spain. It could’ve been true.”
I laugh and shake my head. Such a Marty answer. I lean in and kiss him. “So, you’re staying?”
“I’m staying until this ride gets boring, and it hasn’t happened yet. I can get my PhD when I’m fifty for all I care right now.”
“You have no idea how happy that makes me.”
His hand reaches for my cock confined by my suit pants. “I might have some idea.” Shifting so he’s crawling on top of me, he kisses me and rubs his hand over my hardening dick until I’m gasping for more.
“No fucking on the deck chairs!” Jay yells from somewhere in the house.
“That’s creepy,” I say. “Maybe we should go home?”
Marty nods and climbs off my lap, yelling, “We’re out” to the others.
As soon as we’re in the car, I turn to him. “Hey, what did you mean by even if you weren’t in love with me, you’d have to stay for this next tour?”
He side-eyes me, and I get the sudden feeling he’s holding something back.
“What is it?” I’m only slightly panicking.
“You didn’t think Jay’s reaction to having to go on tour with the boyband again was less than … indifferent?”
“It was a little understated compared to what I was expecting.”
“Please, we all know we ain’t there for Eleven’s songs.”
“I’ve totally heard you singing that song of theirs … what was it? ‘I Like You’?”
“So? Their songs are fucking catchy. Like crabs. You don’t want to catch it, but sometimes you do.”
I laugh. “You’ve had crabs?”
“Not recently.”
Now I’m howling with laughter. “I love you so much.”
“I know, right? I’m a fucking delight. But for real. Jay. I totally think he’s fucking one of the Eleven boys. I need to see how this turns out.”
Aww, shit. “Please tell me it’s just a hunch and you think you could be wrong.”
“Umm, well, it is just a hunch, but I don’t think I’m wrong. Why?”
“It’s in the Eleven guys’ contract that they can’t disclose their sexuality to the public. If he is with one of them, I can see it now. It’s only going to end in heartache.”
“Damn. Why the hell is that in their contract?”
“Remember how we talked about their target demographic? Teenage girls are more likely t
o buy albums if they can fantasise about being with the guys.”
Marty looks confused for a moment. “I didn’t realise teenage girls were homophobic twatwaffles.”
“They’re not. They’ll just hate that they can’t get a piece of them.”
“Still twatwaffle behaviour.”
I laugh again. “Marty?”
“Yeah?”
“Never change. Please.”
“Never plan to.”
“Good.”
Thank You!
Thank you for reading Fake Boyfriend Breakaways: A short story collection.
Obviously, when I started writing the Fake Boyfriend series, I had every intention of using the fake boyfriend trope for the entire series. But during the writing process, many side characters were not okay with that. Or that it’d only be three books. My plans changed drastically, which isn’t surprising. I suck at planning.
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Thank you to my readers who hounded me to write Max and Ash’s book—a couple I never intended to write. I’m so glad I got the chance to put their story in words as opposed to just knowing what happened in my head.
If you want to keep up to date with Eden Finley news, new releases, and more, join my reader group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/absolutelyeden/
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Alternatively, you can join my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/gln68n
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I want to thank my beta readers, editors Sandra Dee from One Love Editing and Kelly Hartigan from Xterraweb, my cover designer Kellie from Book Cover by Design, and Crystal Lacy for doing the cover for the collection. I also want to thank every single member of my team who helped me get this out into the world.
Eden Finley Books
FAKE BOYFRIEND SERIES
Fake Out
Trick Play
Deke
Blindsided
Hat Trick
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STEELE BROTHERS
Unwritten Law
Unspoken Vow
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ROYAL OBLIGATION
Unprincely (MMF)
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ONE NIGHT SERIES
One Night with Hemsworth (MF)
One Night with Calvin (MF)
One Night with Fate (MF)
One Night with Rhodes (MM)
One Night with Him (MF)
