“And when did you and Jeremy break up?”
“February sixteenth,” Will answered.
“Good, Will. When did you see Liz again?”
“At Jennifer's birthday party three weeks later.”
“March ninth,” Liz said.
“Liz was sad, I was there and had been interested in her for a few weeks, but she hadn't been available. I was a good listener and she told me her troubles over drinks,” Will said.
“He was kind and understanding and when I had a little too much champagne toasting Jenny, he kept me together and listened to me ramble on about the idiosyncrasies of men in general and Jeremy in particular,” said Liz. “You and Jenny left early and Will offered to see me home.”
“But your keys were in my purse and I forgot to give them back to you before I left with Andy,” added Jenny.
“So when I tried to drop Liz off, we couldn't get in and neither Jennifer nor her roommate were answering their phones,” added Will.
“Hey, it was my birthday!” cried Jenny.
“So I took Liz home to my place and we stayed up talking till four in the morning when we fell asleep on the couch.”
“My feet were in his lap,” added Liz.
“And I had a horrible crick in my neck the next day from sleeping sitting up,” said Will.
“Who asked whom out?” asked Andrew.
“I asked her the next morning. I thought it might be too soon, but I didn't want to waste the opportunity.”
“It just felt right, so I said yes and we had our first date that Friday night,” Liz added.
“Great. Where did you go?” quizzed Andrew.
“Will ordered take out from Jasmine's and we watched a movie at his place. I thought it was too soon to be out with a date in case I ran into one of Jeremy's friends or someone I knew.”
“And I was trying to keep a low profile. I really liked Liz and I wanted to keep her to myself as long as possible,” added Will.
The questions and answers continued on until they had worked up to their current activities. Andrew, the great orchestrator, ordered a pizza for lunch and when they had finished, he started talking again.
“I did some digging around about the kind of things to put in your Proof of Relationship file. Can you two write each other some emails back and forth? Will, you can change the time stamp on them, can't you?”
“Sure, that wouldn't be difficult. We're printing them off, right?”
“Yes. What is most convincing are long distance phone bills—which you obviously don't have, large items purchased together like cars and houses, which again, you don't have and it wouldn't make sense to do, a child together—”
“Uh uh, no way, definitely not happening,” Liz interrupted.
Andrew reached out and squeezed her knee. “I know. I'd never think of suggesting it. I'm just telling you what they look for. They are looking for proof of intimacy, of a shared life.”
“Don't these pictures accomplish that?” Will asked.
“Yes, but I think we can take it a step further.”
Will's eyebrows shot up, recognizing the look on his friend's face. “Andrew, what are you thinking?”
“I think you should do some bedroom shots.”
Liz's eyes widened and Harper's jaw clenched.
“Like the two of us, in the bed, together? And take pictures? And show them to people? To immigration?” she asked, stunned.
“No, not anything distasteful or even revealing. Just something that you might snap if you were getting up to go in the morning and you look back at her in the bed and take a picture with your phone. Simple.”
“You sound practiced, Andrew,” Will said quietly. Jennifer just blushed and sank a little lower in the sofa.
“I think I understand. I have a few pictures of Jeremy with his shirt off that I took for fun. Something like that?” asked Liz, her cheeks a light pink.
“Yes, that's it exactly. And since Liz will be leaving this apartment soon, it would be best to go ahead and get them done before there are boxes everywhere. You could take some more at Will's place once you move in.” He looked between the two of them and stood, pulling Jenny up behind him. “We're going to go to the kitchen. I'll let you two work this out.”
Will glared at him as he left, then turned to Elizabeth.
“Are you up for this?” he asked.
“I'm not exactly thrilled, but I suppose it's okay. I can put on pajamas and we can wrap up in sheets. That won't be so bad, will it?”
He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Argh. Come on, let's do this.” He rose and headed toward the short hall that lead to Liz's bedroom. She pointed to the door that was hers and put a hand on his chest before he could follow her in.
“Give me a minute to change,” she said as she closed the door.
Three minutes later she opened it, wearing polka dot pajama pants and a thin tank top with no bra. Will looked at her chest for a moment too long until she said, “I want to look authentic. If we're going to all this trouble, I don't want anything to be questioned. Nobody sleeps in a bra.”
“Of course, you're absolutely right.”
He stepped into the small room and edged around the bed to stand in front of her tall dresser. “Who's posing first?”
“I'm already in my pajamas, so I guess it can be me.” As she said it, she realized that if they were alone in the pictures, she could just as easily have had Jenny take hers, but she didn't want to sound like a prude or be the whiny one. They were both adults. They could do this with no—or very little—awkwardness. She pulled her hair over her shoulders in an attempt to reclaim some modesty and stood awkwardly by the dresser.
Will picked up the camera and pointed to the bed, silently telling Liz to hop on. She sat down gingerly on the fluffy duvet, looking around in confusion.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Um, I don't really know.” He laughed uncomfortably and ran his hand through his hair.
“Do you do that when you're nervous?”
“Do what?”
“Run your hand through your hair.”
“Oh. I don't know. I guess I do. Nervous and stressed.”
She smiled kindly in sympathy. She was feeling a little vulnerable on her bed in a room alone with a man she barely knew and not even wearing a bra. Fake dating was fun in dresses and heels, but she was not in the habit of sharing intimate moments with relative strangers.
Finally, she took a deep breath and looked at Harper. He squared his shoulders and said, “Okay, we can do this. We'll just try to relax.”
She nodded. “Channel your inner photographer.”
He made a face and held up the camera.
“Why don't you grab that pillow there,” she did as he said, “and smile up at me. Perfect.” Click. “Now drop the pillow and reach for me, like you want me to come toward you.” She did and then got on all fours and crawled toward him slowly, his confidence behind the camera putting her at ease. “Yes, exactly. Lie on your belly, chin in your hand.” He squatted down in front of her and snapped a close shot, “Now roll onto your back and let your head fall back a bit. Smile. Bigger. Perfect.” He stood high above her and snapped away as she let her head dangle slightly off the end of the bed, her wavy hair almost reaching the floor.
“Let's get a few of us together,” he said.
“Okay. But shouldn't you be wearing something else?”
“I didn't bring pajamas.”
“Boxers and a T-shirt?”
He looked uncomfortable.
“Uh-oh. Are you a whitey-tighties guy?”
“No! I am a boxer brief guy, though.”
“That's okay. Here, get under the covers. I won't look.”
She pulled back the blankets and turned her head to look at the wall. She heard a zipper and the sound of a belt falling to the floor, then she felt the bed shift under his weight.
“All right. Let's do this.” His voice was so grimly serious that Liz had
to laugh. It started as a small chortle she tried to hold in, but when he looked at her with a mixture of confusion and sternness, it developed into an all-out giggle, then a hearty belly laugh. Her laughter eventually affected Harper and it wasn't long before he joined her.
He had the presence of mind to grab the camera and extend his arm, snapping a picture of Liz leaning on his shoulder, laughing uncontrollably.
“I know what would make this more convincing,” she said between giggles.
“What?”
“Hands up.”
He mechanically did as she said and raised his hands. Liz quickly grabbed the hem of his white T-shirt and pulled it over his head.
“There. Much more believable.”
Before he could say anything, she snuggled into his side, wrapped an arm around his waist and smiled.
“Go on. Snap the picture.”
He took a moment, but reached out and snapped a few shots, the camera angle going wide when Liz reached over and tickled Will in the ribs.
“Hey!”
She laughed again and Will kept snapping until Liz grabbed the camera and took a few of him, mussing his hair and making silly faces to make him laugh.
Finally, Andrew knocked on the door and popped his head in. “Everything all right in here?”
“Yeah, we're good, Andrew. Be out in a sec,” Harper answered.
He closed the door and Liz got out of bed, suddenly remembering they were virtual strangers taking pictures in their underwear. She gathered up her clothes and moved to the door.
“You can change here, I'll go to the bathroom.”
“Okay,” he said.
Will sighed and pulled his jeans back on and found his shirt at the foot of the bed. With an amused look on his face, he walked out of her room.
6
Second Thoughts
Late April, Monday
4 Days to Marriage
“Have you thought about how you're going to propose?”
“Not really. I haven't had time to think of much.”
Will sat across from Andrew at the small table in his office, eating Chinese takeout with a set of chopsticks.
“Well whatever you do, it needs to be public. And over the top. You're supposed to have fallen madly in love with this girl.”
“Yes.” Will chewed thoughtfully. “Hot air balloon? Too cliché?”
“Probably. Jumbotron at the Garden?”
Will made a face. “Bleh. Those are so annoying.”
“And so public,” Andrew said as he pointed a chopstick at him.
“I might as well rent a billboard in Times Square if that's all we're concerned about.”
Andrew's eyes lit up.
“Oh, no you don't, Jamison! I know that look. I am not spending an obscene amount of money to rent a tacky billboard in some smelly square to propose fake marriage to a girl I met a week ago. NOT doing it!”
“Fine.” Andrew held up his hands in defeat. “What about an old-fashioned proposal in a restaurant? Stock it with the right people, of course. You buy her a rose, there's a violin or a piano or something, you get on one knee and she squeals and says yes, the whole restaurant applauds.”
“Maybe. It just doesn't seem worthy of the whirlwind courtship, though. It should be really romantic,” argued Harper.
“And public. Can't forget public.”
“What if we went somewhere public afterwards? Like there is that benefit for the children's hospital this week. We're already committed to going. She could just show up with a ring on her finger.”
“True, but that's not nearly as good PR as an actual proposal. Besides, who goes to a charity event right after they propose? You should go back to your apartment to shag.”
“You seem to be forgetting one little detail, Andrew.”
Andrew rolled his eyes. “I know that, Will, but nobody else does. We have to think of something spectacular.” He tapped the table nervously with his fingers while his foot bounced on the floor. He turned his head, looking around the room for inspiration.
“That's it!”
“What's it?”
“The Empire State Building!”
“What about it?”
“For the proposal, you idiot!”
“How is that public? It'll just be filled with a bunch of tourists.”
“We fill it with the right people. We leak to the press that someone overheard you making plans to go there and saw you looking at a ring in your pocket or something. We'll tell everyone 'An Affair to Remember' is Liz's favorite movie. It'll be great! Romantic, iconic, easy to remember. All the makings of a great story. You'll be an overnight sensation!”
Andrew was so excited he was walking quickly in circles, making wide motions with his hands as he talked.
Will sighed in defeat and leaned his head back against the chair. “All right, Andrew, you win. The Empire State Building it is. We fly out Friday, so when should I do it? I have the fundraiser Tuesday night. Wednesday? Is Thursday too late?”
“Thursday is good. It'll give you more time to pick a ring. What are your plans for tonight?”
“I'm picking up takeaway at Giorgio's while on the phone to Elizabeth. The maître d there has a mouth as big as the Thames, he might pass on what he hears. Then I'm meeting her at my building and introducing her to the doorman, making sure she has 24-hour access. We'll go out for ice cream at the patisserie on the corner before I take her home.”
“Good. It's very Monday, nothing too flashy. But why isn't she staying the night?”
Harper raised his brows. “Because.”
Andrew gave him a look.
Harper exhaled roughly. “She hasn't been seen staying the night this entire time. I can just say she's been parking under the building with me and going up in the private elevator and that's why the doorman hasn't met her before. I've always been a private man, that won't surprise anyone. We can leave the same way tonight and no one will be the wiser.”
“But you said you were going back out for ice cream. If you're just walking to the corner, it will look weird if you don't walk back in.”
“So we walk back in then leave in the car to drop her off.”
“Will.” Andrew looked at his friend who was moodily staring out the window. “Hey. Are you all right?”
“Yes. Maybe. I don't know. I know I need to do this and that it's my best option and all of that, but I never thought this was how I would get married. It's not like I sat around and dreamed about it like a little girl, but I did think that if I ever did it, I would at least have some affection for her, maybe even be in love. Hell, I don't know that I thought I would even get married, let alone do it so soon. Now the next two and a half years of my life are mapped out for me. Marry this girl, be seen in these places, get divorced at this time.” He bent his neck to the side uncomfortably, as if he was trying to dislodge a collar.
“It chafes, doesn't it?”
“Yeah.”
Andrew patted his shoulder. “I'm sorry, mate. If you don't want to go through with it, we can call it off. Lizzy's a good sport. She'll let you out of the contract if that's what you want.”
Will sighed for what he felt like was the fortieth time that day. “No, that won't be necessary. I was just having a mood, but I'm past it. I can do this. I'll call Liz and ask her to pack an overnight bag for tonight.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, I'm sure. Thanks, Andrew. You're a good friend.”
“Anytime.”
**
“Hello.”
“Liz, it's William.”
“Hi, Will. How are you?”
“Well, thanks. Listen, do you think you could pack an overnight bag tonight? I thought you could sleep at my place.”
There was silence for a moment.
“Umm, sure. I have an early class tomorrow. Do you want to walk me to campus? It’ll take half an hour, but the weather should be nice.”
“Actually, an early morning walk sounds nice. I'll plan on it.”
“Great. So I'll meet you in front of your building at seven?”
“I'll be there. Do you know what you want for dinner?” he asked.
“Italian, right?”
“Yes.”
“Some sort of ravioli sounds good. I'll let you pick.”
“All right. See you tonight.”
“See ya.”
Elizabeth hung up the phone and turned the corner onto her street. The First Night in William's apartment. Reaching her building, she dashed up the stairs and ran to her room, hoping her pajamas were clean. Sleeping in an old T-shirt on their first night together was not how she wanted to start off.
7
Sleepover
Late April, Monday
4 Days to Marriage
Liz looked around the room, her eyes falling on the dark leather sofa and the modern glass topped cocktail table in front of it. The windows were basic and uncovered, just simple blinds that looked as if they were always open. The whole room seemed to be focused on a massive flat screen television that took up half the wall across from the sofa.
“Well, this is it,” said Will as he walked in behind her. “This is the sitting room, obviously. Kitchen is through here.” He gestured to a doorway but they didn't go in. “Bedrooms are down here.”
She followed him down a plain white hallway.
“Here's the bath. It's for guests mostly.” She peeked into the bare bathroom as he flipped the light switch. It was well done and the tile was pretty, but the only soft thing in the room was a tiny hand towel folded neatly next to the sink. Otherwise, it was nothing but cold marble and modern steel fixtures. Will continued walking and she hurried along behind him.
“This is my study.” He opened the door and she looked in cautiously. One wall was covered with a bookcase that was bursting with books, another was floor to ceiling bare windows, the third wall held a large desk with an odd looking ergonomic chair in front of it and the fourth was bare except for the door.
She nodded and he kept walking. “My room is at the end of the hall.” He pointed, then opened a door on his left. “This is your room.”
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