Pretend for Me

by Sam Crescent

  He let out a sigh then grabbed his cell phone from his pocket. Champion jumped up onto the sofa next to him. Andy stroked his dog’s ears while dialing Travis’s number. The rest of the guys would be with Travis for poker night. The guys had a gaming schedule. When he’d met Sara and his feelings for her grew he’d taken himself off the schedule. His apartment became out of bounds for the men. Now they had all met her and he’d claimed her as his woman, so his friends were invited back around.

  “I was wondering when you were going to get in touch with me,” Travis said.

  He heard the noise of the others in the background. “Sara gave me the message, but I wanted her away before I made this call.”

  “Does this have to do with Cube being closed?” Lenny asked.

  Closing his eyes, Andy rubbed at his temple.

  “Yeah, it has everything to do with it. I don’t want Sara to find out. It’s either her ex or her family. I don’t know which one, but I want you guys to keep it to yourself.”

  There was silence on the other end of the line. He heard a beep and knew the call had been put on speaker phone.

  “Sara doesn’t know that Cube is closed for inspection, along with your other clubs?”

  He let the sigh he’d been holding back escape.

  “No, she doesn’t, and I want to keep her out of it. You can come this Saturday by all means, but don’t bring up the club. I don’t want her worrying.”

  “She needs to know, Andy,” Austin spoke up. “If you’re serious about her then she needs to get your back as much as you’ve got hers.”

  “It is serious,” he said.

  “Then you need to tell her,” Travis said.

  “Look, her family has pushed men away doing this. This is my battle to prove to myself and to Sara that I can take care of her. I don’t need Sara fighting my battles for me. Will you do this for me or not?”

  His friends all agreed they wouldn’t talk about the clubs. He spoke for a few minutes more before ringing off.

  Sara came back into the apartment several minutes later carrying her bag with her. He helped set everything up then left her to take a shower. The hot water ran down his body, and he tried to let it soothe him. Andy heard Sara walking outside, but his thoughts kept going to the notice in his trouser pocket. He pressed his hands against the tiled wall.

  Closing his eyes he forced the tears back. He wouldn’t cry. Crying was a weakness that he refused to give in to.

  “Andy, are you all right?” Sara called through the door. Her voice was muffled by the wood.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked, rubbing at his eyes to wipe every trace of pain out of him.

  “I wanted to make sure you’re all right. You’ve been in the shower for over thirty minutes.”

  He rested his head against the tile. The guilt at hiding something from her swamped him. He’d never kept anything from her, and it felt wrong doing it now.

  “I’ll be right out,” he said.

  Andy waited for her to leave and then finished showering. By the time he made it out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his hips Sara lay in his bed waiting. She wore the pink negligee he’d bought her, and she looked stunning.

  He dropped the towel and climbed into bed beside her. She rolled over to face him. Andy stroked her cheek loving the feel of her soft flesh against his palm.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” he said without hesitation.

  “You’ve been quiet and distant the past couple of days.”

  “There is nothing for you to worry about, baby. I’m dealing with work and all the chaos it brings. You’re the best part of my day,” he said, leaning down to kiss her head.

  “You’d tell me if there was something bothering you?”

  He nodded.

  She lay on his chest. Her fingers swirled in a pattern around his nipple. He closed his eyes feeling the guilt eat away at him. Andy knew he’d fix things before they got too bad.

  ****

  One week before the wedding

  Sara spent a great deal of time before the wedding finishing off the book she’d started. She’d gone through her first finished draft and discovered too many mistakes. Several rewrites were in order, along with some serious editing. Her publisher loved the idea she’d sent to them about the friends that fall in love. The concept was clichéd, but she had put her own spin on the details. The words flowed onto the computer screen, and she’d written the book in no time at all. The rewrites were taking up all her extra time. She lay in bed as Andy wrapped one arm around her waist. Two weeks had passed since she’d been asleep in her own bed. She hated the coldness of her bed when she could be wrapped around Andy.

  If she wasn’t around his apartment by seven he went and fetched her. When he wasn’t around during the day she went back to her place to work. They hadn’t moved in together. She wasn’t ready to take that leap.

  Andy kissed her outer thigh, and his fingers stroked her other thigh. His kisses made her pause in her typing. When he stopped she carried on.

  “All you do is type,” he said, complaining.

  “I type quietly for you,” she said.

  He grumbled. His arm remained around her waist. Every now and then his hand pressed the space bar catching her attention. She chuckled every time he did it.

  “I’m almost finished. When I’m done you can have my full, undivided attention.”

  “I thought you said you finished this book,” he said.

  “No, I said I’d finished the first draft. There is more to a book than writing it. I’m just perfecting the final piece I’ll send to my publisher.” She turned to see him staring at her screen. “Hey, you can’t read it.”

  “I’m not. I’m cuddling up to you, baby.”

  She laughed. There were only a few pages left for her to finish and then she’d be all his. “I’ll be done by tomorrow.”

  “Just in time for us to get ready for your family’s wedding,” he said.

  “I’m not looking forward to it either.” Dylan had been trying to get in touch with her constantly. She couldn’t stand the man, and yet he thought it was all right of him to keep calling her. He kept asking about Andy. Andy and Andy’s clubs were not his business. She’d stopped telling Andy because of the way he acted. He grew silent, which bothered her. Sara knew he was keeping something from her. Each phone call she shot Dylan down, warning him to keep his nose out of her business.

  Andy never looked happy anymore, and he’d stopped talking about the clubs. She tried to ask, and he’d merely reply they were all doing fine. None of his friends would shed light on the subject of what was going on in his life either. The whole situation made her uneasy.

  She closed her laptop then placed it on the floor away from the bed. Sara snuggled up close to him. Andy leaned over and kissed her.

  “Do you want to go to the wedding with me?” she asked.

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “You’ve been a little off at the idea. I don’t mind if you no longer wish to come. I’m happy to go on my own.”

  She wasn’t, but she would do whatever made Andy happy. Her family was a daunting prospect to visit.

  “I’m going with you, Sara. I wouldn’t dream of leaving you alone to face them.” He kissed her one final time before pulling her in close. “Get some sleep. We’ve got a long week ahead of us.”

  Sara lay next to him and couldn’t deny the relief she felt at having him close by. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to claim her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  All too soon the week disappeared. Sara finished her book and submitted it to her publisher to await their thoughts. She’d packed for her and Andy. He was getting everything ready to take Champion with them. She stared around the bedroom wondering if there’d been anything she missed.

  Andy came through a few minutes later. “Are you ready?” he asked.

  “I’ve packed your tux. The moment we get to my parents’ house I�
��ll take it out so there won’t be any creases.”

  He nodded.

  They were travelling down today, Friday, for the wedding to take place on Saturday. On Sunday they were travelling back home.

  “Everything is going to be fine. You’re going to be the most beautiful bridesmaid at this ceremony.” He wrapped his arms around her offering her comfort. She took every little bit of comfort he gave. There had been something off with him the past few weeks. She wished he’d tell her what it was that was bothering him.

  “Are you bringing your laptop bag with you?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No, my publisher will be in touch when they’re ready, and after the mad rush I’ve just had, I need a break.” Sara picked up her suitcase and followed Andy and Champion out of his apartment door. She’d put her laptop back in her own apartment for the weekend. Work could wait until Monday. She needed some time to rest.

  They took the elevator down to the underground parking. Andy took the cases off her then helped her into his car. She put her seatbelt on as he climbed in beside her.

  “Time to go and party,” he said. There was no enthusiasm in his voice. She saw the strain in him, and it hurt her to know he was hurting.

  He pulled out of the parking area and started working his way through the city. His hand tightened on the steering wheel. They remained silent all the way onto the freeway.

  “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” He grabbed her hand kissing her knuckles. “I’ll be better when this weekend is done. Your parents are hard to please.”

  “I’m glad they haven’t frightened you away.”

  Andy tapped her knee before concentrating on the road ahead. She stared out of her window unsure how to pass the silence. They’d been friends a long time, and she didn’t know what was bothering him.

  When they pulled up outside of her parents’ house a few hours later, Sara saw the garden had been transformed into a beautiful reception area. Cars filled the driveway and street. Andy had to park away from the house, which didn’t bother her. They grabbed their cases then made their way up to the house.

  She heard the sound of talking and laughter coming from inside. Opening the door she saw her family standing in the sitting room with relatives and friends. The chatter seemed to die down when they saw her.

  Tracy pulled her into a hug as the rest of her family gathered round. She noticed Dylan in the corner glaring at Andy.

  “Honey, I’m so sorry, dear, but we had to put Bethany’s aunt in the guest room. Andy, we’ve booked you into the motel in the town. You’ll be fine there and well looked after,” Harmony said.

  Sara’s mouth fell open at her mother’s rudeness. Why couldn’t they accept Andy? Dylan may be everything her parents wanted for her, but he wasn’t what she wanted.

  “No, he’s not staying in town,” Sara said, pissed off with their attitude.

  “Sara, honey, don’t worry about it.” Andy turned to leave. She grabbed his arm and mouthed “don’t” to him.

  He stayed by her side.

  “We made the arrangements, Sara. We did send them via text,” Danny said.

  “You made sure I wouldn’t get them. Well, Andy is here with me. Bethany is sharing a room with Danny like she always does, and Andy can share with me. My bed is big enough for the both of us.”

  Both her parents started to protest. She glared at them. “If he goes and stays in town then I’m going with him. I’ve had enough of your treatment of him. He’s my boyfriend. Deal with it, or I swear I will turn back around and I won’t come fucking back.”

  Dylan had something to do with this. She was convinced of it.

  “Sara—”

  She glared at her mother, shutting her up. “I mean it. Back off, or I go. I don’t care anymore. You’re embarrassing to yourself and to me.”

  Her family moved out of the way, and she walked up the stairs. Andy followed behind her. She dropped her suitcases in her room and slammed the door closed, fuming at what her folks had done. “I have the most horrid family in the history of families,” she complained. “Can you believe them? I can’t believe I’m related to them at all.”

  Andy sat next to her on the bed. “They have your future planned out for you with a man of their choice.”

  “Exactly, their choice, not mine. Ignore them, Andy, please.”

  “I’m ignoring.”

  She laid her head on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry about this.”

  “Don’t apologize for them.”

  Sara let out a sigh before grabbing her case. “We better unpack and go down to mingle.”

  She took his tuxedo out of his case to get the wrinkles out. Andy placed some of his clothes in her closet. They finished putting away a few of their things before they walked down the steps together.

  “Why don’t you go out and mingle and I’ll grab us some food.” It was lunchtime, and she was starving. Andy walked out into the garden while she went to the kitchen. All the counters were laden with food. Her parents had ordered in for the amount on display.

  Her tummy rumbled, and she reached for a plate.

  Someone cleared his throat to let his presence be known. She turned to see Dylan leaning against the doorframe.

  “I guess you’re the one I have to thank for trying to get Andy into a motel in town.” She didn’t pose her words as a question.

  “Your family doesn’t want him around you, Sara.”

  “They don’t get to decide what’s good for me. Andy is good for me, and nothing they say or do is going to change that.”

  She grabbed two plates then made her way around the food.

  “He’s not like us.” Dylan came to stand beside her.

  Ignoring his closeness, she started to fill the plates. “No, he’s not like us. He’s better because all I’ve seen is nothing but a load of bullshit coming from the lot of you. Andy is a great guy. He’d never hurt me, but you’ve all been rotten and rude to him. I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life.”

  Dylan caught her arm in his, pulling her close. “Why are you being so difficult?”

  “Let go of my arm or I swear to God I’ll scream this fucking house down and claw your eyes out.” She spoke each word slowly and shot him a glare.

  He let go of her arm.

  “We’ve been planning our marriage for years. Your family and my family want this, Sara.”

  “Too bad you couldn’t keep it in your pants long enough. There is never going to be a marriage between us, Dylan. I don’t love you, and I never will. Everything I had with you was a mistake.”

  “There was a time when you did want me.”

  She shook her head. “I was a fool. A stupid, idiotic fool who didn’t know a thing about true feelings.”

  Sara finished loading their plates with food. “Stop trying to win something you have no chance of being the victor over. I don’t want you. Andy is the man I want.”

  Grabbing their plates, she made her way into the garden. Andy stood alone staring at the waterfall where her and her siblings’ handprints were. “Here, I went hunting, and I got us some food.” She handed him his plate.

  Andy took what she offered without saying a word. They ate in silence. She saw Dylan constantly staring at them. Something was off with Andy. She sensed it now more than ever.

  The rest of the day went uneventful. Bethany gave her the bridesmaid’s dress for the following day. She put it in her room for safe keeping. Her mother cornered her on the stairs. The rest of the family was out in the garden. They were the only two in the house.

  “What’s the matter, Mom?” she asked, exasperated with her family.

  “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Why? Is this another talk where you tell me what you guys think and expect me to follow it through? Or maybe it’s another attempt to be rude about Andy.” Her temper was getting the better of her, and she finally snapped. “Andy is a good man. Why can’t you give him a chance and stop being rude to him?”<
br />
  “He’s not right for you. Dylan is right for you. When you were growing up, you were always around him. You were so happy when you started dating. I don’t understand what has changed. You were in love with him and told me more than once how much you loved him.”

  Sara shook her head. Her temper grew with every passing second. “No. Dylan is not the right man for me. He will never be the right man for me. You can keep arguing this point with me until you’re blue in the face, Mom. I’m not giving up Andy for Dylan. That ship has sailed, and it’s never coming back in to dock. I wasn’t in love with Dylan, and if you actually looked close enough you’d see how much I love Andy.”

  She brushed past her mother and went down to Andy. If she had to spend the rest of her life fighting her family then that was exactly what she’d do.

  ****

  Andy lay in Sara’s bed that night. Her heat calmed his nerves. Tomorrow he’d have the answers to his questions. His clubs’ future was in the balance. Seeing her family once again had made him realize how much they hated him with her. They were too protective of her and did everything in their power to drive the men away.

  He knew Dylan was the one responsible for trying to shut him down. The bank had declined him any delay on his loan and he needed more time to pay them back because of how long the clubs had been closed. He held her close. Her scent was the only thing that could calm him down. She meant so much to him. He didn’t want to let her down.

  Rubbing his temples, he stared past her to the window. The moon shone through the curtains highlighting her to him.

  “I love you,” he said.

  For the first time in his life he understood what his parents felt all those years ago. There was a deep possessive feeling in the pit of his chest that refused to go away. The feeling had always been there since the first moment they’d met. He never wanted to share her with his friends. For five years he’d kept their friendship a secret in the hope of keeping it sacred.

  Shaking his head at the absurdity of his thoughts he leaned down and kissed her. She mumbled something in her sleep then opened her eyes to stare at him. Her smile brightened up her whole face.