Practice to Deceive

by Olivia Evans

  “You want to take a deep breath and tell me exactly what’s got you so worked up?”

  She growled angrily, her frustration leaking through the phone. “Apparently,” she spat. “Some asshole rented out part of the aquarium at the last minute and has requested a personal tour of all the exhibits. Not only have I been asked to do the tour, but I also have to wear a fancy dress because the guests will be wearing cocktail attire.” She said the words “cocktail attire” with such disgust, I wouldn’t have been surprised if she started making gagging noises into the phone.

  “I’m sorry,” I offered, not the least bit sorry.

  “I just—” She sighed. “I just really wanted to stay home tonight and talk to you until I fell asleep. I know this may sound selfish, but the last thing I want to do is be at the place where we spent one of the best nights of my life, watching someone else have it.”

  I cleared my throat, trying to push down the lump that was forming. This last month and a half had been hell without her, but I was comforted by the fact that I would be seeing her in about twelve hours. She still thought we had more than two weeks.

  “I understand,” I assured her. I did understand, the thought of being stuck at the aquarium on Valentine’s Day giving a tour to another couple was almost painful. Luckily for both of us, she wouldn’t have to feel that way for very long. “But you know you can call me as soon as you’re done. We can still talk until we fall asleep.” We would definitely be falling asleep together.

  “I know.” She was quiet for a second before whispering her next words. “I miss you so much.”

  “I miss you too, baby.”

  “Ugh, and now I have to find a dress at the last minute since I’ve already packed all the clothes I didn’t plan on wearing.”

  I smiled at that; she’d just given me the perfect opening for the next part of my plan. “Why don’t you give Rachel a call? I’m sure she has something you can borrow. It’d be a lot easier than digging through all your boxes.” I actually knew for a fact that Rachel had a dress Skylar could borrow since she’d gone out and bought one specifically for Skylar last week.

  “Yeah, that would be easier.”

  The line was quiet for a bit before I spoke. “We don’t have much longer, Skylar. You’ll see me before you know it.”

  “I doubt that,” she sighed. “Okay, I’m going to give Rachel a call. I’ll talk to you later?”

  “Yeah. I love you.”

  “Me too.”

  I ended the call and slumped against the wall. I hated hearing her sound so depressed, but if everything went according to plan, it would all be worth it. I somehow ended up sleeping most of the flight, so when I landed, I felt rested enough to deal with Drew when he strolled over and crushed me in a bear hug.

  “Jesus Christ, Drew,” I gasped, breaking his hold and stepping back. “You trying to break a rib or something?”

  “Ah, what’s the matter? You’re not going soft, are you?” he laughed.

  “That’s what she said,” Rachel piped up, stepped around Drew and giving me a normal, not-trying-to-break-your-bones hug.

  “Man,” I sighed, throwing an arm around both of them. “I didn’t miss you guys at all.” Before I even finished, Rachel had her bony elbow jammed into my side.

  “Ugh, I thought you weren’t supposed to be an asshole anymore.”

  I smirked and shrugged. “Imagine how boring it would be if I weren’t being an ass and you weren’t cussing me out for it?”

  She glared at me for a second before rolling her eyes and smiling. “True.”

  “Well, if you two are about done, we better get going. You don’t have a whole lot of time,” Drew cut in, sweeping his arm in front of us to get moving.

  “Fine.” I hoisted my bag over my shoulder. It was already past four, so I had fewer than three hours to get to Drew and Rachel’s place, shower, change, and get to the aquarium. I couldn’t possibly have cut this surprise trip any closer.

  “Did you get Skylar all taken care of?” I asked as we pulled away from the airport.

  Rachel shuddered dramatically before facing me. “She is so mad, Brennan. The last thing she wants is to be there tonight. When she finds out you were the one who set all of this up…well, let’s just say any question about her feelings for you will be answered if you walk out of there unharmed.”

  “She’s not kidding, man. When Skylar stopped by the apartment on her lunch break, I got the hell out of there,” Drew added. Like I wasn’t starting to freak the fuck out enough, I didn’t need his two cents.

  “Okay, I get it. I’m already losing my mind, I don’t need you guys making it worse.” I dragged my hand down my face and pinched my eyes shut, concentrating on the fact that in a few short hours I would see Skylar.

  “She’s going to say yes,” Rachel whispered, a small smile on her face. “You know that, right?”

  I nodded, but still, there was a tiny part of me that wasn’t nearly as sure as I acted. The part that remembered the shitty things I’d done to her, remembered almost losing her, the part of me that knew she was too good for me but was too selfish to accept a life without her.

  The rest of the ride to their place, I lost myself in memories. I blocked out all of the negative and focused instead on things like how she’d flown to Virginia, said she loved me, how she promised her future was with me. When we got to the apartment, I pulled out my gray suit and a light-blue button-down and passed them off to Rachel, because she swore they needed to be pressed, before jumping in the shower.

  By the time I showered and shaved, all my clothes were laid out on the bed, looking like they’d come straight from the dry cleaners. Each piece of clothing I tugged on, zipped, and buttoned caused my nerves to spike. I combed my fingers through my hair and straightened the front of my jacket before sliding the small box into my pocket and smoothing my hand over the fabric.

  “I can’t believe you’re really doing this.”

  I lifted my eyes to the mirror, seeing Rachel’s smiling face in the reflection. I spun around and swept out my arms. “How do I look?”

  “You look great.”

  “Great? That’s all I get? Damn,” I joked, shaking my head sadly.

  “Fine, you look good enough that if I weren’t dating your brother and you weren’t about to ask one of my best friends to marry you, I’d probably throw myself at you like a fangirl at a Justin Bieber concert.”

  “Damn straight. That’s more like it.”

  “Ugh. That is until you opened your mouth and started with your cocky trash talk.” She rolled her eyes and smacked my shoulder as I walked over to her.

  “Well, let’s hope that isn’t the reaction Skylar has.”

  “No way. She loves your bullshit the same way I love Drew’s. She’s your person. I’m so happy for you guys.” She sniffed and wiped under her eye as she shrugged.

  “Thanks, Rachel. You’re the best sister I never asked for.”

  “Shut up!” she choked out a laugh and shoved me into the hall. “Now, go put Skylar out of her misery.”

  My heart sped up as I nodded and moved to the door. “Wish me luck?”

  “You don’t need it.”

  I grinned and waved goodbye as I closed the door behind me. I clenched my fist around Drew’s keys, taking the steps two at a time. As nervous as I was about tonight, my need to see my girl was greater. I pulled around to the side of the building and walked to the front door, where I was greeted by a smiling Larry. “Hey, man. Good to see you again.” He reached out and shook my hand, his smile still in place.

  “You too.” I grinned. “Where is she?” I scanned the room, thinking how much it would suck if she walked out here right now.

  He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. “Last time I saw her, she was heading into the bathroom mumbling something about electric eels and pretentious assholes.”

  I laughed before clamping a hand over my mouth and coughing. “Shit. I take it she’s still a little pissed about
the private tour, then?”

  “Pissed would be a bit of an understatement.”

  “Of course it would. Did the caterers get everything set up?”

  “Yeah, they left about twenty minutes ago. Dr. Walsh told Skylar to meet the guests out here, so you better get a move on. When she gets here, I’ll tell her I didn’t realize she was meeting them here and that I already showed them to the underwater dome.”

  “Okay, thanks, man.”

  He nodded as I turned and hurried down the hall, not wanting to chance running into Skylar. When I stepped through the doorway, it was like I’d traveled back in time. Everything was identical to how it looked when we were here last year, right down to the napkins. I walked over to the railing and wrapped my fingers around it, gripping it tight enough for my knuckles to whiten. For the next several minutes, I stood with my eyes closed and took deep, cleansing breaths, willing my nerves to calm.

  “Excuse me, sir?” Her voice floated across the room and wrapped around me, pulling everything into focus. With one last deep breath, I released the railing and shifted my weight as I slowly turned to face her. My mouth went completely dry the moment my eyes locked with hers. Even with the lighting dimmed, I could make out every single detail about her. Her hair was in a low ponytail pulled to the side and draped over her shoulder. Her red dress, so dark it almost appeared black, hugged her body in all the right places. She was fucking perfect. This was it.

  “Amidst the rush of worldly comings and goings, observe how endings become beginnings.” ~Laozi

  “Brennan?” She gasped, her hand covering her mouth as the folder she held limply at her side slipped from her fingers, sending papers flying everywhere.

  “Hey.” My voice was no more than a whisper, my throat clamped shut.

  “What are you, when… Oh my God.” Her eyes widened as she swept them over the space, no doubt remembering the familiar setting. I swallowed thickly and crossed the room until I was standing directly in front of her.

  “Surprise.”

  “No shit,” she laughed, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Oh my God, you’re really here.”

  I nodded and pulled her to me, unable to stand not touching her a second longer. “I’ve missed you so much,” I murmured, circling my arms around her waist.

  “I don’t know what’s going on right now, but you can fill me in after you kiss me.”

  I didn’t hesitate to cover her mouth with mine, and when she wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed, I held her tighter. I kissed her until I couldn’t breathe, until the last month and a half seemed like a figment of my imagination. When she pulled away, her eyes were glassy and her face was red, but her smile was nothing short of stunning.

  “You have some serious explaining to do, Stalker.”

  I laughed nervously and hooked my pinkie around hers, pulling her toward the table. “Come sit with me?”

  She nodded and followed, whispering a quiet thanks when I pulled out her chair. “So, what is all this?” she asked as soon as I sat in the chair across from her.

  “Do you want to eat while I talk?” I pulled the silver dome from the plate, smiling at the way her mouth dropped open as she looked at her food.

  “It’s the same,” she whispered. “Everything is exactly the same.”

  “Not everything,” I murmured, moving the domes to the side and sliding my hand across the table until my fingers brushed over the silver charm bracelet on her wrist.

  “You look beautiful, by the way.”

  “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.” She grabbed a fork and speared a potato, waving it around in the air. “Okay, this is me eating. Now, you—” she pointed her fork at me “—start talking.”

  “Remember the day I stopped by to take you to lunch a couple weeks before I left?”

  “Yeah…” she drawled, her brows pulled down.

  “And I was talking to Dr. Walsh?” She nodded, so I continued. “Well, he happened to mention how it was a shame I wouldn’t be here for Valentine’s Day since there was another wedding so we could have had the place to ourselves again. I got to thinking how much it was going to suck not spending Valentine’s Day with you.”

  “So, you came back and did all of this just to spend Valentine’s Day with me?” she asked, her voice colored with disbelief. “And what about the private tour and everything else?”

  “Hush, woman,” I scolded, smiling at the way she narrowed her eyes. “I’m trying to tell you something here.”

  “Okay, fine.” She scooped another bite of food into her mouth and raised her brow mockingly, a playful smile on her lips. I huffed a laugh and shook my head. I should have known she wasn’t going to make this easy.

  “I might’ve had some help pulling tonight together. Like Dr. Walsh making sure you were here tonight and Rachel having the perfect dress for you to borrow, not to mention the food and decorations,” I added with a grin.

  “I love it. I really do. But Brennan, you didn’t have to do all of this for Valentine’s Day,” she insisted, squeezing my hand. “In two weeks, we’ll be together for good.”

  I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat, running my free hand over the top of my thigh. It was time to man up and let her know what tonight was really about. “I’m kind of hoping you’re flexible on that,” I muttered, reaching inside my pocket and wrapping my hand around the box.

  “What?”

  “I don’t want to wait two weeks. I want you with me now. No more wasted time, remember?” I lifted my hand from hers and twisted my wrist so the face of my watch peeked out from under my suit jacket.

  “Do you remember the story I told you about the old man I met when I was sixteen? How I was blown away by the way he talked about his life?”

  “Brennan, what—”

  I held up my hand and shook my head, whispering a quiet please before continuing. “I told you if I could feel even an ounce of the happiness and passion about my life that he did, then I’d be a happy man.” I lifted the box from under the table as I pushed up from my chair and moved around the table until I was standing in front of her.

  “I’ve got so much more than that, baby.” I dropped to one knee, my hands shaking and sweaty, my vision blurring as I tried to choke back the lump lodged in my throat. “I have everything, because you’ve given it to me.” I reached for her face and brushed away the tears sliding down her cheeks. “Please don’t cry,” I whispered. She smiled, a sob catching in the back of her throat as she nodded.

  “When I see your face, hear your voice, touch your skin, I know, I know I have everything he spoke of. Because you make my heart pound and my pulse race, Skylar. You make me feel alive. When I thought about not being here for Valentine’s Day, I felt robbed, because the most important thing in my life was being taken from me—time. Time with you.”

  I pulled in a deep breath and opened the box as I locked my eyes with hers. “Wasting the time I have with you now, knowing forever doesn’t even come close to being enough, would be one of the biggest mistakes of my life.”

  “Bren—” she choked, her voice breaking. Her eyes widened as the fork slipped from her fingers, landing softly on the thick tablecloth next to her plate.

  I pulled the ring from the box and wrapped my free hand around hers. “You’re my best friend, my missing piece. You’re my great love, the one I’ll love as much when I’m eighty as I do right now. You’re everything I’ll ever want. So, I’m begging you, let me love you for the rest of my life as your husband. Marry me, Skylar. Be my wife.”

  “There’s nothing I want more.” Tears leaked from her eyes as she slid from her chair and fell to her knees in front of me, lifting her hands until they pressed flat against either side of my face.

  “I love you, Brennan Dixon.” She pulled my face down until our lips met, her nails scraping against my neck as she tried to pull us closer. The kiss was soft pulls of lips, gentle nips of teeth, and easy rolls of tongues as we pushed our bodies closer together, lost in the
sensation of each other, of how we were together.

  “Brennan,” she murmured, biting softly on my lower lip. I hummed in response, not wanting to separate my lips from hers for even a second. She, however, had other ideas as she pulled back enough to look me in the eye. “I’d like my ring now.” She grinned, her eyes darting to my hand and back up, a rare shy smile lighting her face.

  I chuckled and grasped her hand, pulling it between us. “Of course.” I slipped the ring onto her finger, loving the way she gasped when she held her hand in front of her face.

  “Oh my God, Brennan. It’s perfect. I love it. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” I rose to my feet, grasping her hand and pulling her with me. “Do you want to eat now?” I looked over at the half-eaten food, and as nice as everything looked, there was nothing I wanted more than to strip her out of that dress and touch every inch of her body with my lips.

  She shook her head and started walking toward the exit, her face serious. “I just want to be with you. I want to feel your skin against mine. I want your hands on me.”

  I licked my lips as my breathing picked up, and my eyes became heavy. “Yeah, that sounds about fucking perfect.” Less than an hour later, we stumbled into her apartment, discarding clothes and pressing lips to skin as we fell into each other. I didn’t even bother to comment on the lone air mattress occupying her empty bedroom.

  The next morning, I woke feeling disoriented as I drifted my eyes over the room’s bare walls. I caught a glimmer of light and shifted my gaze to my chest where Skylar’s hand moved from side to side slightly. Everything came rushing back to me all at once. The flight, the surprise, the way she looked last night, and when she agreed to marry me. She hadn’t noticed yet that I was awake, her eyes trained on her ring as she twisted her hand at different angles, causing prisms of light to reflect around the room.

  “Do you like it?” I whispered, my voice thick with sleep.

  She smiled widely, her gaze still fixed on the ring before slowly dragging her eyes to meet mine. “It’s perfect.”

  She pushed forward, bringing her mouth to mine and kissing my lips softly. “Good morning.”