“What?” I asked, clearing my throat.
“The sparks between you and Bhanu could start a fire.”
“You’re imagining it,” I replied. Bane was just very good at playing girlfriend.
He wagged his brows to stand by his claim.
The intro music picked up and we walked down the aisle, each groomsman with a bridesmaid. Then everyone stood to welcome the bride as she walked down the petal-laden walkway behind the flower girl. April looked radiant, grinning and eagerly looking at her groom. Sam looked infatuated with her, and I got why he wanted me to have something similar.
Sam had it all. Looking around at our friends, they had it all, too. I was the odd one out, even if they didn’t know it. In these past few days of faking a relationship, my loneliness had become nonexistent. Not because I was literally never alone, but because this fantasy vacation was burrowing deep into me. To the point where I had to remind myself that none of this was real. None of this would last. As soon as we set foot off this island, everything we “had” here would dissipate like Seattle morning fog.
I staved off the pain from knowing such a thing. At least until I had to leave.
The ceremony was short and sweet. That was the great thing about destination weddings. Everyone wanted to come together, watch an official union be born, and then get back to the vacation.
An explosive applause went off when the couple exchanged vows and Sam swept his bride into his arms for that first kiss. We whistled and hollered. My eyes skimmed over the pleased crowd, landing on Bane. She was the most collected, awkward in her little corner with a smile. She was gawky in a crowd that wasn’t hers, but she was here for me.
I shoved that thought out of my head. No. The truth was, Bane was here because she got us into this mess and felt she had to save me from an atrociously grumpy time around my friends.
Bane caught me watching her. She gave a thumbs-up, as if I were a kid who’d just had the best recital of my life. I shook my head at her. She was so damn cute.
Aamar elbowed me in the side. “Haven’t seen you cheese like that in a while.”
Ah. I was grinning like an idiot, wasn’t I? “I haven’t heard anyone use the word ‘cheese’ that way in a while.”
“You seem really happy with her, man.”
Either our acting skills were impeccable, or…nah, we were being great liars. There was no other explanation as to how we were pulling this off. “If you say so. Thought we bicker too much.”
“Maya reads lots of rom-coms. She calls your guys’ antics as classic sexual tension.”
The blood drained from my face. “What?”
He elbowed me again. “You better be making the most of coupling at a romantic place like this.”
I cleared my throat. “No way I want to discuss that with you.”
“Ah, right. You like to keep that to yourself. But a bro can tell.”
Was it written all over my robotic face?
The wedding planner called us over and off we went to take a million pictures on the beach.
“You should bring Bhanu,” April insisted, seeing that everyone would have paired off for the few non-wedding-party-only pictures.
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “We just got together.”
No way in hell was my fake girlfriend going to end up being in their perfect wedding pictures only for me to tell them weeks from now that we’d split. I was not set up to have to hear about Bane for the rest of my life every time my friends showed these pictures.
But April wouldn’t hear of it as she waved over Bane, who reluctantly eased toward us. She slipped up beside me, our arms touching, and I’d never wanted to get out of a suit faster. Not just the heat, I wanted to feel her skin against my skin.
“You look so beautiful!” April exclaimed.
“That’s what I’m supposed to be telling you!” Bane replied. “You looked gorgeous during your nuptials, truly. You’re glowing and it’s everything.”
“Oh, you’re so sweet! Thank you. I was just telling Sunny that you should come be in our pictures. We’re going to the beach to take them.”
Bane hugged my arm, sending me a whiff of the floral scent that was trying harder than ever to get me to my knees. If she kept pressing against me, I’d be ditching the rest of my duties, taking her back to the villa, and more than happy to get on my knees.
“No, I couldn’t possibly be in your pictures,” Bane argued in that sweet voice of hers.
“You must!”
Bane shrugged, moving her arm up mine. It was a mistake glancing down, because the movement only brought attention to her swollen cleavage. I bit my lip and looked away. Damn that dress.
“No. I can’t. My cousin got married years ago and another cousin had brought his girlfriend because there was serious talk of engagement, which is a huge deal in my family, almost a done deal if you mention engagements…anyway, the couple included her in the family pictures, but then they broke up a few months later. Every time we look at those pictures, we just hound my cousin on how he could let such a woman slip away, but more than that, she was forever in these wedding pictures. The entire thing feels awkward now. I’m not going to subject you or Sam or Sunny to that. It wouldn’t be fair.”
The bride opened her mouth to protest, but Bane was quick to add, “I appreciate the sentiment and the offer. It’s truly meaningful to be invited into your pictures. I’ve had such a great time with such a lovely couple. But I’m about to pass out and need water. Please excuse me!”
“Oh! Okay…”
“I look forward to seeing how amazing the pictures come out, though! See you at the reception, and congratulations!”
With that, Bane patted my stomach as she turned to leave, brushing her breasts against my arm, her eyes flashing up at me.
One. More. Touch.
And I was going to lose any remnant of control I had left.
