Faking It

Chapter 41: The Infallible Wisdom of Brothers

"Okay, spill."

Jake set down a steaming mug of hot cocoa, complete with a dozen mini rainbow marshmallows, beside where I'd buried my head in my arms on my desk. I hadn't come out of my room after Theo had said his goodbyes. My mom's politely perplexed smile when he'd turned down her offer of leftovers and the way my dad had wished him a safe drive with a wary glance at me had been too much to deal with.

The worst, though, had been the way Theo had hesitated, as if he'd had something to say before he'd taken my face in his hands and pressed a kiss to my lips. In that moment, I'd wanted to tell him. With his hands on my face and his eyes all creased with whatever it was he wasn't saying, I didn't care that his family disapproved. But I hadn't been able to find the words until well after his car had disappeared down the street, and by then it was too late. What I had to say wasn't the kind of thing you blurted out without rehearsing it a dozen times. It definitely wasn't the kind of thing you shared in a text message. Or a phone call. Or in the common room, or a school hallway. Or anywhere that wasn't the tranquil, safe harbor of Thanksgiving weekend at home. And the longer I sat with my thoughts, the more obvious it became that this had been doomed from the start.

With a sigh, I closed my freezing hands around the mug and dragged myself upright.

Jake had settled on my bed, sipping from a dainty espresso cup. "I'll just get it out there so it's out there without you having to say it. Did you two break up?"

"No," I said, though my tone was so miserable that Jake just lifted an eyebrow.

"It's...it wasn't a lie when he said that his family had ordered him home." I stared down at the melting marshmallows, bracing myself for what came next. "It's the whole relationship that's the lie."

Jake paused with his coffee halfway to his lips before he set it back down on its tiny saucer. "Explain."

And so I did. The whole story rushed out of me, from tryouts all the way to today, stumbling and messy and so raw that my eyes prickled again. Jake simply listened, his expression decidedly neutral as his coffee cooled in his lap.

"El," he said finally, when my flood of truth had ebbed, "Did you really not tell him?"

"Of course I didn't," I wailed miserably. "What the hell was I supposed to say? Hey, Theo, I've actually fallen pretty hard for you, so even though I'll never be good enough for your family, can we forget about your brother and Madeleine and just date for real now?"

"That wouldn't be a bad start," Jake said wryly.

I shook my head. "I can't, Jake. I can't fit in with them. I can't turn myself into someone like Madeleine. That's who he was doing this for all along. It was never for me."

He tilted his head, considering. "Are you sure about that? Because he seemed to be enjoying himself at our decidedly average Thanksgiving, and there was no Madeleine around to impress."

"He was acting." I gulped down a scalding sip of cocoa. "That's all this has ever been."

"Well, it sure didn't seem like he was acting when he was looking at you."

My eyes snapped to Jake's. I hated how hard I clung to his words, like a little shoot of hope taking root in my chest.

He nodded with a gentle, knowing smile. "I hate to break it to you, kid, but I think I was wrong. He comes across charming as sin, and I judged him for that. And for his ridiculously expensive sweater. But I think the real truth was in the moments he thought we weren't watching. I know what I saw, and it definitely wasn't a guy who was just pretending."

I inhaled a shaky breath. "But what about—"

"His parents?" Jake blew out a sigh. "Yeah, dating rich guys with shitty families can suck. But it's not all black and white, us and them. There are shades of grey—people who are happier somewhere in between—and I think Theo is one of them. Especially if he feels the way I think he feels about you." He took a sip of his coffee. "Simon agrees, by the way."

"Oh my God." I nearly spilled my cocoa as I face palmed. "Please tell me you didn't talk to Mom and Dad, too?"

"Just Simon," he promised. "But I needed an unbiased, outside opinion, and he confirmed it. If that boy isn't falling for you—for real—then I'll eat a poopsicle."

All I could hear in the silence was the thunder of my heart throbbing in my ears. Jake could still be wrong. But there was some part of me that knew he wasn't. The same part that thought about the way Theo had kissed me, right beside this desk. The way he'd defended me to his mom, clutching my hand like an anchor. The way he'd reacted as if he, too, had been hurt by what she'd said about me. The way he'd gotten upset when I'd insisted that it wasn't real.

Fake boyfriends didn't do all that. And if he was willing to fight his family for me, then I sure as hell was willing to fight for him, too.

When I managed to drag myself back upright, cheeks flaming as hot as my cocoa, I said, "So...how am I supposed to tell him?"

Jake sipped thoughtfully. "Do you have his home address?"

My throat knotted just thinking about William and Madeleine and Theo's parents and their fancy dinner that probably involved yet more escargots. "I'm not going there. I can't face all...that."

"I think you should." Jake held up a hand against my protests. "But if that's too much, then you'd better find him the second you get back to school. Because you need to tell him, El. As soon as you can."

Air whooshed from my lungs as I sat back in my chair. Jake was right. I needed to tell him as soon as I possibly could. But did I have the courage to do it at his house, with all those vipers waiting in the grass? Probably not. Definitely not.

My phone pinged with a text from Theo.

Home safe. They've already served the snails 🤢

Then, a few seconds after that: Miss you already. Wish I hadn't left.

Something twisted in the general vicinity of my heart. My fingers flew over the screen as I typed.

Miss you too.

Bet you're jealous that we're having spaghetti.

Text me as soon as you're back at Kings?

Absolutely, he replied instantly.

When I finally set my phone down, Jake was grinning at me.

"Ah, young love," he sighed, before he ducked the pillow I threw at him.

**A/N: I hope you all have siblings like Jake because he is absolutely based on someone I love haha. Gotta love a sibling who drops a truth bomb when it needs to be heard! That said, how do you think Theo's going to take it?

As always, if you enjoyed it, please take a moment to vote and comment!!**