My Fake Fiancé

Chapter 17

 ~Adriana~

We arrive at the lake house owned by the Michaels and there are a lot of cars outside lining the edge of the driveway. I nervously tug at my new flowy dress that I found in the back of my closet. It's white with a colorful pattern over my chest, with long sleeves and a short skirt. I too decided to wear my cowboy boots but mostly because it looks amazing with my dress.

Kurt comes around to my door and opens it for me. "You ready?" He asks. And I nod, finding it hard to speak as I get out of the car. He smiles then slips his hand into mine and gives it a quick squeeze. Then he tries to tug me along to enter the party but I stop short.

"Are you sure we can't just ditch?" I ask desperately, which makes him laugh. He tugs me along and I come with him reluctantly. "Fine," I grumble. He hushes me which makes me laugh then the door flies open and Tatyana appears in the doorway.

"About damn time you showed up." She grabs my hand and gives me a miserable look. She tugs me inside and I lose Kurt in the crowd. "I've been for hours. Where the hell have you been? I'm only here for moral support. Mike is actually loving this. I have no idea why." She stops to breathe then lets out an, "ugh."

"The party just started like ten minutes ago. You have not been here for 'hours'." She gives me another look and I shut up but smile. "Thank you for coming." I lean in to talk quieter and make sure she is the only one who hears. "I don't know how I can do this. Everyone is so happy and excited for us. I just feel like a giant liar and it sucks." Tatyana nods along and loops her arm through mine. She offers me a glass of champagne but I shake my head and she drinks the whole thing easily then reaches for another one.

"You're fine. He agreed to this, didn't he?" I nod and she continues. "So, he knows the consequences, okay? Now man up, there are a lot of people here who want to talk to you. To congratulate you." I groan but she keeps me walking and soon she lets go of my arm and I lose her in the crowd.

"Adriana? Is that you, dear?" I hear and I turn around and see Mrs. Michaels. I smile, genuinely happy to see her and she pulls me into a hug.

"Hi, Mrs. Michaels, how are you?" I hug her back and she squeezes me.

"I'm so happy for you two, dear." I smile at the way she always calls me dear. She is motherly, whereas my mother is not. Speaking of my mother, she makes her way towards me, a pleasant yet fake smile plastered on her face.

I give her a look and she nods at me, telling me that she plans to keep her promise from last night. I sigh in relief then turn back to Mrs. Michaels. "I am so sorry we didn't tell you sooner." I'm about to continue apologizing but she smiles and waves it away.

"Oh, no It's fine. I understand, you two just wanted a little time to enjoy it before all of this." She waves around at the party and chuckles. I nod, accepting her reasoning. She holds onto my hands squeezing them in her hands. We continue to talk for a few minutes and I start to feel at ease.

After about half an hour of mingling, Mrs. Michaels announces that we should all make our way out onto the deck. I walk outside and look around for someone I know. I don't see anyone so I go and pick up a slice of watermelon and eat it while I look around. Eventually, my eyes land on Kurt and I smile and start to make my way over to him but I stop when I see him talking to Ashley. What is she doing here? I slowly make my way over to them, staying hidden behind clusters of people, trying to get close enough to hear them. What am I doing? Their conversation is none of my business. I straighten up and look around for Tatyana.

Before I can find her, Mrs. Michaels steps in front of everybody and begins talking. "Hello, everyone. Thank you all so much for coming out tonight. We asked you all here so two people very close to us can share their special announcement." She turns to me and smiles warmly, then she smiles at the person to my right and I turn to find Kurt next to me. He smiles down at me and takes my hand leading me to stand next to his mother.

Kurt pulls me against his side and whispers in my ear. "Don't act too surprised." I look up at him in confusion. He just grins at me then turns to face the eager crowd.

"Hi, everyone. Thank you for coming out this evening. Adriana and I wanted to share our special announcement with everyone. Ana and I," he pauses for dramatic effect, "are engaged, to be married." He smiles out at everyone as they cheer and holler. He waits for them to quiet down and then he continues. "When I proposed, neither of us had really expected it to happen right then but I knew in that moment that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her." He smiles down at me and I blush a little but hold eye contact with him. "So, when I proposed, I was not well prepared. So, in front of all our friends and family," he says as he gets down on one knee in front of me, taking my hands in his. "Adriana Louisa Johnson," I wince at my full name and this makes him laugh, smiling more as he lets go of one of my hands and pulls a small box out of his pocket. I tilt my head in confusion, looking at the box then looking at him and his eyes twinkle, he's enjoying this too much. "Will you, officially accept my proposal of marriage?" He squints his eyes, thinking about the odd phrasing of his question and it makes me laugh.

"Of course, baby!" I say enthusiastically and let him slip the ring onto my finger then I throw my arms around him as he stands up. He lifts me in a hug while everyone cheers. I flick his neck and he laughs at my annoyance. "Where the hell did that come from?" I whisper to him. He just smiles and sets me down then holds up my hand for everyone to see. I take the time to look at the ring and am shocked about how big it is. "Damn," I say to myself quietly but apparently not quiet enough and Kurt gives me a look. I blush, "sorry, it's...it's very big." He laughs at my surprise then we are surrounded by family and friends congratulating us and wanting to see the ring.

Eventually, I make my way back into the house, excusing myself and locking myself in the bathroom. I splash water on my face and lean against the counter, looking in the mirror. "Okay, pull yourself together. The party is almost over." I pause and lift my hand and stare at the ring. "Damn." I say again. This thing was freaking huge. I hear a knock on the door and I call out, "just a minute!"

"It's me. Open the door." I sigh and relax a little when I hear Tatyana's voice. I open the door and let her in. She shuts the door behind her and crosses her arms giving me a look.

"What?" I ask, going over to sit on the edge of the bathtub. She rolls her eyes and comes over, flipping the lid of the toilet down and sitting on it, leaning back.

"He likes you." She states, staring at me.

"No," I say, "he doesn't. He was just doing that for show." I pause and she's silent, still watching me. "I saw him talking to Ashley." Her expression changes because eI had told her about Ashley and Kurt. "Yeah, I didn't know what to do. I was going to try to listen in on their conversation but then I thought, I'm not crazy. Yet." I sigh and shift then slip and fall into the tub. Tatyana jumps up to help me but I start laughing so she laughs too and grabs my arm and pulls me out but we both slip and she falls into the tub next to me. We both start laughing and someone knocks on the door.

"Are you okay in there?" We both try to stifle our laughs and I shush her while I try to respond.

"Yes, I'm okay. I'll be out in a minute." I laugh quietly and we both lay in the tub breathing heavily from laughing so hard. "Wow this situation sucks." She nods and leans her head back.

"Wanna ditch?"

"Yes." I answer immediately and we both wiggle around to get out of the bathtub. Tatyana grabs my wrist when we get out of the tub and she looks at the huge ring on my finger. She holds it up to the light to get a better look, making a dramatic show of it. I laugh and yank my hand away. "Yes, it's real. Trust me, I checked."

"Damn." She says and I laugh.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I said. Twice." I blow out a breath and brush the wet strand of hair out of my face. I look in the mirror again then over at Tatyana. "How do we get out of here without anyone seeing us?"

"I might have an idea. This is going to be fun."