Just Be True To Me

“I wasn’t asking.” She slid the glass of out his hand, keeping an eye on him as she drank. “We’re going shopping tomorrow. Matter of fact—she began walking toward his bedroom. The fancy furniture and art were a blur as she continued into his closet. Just as he said, there was nothing but suits. Dark grey suits, light grey suits, blue suits in various shades, black suits. There was even a maroon-colored one.

His shirts were color coordinated, the ones not hanging up were neatly packed in their drawers, which were arranged by color as well.

Throughout her search, she found expensive watches and sports-themed cuff links, but had yet to come across the jeans. He was standing behind her when she turned around. “Where are they?”

The right corner of his mouth lifted. “You’ll never find them.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“You already owe me. Double or nothing?”

Mia’s eyes narrowed. She held out her hand. “Ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes,” he repeated. Pulling out a chair, he sat down and crossed one leg over the other, his smirk still visible. He nodded upon seeing the timer. “Have at it.”

Mia was breathless after the ten minutes were over. More importantly, she was jeans-less. It hurt her to face him.

Clifford said nothing as he went into the bedroom. He returned with a large white box. Setting it on the counter, he carefully peeled away the strips of tape. He then slid it toward her and sat back down.

“You didn’t tell me I could look in the bedroom.”

“You didn’t ask. And by the looks of it, I’m glad you didn’t.” Clothes were strewn about the floor and counters. There was a pile of shoes in the middle of the mess.

“I was being thorough.” His chuckle followed her as she walked past him.

Back in the living room, they discussed the particulars of the plan. They were going to tell the press that they’d been dating for six months and had been going on private vacations to keep it a secret.

The drinks were being poured at a steady clip, loosening both of them up. Beginning with their present day selves in mind, they invited each into their pasts, relaying the different pivot points of their lives. Mia talked about the day she became partner and when she won her first case. She followed up with graduating law school with honors. He talked about his first millions dollars and when he finally stood up to his mentor, who he found out was taking credit for his successes. He followed it up with buying, flipping, and selling his first house, recalling how ugly it was, despite the $40,000 he put into it.

“The day my parents got divorced,” she said. “Still feeling it to this day.”

“I’m sorry. How old were you when they split up?”

“25.” A snort interrupted her laughter. “I know I’m grown, but it still hurt. I thought their relationship was perfect.”

“No relationship is perfect,” he said. Pouring what remained in the bottle into his glass, he poured half of it into her glass. “Trust me, I know.” His gulp was audible. “I think that’s it for me. It’s a good thing we’re going shopping tomorrow or I’d have hell to pay.”

“My dad was my dream guy. I thought he was Superman.”

“That was the problem. You forgot he was a man. And men make mistakes.” Clifford let out a sigh of relief after he came out of his shirt. “Drinking always makes me hot for some reason.” Noticing the look on her face, he apologized. “I’ll put it back on if you’re uncomfortable.”

Mia shook herself out of the trance. “I’m fine as long as you don’t take your pants off.” The bass in his laugh complemented the soprano in hers. “What about you? How are your parents? If I’m going to be your pretend girlfriend, I need to know their names, at least.”

He scratched the back of his neck. “Not too much to say about them. My mom’s name is Debra; every calls her Debbie. My dad’s name is Scott. They’re not together anymore.”

“Divorce?”

A moment of silence followed. “He died when I was younger. I don’t talk about him much.”

Her inebriation made her wrap her arms around him. She separated herself immediately. “I’m sorry. The whiskey…”

“It’s fine. It was nice.”

She wound her arms back around his neck and rested her head against his. She scooted closer to him after he rested a hand on her leg. They remained quiet for a long while, enjoying one another’s warmth. She was beginning to give in to sleep when she felt herself being lifted. With an arm still around his neck and half her face buried in her chest she made a comment about driving home.

***

“As your pretend boyfriend, I forbid you to drive.”

“Well pretend boyfriend, you would do well in remembering that I don’t like being told what to do.”

“We can argue about it when you wake up.” Clifford held her with one hand while he pulled the sheets back. He watched her for a couple a seconds after she turned her back to him.

“I had fun tonight. Thanks, Cliff.”

“Me too. Sweet dreams, love.” Bending down to kiss her temple, he hesitated. He froze after she turned to face him, relaxing upon hearing her snores. His kiss was light. He brushed her hair off her face and watched her a few more seconds before leaving the room.

***

The smell of bacon awakened Mia’s senses. Rubbing her legs across the sheets, it took her no time to realize that they were too soft to be her own. Sitting up, she scanned the room, not recognizing anything in it. Whistling drew her attention to the hallway. Her feet landed on something soft. She was wearing one of his shirts, his woodsy cologne strong as she sniffed it.

There was a knock at the door and Clifford came in when she called out. She smiled at him. “How’d you sleep?”

“I’m thinking about stealing your sheets.”

He tossed her a set from the drawer. “I have plenty of other colors if you don’t like that one.”

Reading the package, she said, “How do you know I have a king-sized bed?”

“Have you seen yourself sleep?” Handing her the tray, he sat down.