Page 51 of Yours, For Now

"Then do your best to invite her over to the lake," he said, eyes soft on me. "Let's meet a different side of Lina, outside of work."

That was precisely the issue. Getting to know a different side of my fake girlfriend was waking up all sorts of confusing things in me.

At some level, I'd always known that would happen, if I spent time with Catalina Martínez. Thank God that everything was temporary.

Chapter 16

Gabe: Hey. Haven't heard from you in a

couple of days. How are things?

Lina: Missing me, fake boyfriend

of mine?

Gabe: Obviously.

Lina: I'm okay, just busy catching

up with work

Gabe: Sadly, I know what you mean.

Sometimes I wonder what I would

do if I didn't spend 90% of my

time working

Lina: Right? What is a life? Friends?

I don't know her. Hence why I've

neglected my fake boyfriend

Gabe: I've been catching up on work

too, you're good. But let me take

you out for a bit? I can pick you

up from wherever

Lina: Sure. Pick me up from home

in half an hour?

Gabe: Done

I'dgiventhenightoff to Josué, and I drove to Lina's home alone. I rang the doorbell at her parents' house with nerves swelling in my stomach. Her mom opened the door.

"Hello, Gabe! Haven't seen you around much. Come in, come in."

"Hi, Iris. It's okay, I'll wait for Lina here. I want to take her for a drive."

Lina appeared next to her mom. "We're going out for a bit, mami. If he comes in we'll never leave."

She wore a low-cut sleeveless shirt, the coral tone of it accentuating the soft brown of her skin. The deep V-neck highlighted the fullness of her breasts and, when she leaned in to kiss my cheek, her perfume soaked my brain into dizziness.