Fake Match: A Friends-To-Lovers Workplace Romance by Laura Ophelia

Author:Laura Ophelia [Ophelia, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-08-27T16:00:00+00:00

“Sure.” Her smile sparkled when it returned, and it was only then I realized how much it pained me when it was missing. We walked back inside, now a pair of friends, co-workers, and fake fiancées.

Chapter Fifteen

Adelaide

Grateful that Elijah had kept me away from a mini panic attack, I was having a surprisingly nice time at the Town Hall event. I wasn’t quite adjusted to the fact that I was now supposedly engaged, but Elijah was right; this didn’t change anything.

He and I managed to keep away from his parents pretty well, keeping an eye on their whereabouts and making ourselves look busy. I suffered through a lot of boring conversations. And while it was a fun excuse to dress up, I hadn’t been looking forward to tonight. Maybe it was the extra cups of punch Elijah and I dove for after the engagement incident, but I was actually having fun.

Eventually, I was feeling good enough to face Margaret again. I'd actually been enjoying spending time with her, even if it was all based on a lie. So when I found myself in the same corner of the huge event hall as her, I didn't duck and hide.

I placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. “Excuse me, Margaret,” I said, and she turned to her right to face me.

“Oh, Adelaide, dear! I thought you might have gotten sick or something. How are you?”

“Oh no, I’m fine. I’m so sorry for running off like that…” I hadn’t thought up an excuse before coming up to her. I racked my brain. “I thought I was feeling ill for a second there, but I was really just so anxious and excited. I wasn’t expecting to tell anyone about the engagement. So when the news broke–”

“Of course, darling, you weren’t prepared for the excitement. I must have gotten your stomach all in knots.” She finished the lie for me.

“Exactly.”

“I completely understand,” she said, grabbing my free hand, the one not holding a drink. “I feel the same way. Come here.”

Margaret pulled me into a hug, wrapping both arms tightly around my torso. The hug felt so genuine that I did the same to her with my single free arm.

Looking over her shoulder and into the crowd, I really took in the room for the first time that night. I'd been a little anxious when the evening started, just because events like this were so out of my realm. And then the shock of the surprise announcement. But the atmosphere had such a warm buzz about it. The lighting was warm and glitzy, maybe even romantic. At first, I thought this event sounded pointless, but I was starting to see the appeal.

Margaret finally let me go. “Now, where’s Elijah?” she asked.

He had been with me a few moments ago. I looked around and saw him a few feet away talking with his dad. My heart swelled with a fondness for their relationship. It didn’t always come out, but Elijah had a quiet side that he obviously got from his father.

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