Not Pretending Anymore by Ward, Penelope (big ebook reader .TXT) 📕

I crossed my arms over myself. “Anyway, what I meant was, I remembered what you said about seeming disinterested. I actually left early, told him I had other plans. He asked me to have coffee sometime on my way out. So both of your strategies worked.”

“I had no doubt.” He turned to the woman. “Sorry to be rude. I should’ve introduced you. This is my roommate, Molly. And Molly, this is Julia.” He turned to me and winked to make sure I knew she was the Julia. “Julia and I work together. We have a deadline for our client’s latest campaign, so she came by so we could brainstorm.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Julia said, holding out her hand but staring at my chest.

“Likewise.” I shook her hand and looked around, feeling awkward. “Well, don’t let me interrupt your work.”

“It’s no interruption,” she said.

“Yeah,” Declan said. “Pretty sure we were just wrapping up.”

When Julia looked down at my chest again, I said, “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m not wearing a bra.”

“It’s because of me,” Declan said.

Her eyes widened. “Really?”

“Don’t take that the wrong way,” I clarified. “Declan just gave me some advice that was a little daring but brilliant.”

I then told Julia about my crush on Will and my experience at happy hour.

“So, it’s all thanks to Declan that I now have an informal coffee date with Will.”

Julia looked between Declan and me. “Well, you two seem to be getting along really well for two people who just moved in together.”

“I have to say, it is going pretty well. He’s growing on me.”

Declan smirked. “She’s lying. Her affinity toward me was instant.”

“My affinity toward your cupcakes was instant.”

As she watched us interact, Julia’s smile seemed forced. Was she uncomfortable? It made me wonder if perhaps she was jealous of how well Declan and I got along.

I knew how he felt about her, but now I was starting to suspect the feelings were mutual, even though she had a boyfriend.

Julia looked over at my color-coordinated, pastel candy jars. “I’ve never seen M&Ms so nicely organized.”

“Mollz is a bit of a perfectionist.”

“I’m really not. As much as I like things a certain way, I’m far from perfect.”

“Give me an example,” Declan challenged.

“Well…for one, my original plan was to be a doctor, but I never had the guts to go to medical school. Not that there’s anything wrong with being a nurse—I’m very proud of what I do—but my fear of failure prevented me from pursuing a bigger dream. So while I may be organized, I’m far from perfect.”

His expression softened. “You never told me that.”

“Well, seeing as I’ve only known you a matter of days, that shouldn’t be surprising.”

He winked. “Feels like longer.”

An awkward silence lingered in the air.

Declan clapped his hands together. “Anyway, who’s hungry? I could cook something for us. Although Molly can’t eat any unless she’s willing to pay up.”

Julia’s eyes widened. “Pay up?”

“Just a little arrangement we have. She thinks she can resist my cuisine. She’ll have to owe me something if she gives in to temptation.”

“I already ate,” I lied. I was actually starving but wouldn’t be eating with them for a couple of reasons. One, I didn’t want to prove him right, and two, I figured maybe he wanted some privacy with his crush.

“You two have a nice dinner. I’m gonna go to my room and finish binge-watching this show I’m into on Hulu, thanks to my roommate sharing his premium password with me.”

“I told you you wouldn’t regret letting me move in,” he called.

I waved. “It was nice meeting you, Julia.”

“Great meeting you, too, Molly.”

As I lay in bed watching the show, I listened to Julia laughing as the smell of whatever Declan was cooking wafted through the apartment. It seemed like only a matter of time before she would succumb to his charms.

My emotions were all over the place tonight, ranging from satisfaction over having garnered Will’s attention, to a strange discomfort over Julia. I told myself I was jealous of how Declan felt about her, not because of any feelings I harbored toward Declan.

***

The following day, it was almost noon by the time I rolled out of bed. I never slept that late. My body clock was screwed up in general because of the overnight hours I worked, and I tried to stay up during the day rather than sleep on my days off.

When I went out to the kitchen, there was a note on the counter from Declan.

Good morning (or afternoon, sleepyhead). Went into the office to get some work done. See you later.

Working on a Saturday? That was dedication. Or maybe he was just looking for an excuse to spend more time with Julia. That had to be it.

My stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon. Whatever Declan made last night had smelled amazing…

I opened the fridge and saw a glass dish of leftovers staring me in the face. There was a sticky note attached to the top.

Best mushroom risotto I ever made. Might even be worth the consequences. You decide.

I shook my head and laughed. Was it strange that I almost wanted to eat it just to see what his consequences were?

Unwrapping the cellophane, I took a whiff. It smelled garlicky and delicious with lots of herbs and spices. Maybe just a small bite. I scooped some onto a plate and popped it into the microwave.

Taking the leftovers back to the couch, I crossed my legs and shoveled a giant bite into my mouth.

Damn you and your food, Declan.

CHAPTER 5

Declan

Julia and I sat in the empty conference room. We’d spent the morning practicing our pitch for a new campaign. We were taking a break, enjoying some coffee from the kitchen.

She stirred some cream into her cup. “Your roommate seems to like you.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I can just tell.”

“We’re friends, yup. We get along well.”

“Okay, but I mean I think she might like you more than you think.”

“Did you