Faking Forever Ch. 27-28 - Epilogue

Chapter 27

Drew

I lingered at Cici's door for a second, fighting my desire to ask to come in. After dinner this evening we both agreed there would be no overnighter. We both had an early morning and things to get done, and staying up late doing what we'd been doing all weekend wasn't conducive to a good night's rest. I had to go home. So after I kissed her goodbye, I tore myself away from the door and rode the elevator down to the ground floor where my limo waited.

We'd had some intense discussions between moments of intimacy and sheer lust--and of course eating. But half of our time had been spent at my place, and half at hers. She promised to launder the clothing I left there, and I promised to treat her to dinner tomorrow evening when we finished our workday tomorrow. I was walking on cloud nine, until I walked out the door of her apartment building onto the sidewalk and saw Beck leaning against my limo.

"I knew you'd be here..." He scoffed and shook his head at me, then pushed off my limo and dropped his arms to his side from their position crossed over his chest. For the shit he'd pulled with us, this was a ballsy move, even for Beck.

"I don't really have anything to say to you, Beck. Please move out of the way so I can get in my car and go home. And don't bother your sister either. She's really upset with you." I sidestepped, hoping to go around him, and he placed his hand squarely on my chest.

"We have a lot to discuss." His tone was cold, and I gripped his wrist and politely removed his hand from my body. "Like how I asked you not to mess with my sister."

Taking a step backward, I breathed deep to control my anger. I didn't want to hit him; that would only hurt Cici in the long run. And I didn't want to damage my relationship with him any more than I already had. Despite being too protective and controlling of his sister, Beck and I were close friends. Once he understood that Cici and I were together and he had no say, eventually he'd calm down and relax.

"Let's talk about something else." I squared off with him, looking down my nose into his eyes. He was a few inches shorter than me and not nearly as strong. He was lucky that night in the bar that I hadn't struck him back, or he'd have been laid out. "Let's talk about you sending Kendra to my house. What the fuck was that?"

His face contorted into rage and then shame, and then rage again. His cheeks were bright pink in anger, and I didn't have to look at his hands to know they were fists.

"Cici wasn't supposed to be there. She wasn't supposed to see that." I could tell by his body language and the way he spoke that he felt guilty for hurting her, or even the thought of hurting her. I knew he cared about her. The two of them had been thick as thieves since I met them.

"What exactly was supposed to happen? You hired her to make me forget Cici? Or you thought Cici would see that and call me a cheater?" I felt my own hands curling into fists and reminded myself this was a discussion not a fight.

A car swept past, and the breeze picked up, tossing Beck's hair into his eyes, and he ran a hand through it to push it out of his face. "No... I--" He scowled and glanced up at the streetlight overhead, then looked back at me. "I honestly thought maybe you would see her and remember what you had with her and forget Cici. I had no clue Cici was going to be at your apartment when I sent Kendra over."

His defeated tone matched the way his shoulders slumped, and I relaxed a little. Beck was impulsive and never thought things through. Of course he couldn't plan something that sadistic on purpose, even if he wanted to. He was a prankster, not a complete asshole.

"I have to go. Do yourself a huge favor and give Cici some space, okay? She's really pissed about the Kendra incident. And I don't think you'll be hearing from me for a while either." I walked around him and opened my car door, and when I looked back at him, he still stood facing away from me. Now his shoulders drooped, and his head hung.

"For what it's worth, I really was just trying to protect her. I meant no harm, nothing against you, Drew. You have to believe that. You know who you are... Is that what you'd want for your sister?"

I slid into the car and shut the door, gesturing for my driver to take off. I didn't even bother responding to him. After my discussions with Cici yesterday and today, I'd had a real wakeup call. Beck was kind of right in trying to protect her from me--kind of. Who I'd been in my past wasn't exactly the sort of person she deserved; she'd made it a point to address that. I'd made a promise to do my best to be everything she wanted and needed.

Beck had just gone about things the wrong way, and both Cici and I needed time to calm down. If we were going to have a chance at a healthy relationship, we had to distance ourselves from anyone who tried to cast doubt on what we had or divide us, and unfortunately that meant my best friend and her brother. There was no way around that.

Chapter 28

Cici

My heels clicked on the floor as I strolled up the hallway toward Mr. York's office. He'd asked me to report in on the Pratt account and I'd crunched the numbers and put together a detailed rundown of how things were going. I was nervous to say the least. Sure, Drew's name was on the account and having our firm associated with that name meant huge things for us. But it was my name on the account on our side. I was managing it, and it was my work that had to speak to my boss.

I'd worked my tail off even through everything that happened with Drew to make sure things were handled and the account was managed well. My only shot at impressing Mr. York and shaking Drew's shadow was to excel at everything I did, and this was the biggest account the firm had seen in recent years, topped only by names like Trump or Musk. I wasn't letting that prestige slip out of my grasp so long as I could control it.

I stopped by his secretary's desk briefly but she announced me as I approached and waved me in with a smile and: "Mr. York is ready for you, Cici." Her tiny wink told me my name had been passed around the C-suite more than once, and the fact that she'd used my given name meant it had been done in a benevolent manner.

I pushed his door open with the file tucked under my arm and let myself in. He rose to meet me, buttoning his coat as he stood.

"Ah, Cici, I'm so glad to see you. I was just wondering how our Pratt account is going. Come in and sit," he said, gesturing to the leather armchairs situated around a small round table.

The room was huge, large plate glass windows letting in so much light it felt like we were outdoors. I'd never been in his office before and found it very comfortable. There was a sitting area with a few couches and tables. Floor lamps made it look homey, but the desk in the corner reminded visitors this was the office of a big wig. And the far wall was nothing but a giant bookshelf, no doubt hosting many of the titles this firm had produced and published over the years.

"Thank you for having me, Mr. York. I have all the numbers here." I handed him the file as he met me at the table then smoothed my skirt over my thighs before sitting.

He sat and opened the file folder, his eyes poring over the numbers I'd drawn up. Everything was going so well, Drew was ready to pour more money into the marketing. Our team had tracked an eight percent increase for him already and it had only been a few months total.

"This is just fantastic, Cici. I've never seen such impressive work." He closed the folder and looked up at me. "But what I really want to know is, have you worked things out? Drew seemed very upset the last time he was here."

I relaxed in the seat and the smile on my face lingered. But it was different. It wasn't the smile of a woman proud of her work, but of a woman deeply in love. Things had worked out between us better than I could have even hoped, but I wasn't going to jinx it by bragging.

"We're working things out. I think we'll be just fine. We just have to move a bit slower since I'm not used to sharing my space so much." Mr. York seemed to genuinely care about my relationship with Drew, and that felt good, to have a boss who wasn't just giving orders and demanding performance.

"Ah that's so good..." He sat back in his seat and dived into a story about him and his wife when they were younger and I listened intently, fascinated by how open he was being. I felt at home in his office and his presence, and I doubted I'd have been invited into the inner circle so quickly without Drew.

I'd been so frustrated by him always being in the spotlight that I hadn't stopped to see that he'd really done exactly what he promised to do. Drew had gotten my name on the lips of the CEO of the United States' largest marketing firm and I owed him one.

After listening to several stories about Mr. York's relationship pains, he excused me and I headed back to my office with a skip in my step. My name was on his lips and it wasn't because of Drew--not entirely. He was impressed with my handling of the account and that was what mattered. I had a feeling I'd be moving up in the world quickly now and with my personal life finally working out too, I couldn't be brought down. Not even when Tifany Andrews scowled at me on the way past her desk.

"Cici," Julie hissed as I walked past her, and I stopped and paused at her desk.

"What's up?"

Her eyes flicked up and down the hallway and she smiled. "How are things? You seem... happier."

The genuine gratitude I had for this woman bubbled up and I gushed. "I am happier. You know, I took your words to heart. I went over to Drew's apartment after work Friday and we had a good talk. I think things might work out after all. Thank you for giving me your advice even though at the time I didn't think I needed or wanted it."

Julie sat a bit straighter in her seat and beamed at me. "You're welcome. What is a personal assistant for anyway?"

I tapped my fingers on her desk as I continued on to my office to finish my day. Four hours later I was out the door and headed for Drew's place. Who would've ever thought when I moved back to New York to start my career I'd end up fake dating my long-time crush and the man who picked on me so many times as a teen? My best friend told me years ago to give up on him and I had--to a point. I'd let myself think of all the negative things so that my heart would give up on what I'd thought was a school-girl crush.

I never thought I'd fall in love with him for real, but that was because I always loved him. And now, I couldn't wait to start a real relationship with him, and maybe a forever relationship with him.

Beck was another story. He and I were no longer on speaking terms after that stunt with Kendra and Drew's apartment. Nev tried in vain to get me to reach out to him, but I needed space. Maybe over the holidays things would simmer down. For now Drew and I put space between ourselves and my brother. Time would heal, it just had to pass first. And while time passed, I planned to spend every second possible with Drew.

Faking a relationship might very well turn into a forever relationship, and if it did I'd be okay with it.

Another chapter....

Nev

I draped myself over Cici's sectional and stared out the large picture window at the night sky. I knew there were stars out there twinkling somewhere but the light pollution from the city drowned them out, keeping their light from reaching me. I'd seen their beauty when I hiked the Grand Canyon in my teens with a tour group. That was before I moved to New York and met Cici, who was currently out getting dinner for us.

Rolling off the sofa, I sat up and looked around her apartment. Since her flat-warming party she hadn't invited me over once. She'd been too busy dealing with drama over Drew, then work projects, and then Drew again--this time the back and forth of steamy sex and all the chemistry that couples have when they first meet or start dating. It wasn't sickening, but I was jealous. Cici found her "one true love" as she called it back in the day. I was still single as a pringle and needing to mingle.

I stood and walked into the kitchen where she'd set out a bottle of wine and poured myself a glass of the burgundy alcohol and sipped it. This night was supposed to be about catching up and sharing every gory detail of what actually happened between her and Drew--and Beck. Though I don't believe he was as awful to her as they said he was. Beck was protective of her, but didn't every girl want a big brother to chase a few guys away?

I heard a buzzing and looked around. My phone was in my pocket, so I knew it wasn't that. My eye caught the light on the pad by the door flashing and realized it was someone trying to get in. I glanced at the microwave time--Cici had only been gone ten minutes; there was no way it was her, unless she forgot her phone or wallet. But I hurried over to the intercom and tried to figure it out.

The letters were worn off the touchpad, but I managed to find the one that said "talk" and pressed it. "Uh, hello?" I wasn't even sure how people used these things. My apartment building was old school. I had to wait for a text message saying someone was at the door and go all the way down to let them in, unless a kind and non-concerned neighbor just let them in the building.

"Yeah, Cici... It's Beck. Can I come up?"

My heart squeezed in my chest. Beck--the man I'd crushed on longer than Cici had crushed on Drew--wanted into this apartment with me, and I was alone. Of course, he was hoping to see his sister and make things right, but she wasn't here. And the last time I was alone with him, he had flirted with me--ice cream beard and all.

"Uh, Beck, Cici isn't home." My eyes flicked around and searched for Cici's spare key. I couldn't in good conscience let him up here; I knew how upset she was with him. But I could go down there and talk to him. I didn't like that they weren't speaking, and it wasn't just because of my massive crush on him and not getting to see him anymore.

Cici's parents died when they were young kids, and their grandparents lived too far out of the city now to even come for a short visit. Other than her relationship with Drew, her friendship with me, and potentially a few coworkers she was friendly with, Beck was all she had. This city will eat you alive if you're alone, and I hated that Cici had cut Beck off. She needed him more than she knew.

"It's okay. I can just wait for her to get home." His words were slurred. A sure sign he'd been drinking. His drinking had gotten worse over the years as he repressed his grief over his childhood being taken from him and tried to control how he felt so he could function in his high-stakes career.

"How about I come down there and we chat?" I spotted the spare key on the corner of the bar peeking out from beneath the stack of mail and pocketed it. Without waiting for his response, I slipped out the door and moved toward the elevator, double checking that my phone was still in my pocket.

When I walked out the building door onto the dark sidewalk, Beck was pressing the button, rambling on about Cici and how sorry he was. I took a brick that people used to prop the door open at times and placed it in the door so it wouldn't shut and then I walked over to Beck. He was seriously drunk and seemed very depressed.

His arm, from elbow to wrist, stretched across the brick exterior of the building and his head rested on it. When I leaned on the brick next to him he dropped his hand from the button and turned to look at me out of the corner of his eye.

"She won't talk to me, Nev. He turned her against me. She's all I have." Beck looked like he'd been crying, puffy, red-rimmed eyes. His breath stank like whiskey, though mine wasn't much better after the wine I'd had.

"Drew hasn't turned her against you, Beck. She loves him. She always has." I rested my hand on his bicep and tried to soothe away his negative feelings. It was tough seeing them do this to each other. I cared about both of them, even if I never had a chance with Beck.

"What am I going to do? What about the holidays? They'll be here before you know it." He hiccupped and straightened, then scrubbed a hand down his face. "How do I tell Gran and Poppop she's not speaking to me?"

The pain in his tone made my heartstrings quiver, like he was playing a tune on a guitar. Beck had never been vulnerable with me before. He was the macho older brother that pranked us and picked on us. He was never weak or sensitive, and at times I wondered if he was even capable of showing real deep emotion. Cici told me it was because he felt responsible for her and so he did what a father should do and hid everything from her.

But this Beck was falling apart and needed a shoulder to cry on. This Beck was a mess with his crumpled suit and sorry expression. His hair needed a trim, and his face needed a shave. One look at him and you'd know he was depressed and hurting.

"Alright, I want to help you." I had no clue how I would help given the fact that Cici refused to discuss Beck at all. She'd put a ban on his name for the time being and any conversation about him was off limits. She was furious, but I knew it would pass given enough time. I worried, however, that Beck might not make it that long. He looked like he was ready to jump into the abyss and never come back.

"Help?" he asked, swaying closer to me. He was unsteady on his feet, a byproduct of the alcohol, though I didn't mind. Something inside of me urged me to do the right thing and help people when I could. And when it came to this man, I'd have done anything necessary to catch his eye. this was a no brainer.

Help Beck and Cici work things out and we'd all be happier people because of it. In fact, maybe Beck would see me--really see me. It could be a win-win all around.

"Yes. First, I need to get you a cab. You can't be here when she gets home or she'll be angrier. You don't want to do that. You want to give her space to calm down." My fingers flew over the screen of my phone which I pulled from my pocket as I spoke. I pulled up the app and ordered a cab, which hopefully would be here before she got back. "And then I'll start working on softening her up to forgive you."

"My god, has it come to this? Is she that upset?" Beck ran a hand through his hair and swayed again, this time leaning hard against the wall, right next to me. When he wasn't breathing, I got a whiff of his cologne and it was heavenly. My heart raced with excitement as the plan to woo him by means of helping him get back in Cici's good graces came together.

"Yes, but I can help."

My eyes were focused on my phone screen, watching how close the cab was, when Beck gripped my face firmly with both hands and pulled me toward himself. His lips covered mine in a hard but chaste kiss and I stiffened as I realized what he was doing. Tingles shot through my body, raising goosebumps on my arms as I succumbed to his attack and let my eyes flutter shut from their wide-eyed state. And when he pulled away, his hands lingered on my face.

"What was that?" I breathed, though I knew it was nothing. Beck and I were nothing. He never thought of me like this. This was the alcohol and his happiness that someone was finally giving him hope.

Except he didn't say anything to me. His eyes darted around, his gaze bouncing around my face, and then his forehead crinkled in confusion or frustration; I didn't know.

"Beck?" I whispered, and he tilted his head slightly, then leaned in again.

This kiss was deeper, more genuine. The kind you give someone when you're searching them and hoping for more. His lips parted; his tongue danced with mine. I melted against the side of the building and whimpered when I remembered I had my phone in my hand and I couldn't run my fingers through his dark wavy hair. And this time when he pulled away, he had a smile on his lips.