Breakfast with my parents was lengthy. They bombarded Alaina with a million questions until I convinced them to calm down. Despite her being an anxious mess yesterday, she was calm and excited today.

Perhaps some of my energy has flowed into her last night. And the thought is somewhat amusing to me.

I have discovered quite a lot about Alaina during her interrogation by my parents. How she grew up in a small town outside of Los Angeles, and her favorite color is red. She's more of a dog person, despite having nearly been mauled by her mother's Chow Chow when she was helping him with his food that had been stuck in his bowl. When she told that story, it took everything in me to not let the anger boiling in my veins to show. It pissed me off.

The biggest surprise to me, however, was that Maman and Papa actually seemed to really like Alaina, and didn't shun her as they did to any other girl I've brought home who wasn't French. I suppose they've become desperate enough for me to settle down that they don't care anymore, just the same way they've accepted me as having a liking only for women.

We arrive at the trailhead after walking on the concrete road for about ten minutes between the houses lined up on either side. Our house can be seen on top of one of the hills. The sun glints off its windows as the palm leaves from the surrounding trees wave in the slight, warm breeze, the humid, musty smell lingering in the air from the storm that had passed a few days ago.

“See how beautiful it is here, Mylie?” Léa asks, turning to me and walking backward a few feet ahead of me.

“Oui, if you think that dirt, snakes and mountain lions are beautiful as well.”

She snorts. “Okay, Queen B. What are you going to do when the world ends? You know December 2012 is coming up in a few months.”

I scoff. "It was just a movie, Léa.”

“We'll see, won't we?” Léa grins before whirling to the front and dashing ahead.

“She loves making fun of you, doesn't she?” Alaina asks, walking alongside me as we follow my sister.

“What are sisters for?” I sneak a glance at her, and I'm tall enough to be looking right down at her cleavage. The same breasts that I can still feel in my palm from last night as she moaned in my ear. Swallowing the rising lump of betraying desire in my throat, I avert my eyes to the path ahead of me and focus on not inadvertently stepping on a snake.

At this point, we reach the trail winding along the side of the green mountains, giving us a peek at the Pacific Coast shimmering in the distance. Yellow flowers decorate the grassy, rolling fields as birds sing all around us. The sight is beautiful, of course, but the last thing I need is for my thousand dollar outfit to be ruined, not to mention my hair which I recently had done.

And I had no cheaper clothes prepped.

“Mylie, Alaina, come on, let's race!” Léa calls out, facing us as she skips backward. Again.

“Oh, sounds fun!” Alaina glances at me with a grin.

I frown at the thought of all those little rocks and dirt kicking up on my shoes and clothes. “Non, merci.”

“Aw, come on Mylie, don't be a wimp," Léa whines, her bottom lip jutting out in a cute pout. But that's not going to change my mind.

“No–”

“And let's go!” Léa shouts. Alaina runs ahead, catching up to and passing my sister in just a few seconds.

I don't quicken my pace. Instead, I continue to walk at my own leisure as I watch them race, with Léa right behind Alaina. There is no way I am going to run out here in the mountains.

In less than a minute, they are running back, Léa breathing heavily while Alaina barely looks even a little winded.

“You two had fun?” I ask, my gaze fixating on Alaina's glistening skin under the sun and her flushed face. Merde, how can she be even more beautiful? And how does she not look like she just ran a race? If she's that fit, then... her stamina could very well match mine. Fuck, I need to get my head out of the gutter. Especially in front of my little sister, who will always be my little sis no matter how old she is.

“Yeah!” Léa says between gulps of air, her hands on her knees. “Your– girlfriend is– really– fast.”

“Well, what do you expect? I only date the best, don't I, princess?” I give her a wink, wrapping my arm around Alaina's waist and pulling her in to kiss her on the cheek. Her eyes widen in surprise, but I need to show my sister that what we have is real. She can't know it's fake.

Even though I wish it would be real. A part of me screams that it's real, that what we did last night was real. That all of it is crossing the line of fake and blurring into reality, but I don't want to step into it. I can't. Not just for my sake.

For Alaina's sake too.

“Stop, Mylène,” Alaina giggles before pulling away. “Do you mind if I run ahead and check out the scene? It's so beautiful.”

“Sure. Just make sure you don't get lost.” She kisses me on the cheek, her lips leaving behind a scorching mark on my skin before she walks ahead. I resist the urge to tuck my fingers under her chin and turn her face toward me to kiss her on the mouth. To taste her sweet flavor once again. Forever.

Instead, my eyes stay glued on her ass, tight against the shorts and giving me the perfect view of just how perfect she's made for me. Even if I can't have her. Not anymore.

“You're such a creep,” Léa’s voice breaks through my staring.

“Que?" I ask innocently, looking at her.

Her eyebrows arch. “You know what.”

“Mon dieu, you're so annoying sometimes.” I sigh, resuming walking. Léa drops beside me, our footsteps crunching on the wet, rocky ground as Alaina's bouncing figure grows smaller in front of us.

“So how's school?” I ask, carefully stepping over a small creek while Léa hops over it, splashing water in all directions. I curse under my breath when a few drops splatter on my face and wipe them away with the silk handkerchief I keep in my jeans pocket.

“It's fine,” she replies. Her monotonous voice says otherwise.

I raise an eyebrow. “You know you can tell me if anything is wrong, oui?”

Léa shrugs. “Nothing is wrong, Mylie. Really. School is great. I'm getting straight As, joined the cheerleading team, and got dirty boys drooling over me like rabid dogs. Life is perfect.” She picks up a stick from off the path and traces the end along the ground, leaving behind an uneven line.

I can tell she's lying, especially when she refers to the boys as rabid dogs. If anyone touches her or causes her discomfort, I'd make sure they pay for it. And she knows it, which is probably why she refuses to tell me if anything is wrong. A part of me wants to push her into telling me, but I'm aware that it's of no use. I've tried once before, and she gave me the silent treatment for weeks. And with me coming home less and less, our relationship isn't as sturdy as it used to be.

"Are you seeing anyone?" I ask.

"Not anymore. We broke up."

I reach out to grab her arm, making her shoes scrape against the rocks. "Hold on, you were dating someone, and you didn't tell me?"

She shrugs my grip off and scoffs. "I tried. You're always too busy being the fancy CEO."

"Look, I know I haven't been around as much as I could have been, but–"

"But your career comes first. I get it." Rolling her eyes, she turns around and continues walking.

I heave out an exasperated sigh. "Léa –"

"Just drop it, okay?" Her jaw twitches. "Can we just have some sister time?"

“Fine, if that's what you want.”

“It is.” She crosses another small creek and waits for me while I gingerly step on the slippery rocks, almost losing my balance on the middle one.

Once I'm on safe ground, we resume walking side by side for a few minutes.

“Alaina seems really cool,” Léa breaks the silence.

“She is.”

“Are you two are like, really official? Like, for real?”

I glance at her. “Yes. At least, I'd hope so.” Merde, has she figured out that our relationship is a sham?

“It better be. You guys really fit. Plus, I'd love to have a super hot sister-in-law.”

I snort. “Don't get too ahead of yourself.”

Léa nudges my arm with a grin. “I see the way you look at her. Your eyes literally look like those hearts in cartoons.”

“And what would you know about relationships, Ms. Love Doctor?”

She huffs. “I know lots! From like, movies and stuff.”

“Life isn't like one of those fluffy rom-coms, Léa. None of us are in The Holiday or The Proposal. They're all just fairy tales fed to young girls to make you believe that real love exists in any ridiculous situation.”

Léa crosses her arms in annoyance. “You're such a spoil sport with your hate for rom-coms. I'm just saying, anything is possible. And you two seem really in love. I mean, even Maman and Papa agree. Don't they know a lot about love?”

"They do," I say softly, stepping over a fallen branch on the path while Léa jumps over it like a horse.

But what Alaina and I have is a fabricated love. And last night just happened–

“Oh my god, Mylène, the waterfall is so beautiful!” Alaina's chipper voice cuts my thoughts off as she runs up to us. Her hand reaches out to take mine, warmth flooding my skin as she drags me after her. “You've got to see it!”

I glance back at Léa and shoot her a warning glare. She grins and winks at me in return before I focus on not tripping over a jutting rock or worse, a snake.

“Alaina, slow down. There's no need to be in a hurry.”

“I know, I know, it's just, look at that!”

She points to the roaring clear water pouring down the green-stained cliff. The last time I was here was a few years back and it was dry at the time, so there was only a trickle sliding down. But now, there's a whole waterfall flowing into a creek rushing over the rocks and tree branches on the ground. The rippling and gurgling of the stream is a welcoming change from the constant city noises.

"Oui, it's beautiful," I say with a nod. But what is more beautiful is Alaina. The sight of giddiness splashed over her face warms my heart like the summer sun hitting an iceberg, which is what it has become.

And despite the desire to make her mine, I don't want her to melt the icy barrier that is protecting my heart.

I cannot risk it. Because after the three-weeks are up, so will be our deal. And there will be nothing after that.

I will make sure of it.

Because as much as I'd hate to admit it, my sister is right. My career will always come first.