Marcel.

The presentation goes well. More than well in fact, we nailed it.

Dad loved every detail, every word, every slide along with the rest of the team and it felt good to be applauded even by him.

I should feel relief, pride even because now my chances of getting up there are finally fattening again.

But I just feel tired.

I'd be lying if I say that stupid kiss did not get to me. It got to me so badly, I couldn't stop thinking about it for the past few days.

Everyday after work, I promise myself I won't let my mind go there. But the following morning, I see Lori and her stupidly pretty lips and all I can think about is how warm and soft they felt on mine.

As if conjured, Lori appears beside me. Her expression is a little too casual for someone who just helped secure one of the biggest deals of the year.

“Coffee?” she asks in a light voice, like we’re friends, like we don’t have this thing between us that we’re both pretending doesn’t exist.

I force a smile. “Why not.”

We head to the café on the corner, because the one across the street is busy with a long queue.

The walk is quiet, just the sound of my shoes clicking against the pavement or her humming something under her breath.

When we get there, Lori presses an order for both of us and we sit at a nearby table to wait.

Normally, now would be the time to rant about something or just fill the silence, but I stead she leans forward slightly and lowers her voice.

“You trust me, right?”

That's so random I'm having a hard time reorganizing my thoughts.

I blink at her. “Do I—what?”

“Do you trust me?” she repeats, and I notice the touch of urgency to her voice.

The answer is not simple.

“I trust you to be yourself,” I say finally, because it’s the most honest thing I can offer right now.

She nods. “Good enough.”

Before I can ask what that’s supposed to mean, she moves.

One second, she’s sitting there, and the next, she’s leaning across the table, putting her hand on mine and her lips press against mine in a kiss so abrupt, it knocks every thought out of my head.

All I can do is freeze.

Her lips are soft, warm, and entirely foreign to me. It's as if I've never kissed her before. Every time, it's something different with these lips.

My brain scrambles for an explanation while simultaneously trying to decide whether to push her away or not.

Then she pulls back, just enough to whisper in my ear, her breath hot against my skin.

“Please, play along.”

I barely manage a nod before she pulls back, a coy smile playing on her lips. Her eyes look at something over my shoulder.

A man, tall and broad-shouldered, appears over us. He is handsome, I will give him that but the look on his face is messing that up.

His eyes flicker from Lori to me, lingering a second too long on where her hand still rests over mine.

“Lori,” he says like he has said her name a bunch of times before.

I'm jealous!

“Julian,” she replies, her tone light. “Fancy seeing you here.”

I glance between them, trying to figure out what’s happening. Lori’s shoulders are stiff, her smile sharp in a way that feels fake. The man—Julian—crosses his arms, his jaw ticking.

“Didn’t think you’d be around this part of town,” he says, accusingly.

“Well, surprise,” Lori says breezily, but there’s something tight in her voice that gives her away.

Julian’s gaze shifts to me again and it makes me feel like I'm in the spotlight.

“Who’s this?” he asks, his tone causal but his eyes anything but.

Lori doesn’t miss a beat.

She slides her hand into mine, hooking our fingers like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Then she kisses my hand.

My beat skips.

“This is Marcel,” she says smoothly. “My girlfriend.”

Girlfriend?!

The word hangs in the air like a star, bright and attractive.

Julian raises an eyebrow, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Girlfriend?”

“That’s what I said,” Lori replies.

She squeezes my hand for emphasis, her thumb brushing over my knuckles. This entire thing feels too intimate to be just fake.

She's doing too much.

I should pull away. I should say something, clear the air, because whatever this is, it’s not what he thinks.

But Lori’s grip on my hand is firm, and her eyes snap to mine for just a second, a silent plea.

So I don’t move.

Instead, I force a smile, trying to ignore my racing heart.

“Nice meeting you,” I say, my voice is steadier than me.

Julian doesn’t smile back. His gaze shifts between us.

“You move on fast, Lori,” he says bitterly.

Lori’s smile tightens, but she doesn’t falter.

“What can I say? Some things aren’t worth holding onto.” She rolls her eyes. "Plus, look around, there's so many pretty people out here to just be hung up on one."

No way I'm blushing to that cocky statement.

The tension between them is  suffocating. I feel like an outsider in a conversation I was never meant to hear, a stand-in for something I don’t know.

Julian lets out a low laugh, but there’s no humor in it.

“Right. Well, good luck with… whatever this is.”

He turns and walks away without another word.

As soon as he’s out of earshot, I pull my hand away, fixing Lori with a glare.

“What the hell was that?”

She doesn’t answer right away. Instead, she rakes a hand through her hair.

“Thanks for playing along,” she says. "How much? Just state your price and I will pay you."

I scoff. Am I a whore or something?

“That’s not an answer,” I snap. “Who was that? And why did you—” I gesture vaguely, “—do all of this?”

Lori leans back in her chair, rubbing a hand over her face.

“It’s not important,” she mutters.

“Try me.”

She hesitates, her eyes flickering toward the door like she’s afraid Julian might come back.

“He’s my ex,” she mumbles."You remove Julian right? The clingy ex who won't move on?"

"Omg, that's the Julian?" My eyes widen. "He is so hot."

Lori rolls her eyes and looks away.

“I’m sorry,” she says quietly. “I shouldn’t have dragged into that bull.”

No bother, I loved being kissed by you.

I let out a slow breath, leaning back in my chair.

“Next time, give me a heads-up before you decide to kiss me.”

Her lips twitch with a ghost of a smile.

"There's going to be a next time?" She finally smiles and I can't take it.

"In your dreams."

I hate how much she gets under my skin.

But I hate even more how much a part of me doesn’t want her to stop.