The Game (8 page)

Rob sat across from me looking like he hadn't a care in the world, but the constant checking of his watch gave him away. He was nervous too. It was crazy, really. What did we have to be nervous about? This was all pre-planned. He knew what my answer would be, so there was no fear that I'd refuse. Still, it was the first time either of us had ever gotten engaged, and that was something.

As soon as our plates had been cleared, a waiter brought out two dessert trays. He handed Rob a plate with tiramisu while handing me one with strawberry trifle.

"I don't remember ordering dessert," I said once the waiter had gone.

"I had this prepared ahead of time," Rob said.

I eyed the trifle doubtfully and wondered if Rob had hidden the ring in it. All that pudding and syrup looked like it would be a mess.

"Please tell me the ring's not in there," I said.

Rob's smile faltered and he looked like I had taken his favorite toy away. "Would that be a problem? I can get it for you," he said, reaching out for the glass.

"No, forget about it. It's fine," I said.

I felt a bit guilty for ruining his special moment, so I picked up my spoon and started eating my way through the trifle. I went slowly, since I didn't want to chip my tooth, but it was frustrating because all I wanted to do was dig through the damn thing. I knew I had to control myself. With each bite, my anticipation grew. I wondered what the ring would look like and how big of a diamond he'd gotten.

Rob had been very secretive about the ring selection. I had offered to buy my own ring for the occasion, but he wouldn't have any of it. We'd gotten into a bit of an argument over it, actually. I thought it was stupid for him to go out and spend money on a ring when we both knew the engagement would never last. In the end, though, he got his way. Hopefully his taste in jewelry was better than his taste in dessert. I had almost reached the bottom of the trifle, but there was still no ring in sight.

"I think something's missing," I said, pushing my spoon around the glass to feel for the ring. "I hope the kitchen staff didn't run off with it."

"It's not in the dessert," Rob said, laughing. "I just wanted to see if you would eat the whole trifle."

I didn't know whether to punch him or throw the rest of the trifle at him. All this time he sat there, watching me stuff my face because I felt bad about ruining his surprise, and the ring wasn't even in the damn thing. That meant I'd eaten it for nothing--all those calories!

"You're an ass," I said.

"Sorry, I didn't really think you'd eat the whole thing," he said, not sounding sorry at all.

"And you expect me to say yes to your offer of marriage after you treat me like this?" I asked. In truth, I wasn't too upset. It was a silly prank and I was grateful that it took the edge off the actual proposal. If that was what Rob had in mind, then it worked.

"I hope you do," Rob said.

He pushed back from the table and got on one knee. I could hear a hush go around the restaurant and just knew that all eyes were turned in our direction. Rob reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a blue velvet box. "So what do you say?" he asked.

I didn't really know what to expect. Maybe a little more romance or some declaration of everlasting love, but that clearly wasn't going to happen. His words still left a lot to be desired, but I guess that's what happens when you enter into a fake engagement.

I released a small sigh before pasting on a wide smile. "Yes! Of course," I said before bursting into fake tears.

I hid my face behind my right hand while I felt Rob slip the ring onto the fourth finger of my left hand. Then I heard a round of applause from the other diners. Rob pulled me up once he had finished sliding the ring onto my finger, and we kissed to another round of applause. We sat back down again and I finally got a chance to look at the ring.

It was a beautiful vintage ring. The large oval cut emerald was surrounded by smaller diamonds, all set in a platinum band. If I were to design my dream engagement ring, this would be it--classy yet understated. I felt a weird emotion flutter through me while staring down at it. I looked up at Rob then, an unfamiliar emotion choking my voice, and smiled.

"This ring is beautiful," I said.

He seemed pleased. "It looks beautiful on you," he said. Rob stood staring at the ring for a moment before he cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly. "I think we've done what we set out to do," he whispered, darting his glance at the other diners who were busy taking cell phone pics of us.

"I think you're right," I said, wistfully.

If anything were to take me completely out of the mood, that did it. It was a stark reminder that my feelings and emotions were out of place. I needed to keep a tighter rein on them and stop from letting my imagination run wild. What was I even thinking? I didn't want to get married any more than Rob did, so why did his lack of emotion get to me? I should have been grateful that at least one of us had our heads screwed on right.

Chapter 9: Rob

I stared at the ring on Emilia's finger and felt a wave of emotion wash over me. What was it? Longing? No, that was ridiculous. I was just feeling nostalgic. I'd remembered that ring ever since I was a boy. My grandmother had worn it since the day my grandfather had proposed to her. That's what was causing this sudden wave of emotion. Still, the ring fit perfectly on Emilia's hand. I didn't even have it resized. It was almost as if it was meant to be hers.

When we had decided on getting engaged, I'd known at once that I wanted Emilia to wear my grandmother's ring. It was the ring I'd always imagined my future bride would wear, and I thought it would lend an air of authenticity to the whole engagement.

Thinking it over now, I almost regret the decision. It was short sighted of me. Emilia was a fake fiancée, and my real, future fiancée (whoever that might be) might not appreciate getting a ring from me that I'd given to another woman. Looking down at the ring again, I knew that I'd never give it to another woman after seeing it on Emilia's hand.

"What are you thinking?" Emilia asked me.

I looked up at her then, and felt like I'd had the breath knocked out of me. Sitting here in the soft glow of the candle light, with her hair swept up off her shoulders, and looking at me with--
affection
?-- I thought Emilia was the most beautiful woman in the world. And I half wished this wasn't all fake. It was a troubling realization, and I quickly shook my head, trying to shut the door on that train of thought.

"Nothing. Just admiring the ring on your finger," I said.

Emilia lifted it and looked at it with a soft smile on her lips. "Yes, it is beautiful. I don't think I could have picked a better one," she said. "Where did you get it?"

"It's a family heirloom," I answered.

She widened her eyes in surprise. "A family heirloom?" she asked.

"Yes, it was my grandmother's ring. I had it shipped from England just for this occasion," I said.

She remained speechless and I wondered what she was thinking. Had I said too much? Made her uncomfortable with my gesture? She was probably wondering how to put me down nicely as if I were an overzealous fan.

"Thank you," she finally said.

"No need to thank me. I figured it'd be more realistic if I used a family heirloom rather than buy a new one. I hope you don't mind. I know how some women can get about their jewelry. My mother would never believe our engagement story if I'd given you a new, store bought ring," I said.

"Oh."

"Also, I'll need that ring back once the engagement is ended. You understand," I added.

I don't know why I felt the need to tell her all that. At the look of hurt that crossed her face, I felt an instant stab of regret. Despite my tumultuous emotions, there was no reason to go and be a jerk about the whole thing. I knew I'd offended her with my comments and could have kicked myself.

"Of course. I didn't think otherwise," she said stiffly.

"I've done it again, haven't I?" I said apologetically.

"What are you talking about?

"I've put my foot in my mouth. Sorry about that. I just don't think before I speak sometimes, and can come off as an ass," I said.

"You have nothing to apologize for. It's not like any of this is real anyway," she said. "Don't worry, I won't run off with your ring."

"I didn't think you would. Listen, I didn't mean--I don't think you'd actually run off--"

"Forget about it," she said, cutting me off with a wave of her hand.

We sat in awkward silence until the waiter came by with our check. Just before we stood up to leave, we were stopped by a woman who I recognized was an entertainment reporter with the local CBS news station. Since coming out to LA and entering into this fake relationship, I'd had a crash course about the celebrity culture here. She looked at us with that calculating, sly look I'd come to associate anyone in her field.

"Emilia! I just had to stop by and congratulate you!" she said, her eyes shifting from me to Emilia's left hand.

"Thank you, Sharice!" Emilia said. "You're the first one."

"Excellent! So, I take it you'll be announcing the engagement soon?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll have the story out before we even make it home tonight," Emilia said jokingly.

She laughed loudly and grabbed Emilia's arm as if they were the best of friends. "Ha-ha! Good one."

Emilia managed to disentangle herself from Sharice, and we finally exited the restaurant together. We waited in silence while the valet got my car. I was grateful we'd decided not to go to a more well-known and populated restaurant, as we were spared from being harassed by the paparazzi.

The silence continued on the car ride back to Emilia's place. Her whole demeanor had changed at the restaurant after I had mentioned returning the ring. She seemed moody and unresponsive. At first I thought I had offended her, but maybe there was more to it. Could it be that she was developing feelings for me? A small part of me couldn't help feel a jab of pleasure at the thought, but mostly, I felt dread. This was not good at all. I had no intentions of committing to anyone. That's why I'd entered into this scheme in the first place. It was a safe way for me to get my mother off my back without raising false hopes in anyone. I thought Emilia and I were on the same page, but if she was falling for me, then I had to put a stop to it.

I had to admit that I'd grown fond of her as well--hell, more than fond if I was being honest. I found her damn near irresistible. And there was the problem. Things were getting much too complicated for my liking. It would only continue to get more complicated since we were now officially engaged.

I pulled up into her long driveway and drove up to her door.

"Are you coming in?" she asked.

"Not tonight. I've got some things to take care of," I said.

It wasn't exactly a lie, but it would be better for the both of us if we had some distance. I couldn't tell if she was relieved or disappointed, but she gave me a quick nod, slipped off her seat belt and got out of the car. I waited for her to enter her house before backing out.

Something needed to change. Things were getting a bit too serious, and I needed some space. I decided to fly back to New York tonight. I could catch the red eye and be back in my apartment in less than 24 hours.

Since coming out to LA, I'd been neglecting my work, and even though I wasn't strictly chained to my office, I did need to make an appearance once in a while. Plus, right now, I needed something familiar in my life. The past couple of months had been a whirlwind, and it was all finally catching up to me. I needed to go back and ground myself in reality again. I'd call Emilia tomorrow to let her know that I'd be spending a couple of weeks in New York.

She'd probably be relieved to have some time to herself anyway. Since starting this relationship, we'd been thrown in each other's company constantly. It would give her a chance to just relax and not have to worry about pretending or putting on a show for the public. Yes, the more I thought about it, the better my plan sounded. Some time apart was just what we both needed.

Chapter 10: Emilia

I could kill Rob. He'd been seen again in New York with another woman, and here I was sitting in some frigid studio out in LA trying to pretend like I was the luckiest woman in the world.

"There's been some rumors about your relationship?" the journalist prompted. "People are saying there's been some trouble on the home front."

I used the term "journalist" lightly. Candy Perkins was a glorified gossipmonger. She had somehow managed to parlay her blog into television appearances covering the red carpet, and ultimately a daily talk show. Arnie had booked this appearance weeks ago when we were still on the offensive about the cheating scandal. Since Rob and I got together though, those rumors seemed to have died off, or at the very least remained dormant. But now, I had other problems to deal with.

As expected, after word of our engagement hit the news, there was a renewed frenzy surrounding Rob and me. We made the front page of all the tabloids and gossip blogs. I'd gotten interview requests from
US
and
People
as well as
The View.

Things should have been looking up for me, but they weren't. Instead I was miserable and annoyed. Rob had high tailed it out of LA almost immediately after our proposal, saying he had business matters to take care of. That had been weeks ago. I was forced to attend several events without him, and endured the endless questions about where he was, as well as plans for our wedding.

At first, the questions were innocent enough, but after the third event where he was a no show, people started to talk. I laughed it off like it didn't bother me, but when pictures surfaced of him out in New York with some mysterious redhead, the vultures came out in full force.

After the first pictures came out, I called Rob, furious at him for humiliating me. I threatened to sue him for breach of contract. But leave it to him to have a reasonable and rational explanation for it all. The redhead was a business associate, and since there was nothing remotely sexual going on with them, he had not in fact breached his contract. It never stated in his contract that he couldn't be seen with other women.