Chapter 2 Because You Asked

My body went rigid.

Fantastic. I'd successfully avoided Austin Wood for two years. Lily destroyed that record in under three seconds.

My heartbeat betrayed me the second I heard his voice. I thought I’d forgotten how it sounded — low, steady, unfairly calm — but it hit me like it was yesterday.

“Hey, Austin! Took you long enough to pick up,” Lily said cheerfully, as if nothing had ever happened between us. “It’s me. Lily.”

Silence crawled.

I didn't even have to look. I could feel how wide Lily's grin was.

“Lily.” His tone shifted, more polite and careful. “Did something happen?”

Lily scoffed. “Why does everyone assume something’s wrong when I call? Can’t I call? Anyway… are you free next weekend?”

“Next weekend…” Austin paused. “Depends. Why?”

Lily bounced on her heels, shooting me a triumphant look. “Emily needs—”

“LILY MORGAN!”

I finally snatched the phone back. She pouted, clearly annoyed that I’d ruined her grand plan.

After I turned off the speaker, I pressed the phone to my ear. My brain went blank. All I could hear was the pounding in my ears.

“H-hey…”

God, this is so embarrassing!

“Em…?”

Just one syllable. But somehow it still sounded exactly the way I remembered. 

“Yeah… it’s me.” The words came out barely above a whisper.

The pause that followed felt endless.

I could hear him breathing. My tongue clocked out without giving two weeks' notice.

“Are you okay?” he finally asked. There was real concern in his voice, and it made my chest tighten.

“...Yeah.”

"You don’t sound okay. Something’s wrong?”

I gripped the phone harder, desperately searching for the right words. This wasn’t as easy as Lily made it sound!

“I—”

“Dammit, Em. Give it to me!” Lily snatched the phone back from my limp fingers. “Emily needs you to be her fake boyfriend! At her cousin’s wedding! Next weekend!”

“LILY!”

The world went silent. In very damn slow motion. While I wanted the floor to swallow me whole, Lily still looked ridiculously pleased with herself.

Then Austin’s voice came through, quiet and heavy.  

“…I... need a minute.”

We waited.

The line went dead.

Both of us stared at the phone as it had betrayed us.

On the next, my soul left my body for the second time.

“LILY MORGAN! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO?!”

Two hours later, there was a knock on my door.

Lily was dead to me. The smug grin she’d worn before abandoning me was still burned into my brain. She’d promised to stay and explain everything. Instead, the second Austin showed up, she vanished like smoke.

I’d almost convinced myself he would say no to the whole ridiculous idea.

But there he was. Standing at my front door.

And there I was.

Neither of us spoke at first.

I stole a quick glance at him. 

Austin hadn’t changed much. His hair was a little longer, his shoulders broader. He looked… sharper. Somehow he was even more handsome than I remembered. Which felt deeply unfair.

“Are you going to let me in…?” His voice pulled me out of my staring.

I blinked. “Oh. Yes. Right.”

When I stepped aside so quickly, I nearly tripped over my own feet.

He walked in and, out of habit, slipped off his shoes. The familiar movement made my chest ache. He headed toward the kitchen like he still belonged here, then stopped halfway, as if remembering our new reality.

“You can grab yourself a drink,” I said without thinking, then immediately regretted how casual it sounded. “If you want. Of course.”

Austin glanced at me before choosing the far end of the couch. Nowhere near where he used to sit.

I sat down too, leaving a careful distance between us, painfully aware of how much had changed.

“So…” he finally broke the silence, looking around the apartment. “You need a plus-one.”

“Technically… yes.”

“Your cousin’s wedding. Next weekend?”

I nodded weakly.

“From your father’s side?”

“Yeah…”

“And you chose me.” He sounded genuinely puzzled.

I swallowed hard. “Yes…”

Austin held my gaze for a long moment.

The silence stretched too long. Panic started creeping in.

Then he let out a slow breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose. That small sigh irritated me more than it should have. 

“You know what?” I forced a smile and looked away. “Forget it. This was a terrible idea—”

“Emily…”

I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. I just—”

“Em.”

My whole body tensed at the nickname. When I looked up, he was already watching me.

“I wasn’t going to say no.”

For a second, I could only stare. “You… you’ll go?”

One eyebrow lifted. “Do you want me to say no?”

My mouth opened, but nothing came out. Because the truth was… I didn’t.

“No! I mean… “ I frowned. “Why would you say yes?”

Austin didn't answer. His eyes drifted to the floor as he rubbed the back of his neck before letting out a quiet breath.

For one awful second, I thought I'd crossed a line.

Then he met my eyes again.

"Because you asked."

The answer was so simple it caught me completely off guard. Suddenly, I forgot how breathing worked.

“So once again, Em.” His expression turned serious, completely ignoring my very obvious system crash. “Are you in?”

Shit. This was really happening.

My gaze held his. “I’m in.”

He nodded. “Good.” Then he added, “One condition.”

I frowned. “What?”

“No backing out.”

A small groan left my lips. “Fine.”

Slowly, his shoulders relaxed just a fraction. “Then we should practice.”

The blink became twice. “Practice… what?”

Austin stared straight at me, calm and unwavering.

“Being a couple.”