Fake Girlfriend

When we got to my place, Cole collapsed onto on my couch, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. He looked guilty, thinking about something. Then, his head dropped into his hands, and he sighed.

I came into the room after checking to see if Mike was around, seeing this sad looking scene, and wacked Cole on the head. “Stop looking so miserable,” I said. “If my family doesn’t have a problem with you coming, then it’s fine, okay? And if I know them, they won’t say no.”

“Are you sure it’s fine?” he said into his hands.

I groaned. “Cole, I won’t take no for an answer.” I plopped down next to him.

He lifted his head to look at me.

I smiled. “Really, it’s fine. So stop worrying about it. What you should be worrying about is what pranks my dad and uncles are going to try to pull on you.”

Cole laughed.

“Seriously,” I said, laughing. “Sleep with one eye open. My uncles are crazy.”

He smiled at me as I explained things about my uncles, telling him about growing up with them around.

I told him about Josh, the oldest of the brothers and the most responsible. I told him about how Jos had four kids: an older boy, and then triplets (two girls and a boy). When him and his wife found out they were having triplets, they had to move out of the small home they thought they’d live in the rest of their lives to a bigger house where we were all going for Christmas this year. I told Cole about babysitting all of Josh’s kids once and how I ended calling my mother, crying from the stress. Cole laughed.

Next, I told him about one of my twin uncles, Nicolas. He had a solemner story. He fell in love very you, and his girlfriend ended up having a child. I paused when I thought about Delilah, a lump forming in my throat. Cole frowned and almost asked if I was okay, but I continued. I explained that the two learned that their daughter was blind. The girlfriend left soon after they found out. This time, Cole was the one to tense up. I told him what a funny girl Nico’s daughter was, and if—when— he met her, he’d never know that she was blind. That made him smile again.

Then, on a lighter note, I told Cole about the other twin, Jacob, who goes by his middle name Raul after growing up being called “Gay Jay” by his peers in school. Yes, my Uncle Raul was gay, but it hardly bothered my family. Nico always said that he knew his twin brother liked guys way before Raul told him. He now had a long-time partner, Luke, whom he lived with, and the two of them might just have been the two wackiest people on Earth. I gave Cole an example. One time, in the summer, it was really hot, and I was staying over. They decided it was a good idea to fill a kiddy pool with ice cream for me to cool down. Cole cracked up. I don’t think he believed me, but that was the truth. Needless to say, my uncles Raul and Luke weren’t always the best at thinking things through. The ice cream all melted really quickly, and I ended up a sticky vanilla ice cream mess.

Then, finally, I told Cole about Mike, the baby of the family. I told him how I absolutely worshipped Mike when I was little. I would follow him everywhere, pestering him thought I knew he secretly enjoyed me being his little follower. I was his first passenger when he could legally drive—much to my mother’s dismay. I was the one who hid in the back seat of his car on his first day of high school (he was a year older than his classmates, so he could drive in his freshmen year). My father had to come pick me up when we got to the high school and Mike found me. I told Cole about the one and only time Mike ever got annoyed with me. I guess I bugged him a little too much, and he told me that we were going to play hide-and-seek. I hid, but he never looked for me. It was a half an hour later when he finally found me. He found me on accident, hiding in the bath tub, when he had entered the bathroom to use the toilet. I was crying. Ever since, Mike has never gotten annoyed with me or told me to go away.

I had realized that I was blabbering, and I finally stopped talking, blushing. Cole was smiling, though, with a glazed over look of admiration. It sort of made him look like he wasn’t paying attention to my stories, but I knew he was. “You’re really lucky,” he said, “to have a family like that.”

I shrugged, turning redder. “They’re really weird compared to normal families.”

“Yeah, but they love you,” he said. His eyes became a little sad and soft. “You’re really lucky for that.”

I frowned. “Cole…”

He waved away my concern, and his smile returned. “They’re really lucky, too,” he said. “To have you in their lives. That’s really lucky if you ask me.” That look of admiration came back to his eyes.

I must have been tomato red.

Cole’s lips connected with mine.

I wasn’t as shocked as the first and second time he’d kissed me, but I was beginning to think I’d never get used to it. Both of us scooted closer to each other, and I could feel Cole smile in the kiss as he cupped my face in his hands. I snaked my hands around his neck and smiled a bit, too. When did it get like this? When I could openly kiss Cole without concern over exactly what I was doing. Well, I guess at this point, it was more making out than kissing…

Then, without us hearing, the door opened, and Mike walked in. “Thisssbee!” he called before seeing me. “Are you he—“ He saw us just before we broke apart.

I turned red with embarrassment.

Mike turned red with anger.

Cole, though his eyes were a little wide with shock, just said, “Uh hey, Mr. Marquez.”

“What the hell were you just doing?!” Mike roared.

“We were only kissing,” I said quickly.

“Kissing?!”

I could almost see the smirk on Cole’s face, though I wasn’t looking at him. “What? You make it sound like we were having sex or something—“

“Cole!” I said, completely red faced. He had to say something stupid right now.

“—but we were just kissing,” he finished, without regarding me.

Mike pointed to the door, shaking with fury.

Cole got up off the couch, prepared to leave, but I grabbed his arm. As if expecting it, he sat back down. “Wait,” I said. “There’s something I need to ask.” Though now might not have been the best time…

“Whatever it is, the answer is ‘no’,” Mike said.

I ignored him. “Do you think Cole can come with us for Chr—“

“No!” Mike said before I finished.

The cocky smirk on Cole’s face vanished, but I wasn’t going to give up that easily. “Ultimately, it’s my parents and Josh’s decision, right?”

“Your parents wouldn’t let you bring a guy with you to our families Christmas celebration.”

Cole stood. “Hey, if it’s going to be a problem, then it’s okay.” He looked at me. “I’ll just take Joy out sledding or something.” I grabbed his arm again and pulled him so he fell back onto the couch. “Thisbe,” he groaned. “It’s okay.”

“Just because Mike is overreacting to the extreme does not mean it’s a problem. My mother won’t turn you down once she hears you and your sister don’t have anyone to celebrate Christmas with.” I shot a glare a Mike, who looked a little guilty now. I pulled out my phone. “In fact, I’ll call her now.”

I dialed the number. Mike watched me, arms crossed, and Cole fumbled with his hands, staring at the floor.

“Hello?” my mother’s familiar voice said.

“Hi, Mom!” Her voice was enough to make me smile a bit.

“Thisbe, darling, how are you?”

“I’m okay. I got a question for you.”

“Mhm?”

“I got a friend whose stepdad… isn’t going to be around for Christmas. He doesn’t have any other family to celebrate with. He and his sister don’t have anywhere to go…” I trailed off, hoping Mom would understand.

“He?” She caught right away, though she sounded more excited than concerned. “Is he a special he?” she asked.

I blushed. “You could say that, I guess.”

My mom squealed like a teenager. “Aw, sweetie! I’ve missed your first romance, haven’t I!” she said. “Does ‘he’ have a name?”

“Cole Ramsey.”

Cole looked up for a moment when I said his name.

My mother laughed. “The same Cole Ramsey I’m thinking of? The short little scrawny boy that used to pick on you when you were little? The one who put glue in your hair?” she asked. She remembered that?

I smiled, laughing a bit. I looked at Cole, and his brow furrowed in slight confusion that looked cute on him. “Well, he isn’t short and scrawny anymore, but yeah, that’s him.”

“Well then, he must come! No buts about it! I want to meet this new boyfriend of yours!”

I wasn’t about to correct her and say that we weren’t actually dating. There was something about calling Cole my boyfriend that made me smile. Plus, telling her the actually situation would only be confusing. What exactly were we to each other, anyways? Either way, I grinned. “Really?! That’s great!” I shot Mike a look of victory. “Love you too. Bye,” I said into the phone. I hung it up and beamed at Cole. “She says you can come!”

That was the first time I saw Cole grin so genuinely. “Really?”

“Yup!” I gave Mike another look.

He murmured something under his breath and walked out.