Emilie
"I can't believe even my little brother's old clothes are too big for you!"
Brandon is right. It looks like hip-hop is my sole religion. His little brother's clothes are very loose on my body, but it's better than nothing. I'm convinced the pants won't slip down due to the belt I'm wearing, and the hoodie will also stay on.
"I think she looks adorable!"
We both turn around at the new voice—a blonde woman is standing in the doorframe with a grin. Her eyes are blue, and her skin is flawless...could she be Brandon's sister?
"Bailey? Where the fuck did you come from?!" Brandon lifts his right hand and uses two digits to massage his eyelids. "Wait, don't answer that. You're here to ask for more money, aren't you?"
Bailey claps her hands together. "Yes, I am...but that's not a problem, right? You have access to all of Daddy's money."
Brandon flares his nostrils. "If you broke up with your good-for-nothing boyfriend, Dad would happily give you money whenever you need it."
"Yeah...about that... Tom needs money for his bakery. The business isn't going that well."
Brandon pauses before sighing. I don't expect him to help his sister, but he fishes up his phone from his pocket. "You know that Tom is only using you, right? When you stop supporting him, he will break your heart..."
"Don't be silly! Tom loves me!"
"Whatever," Brandon sounds defeated. "Is a P****l transaction fine? Dad will think I'm buying digital services again."
"That's fine, thank you!" Bailey's gaze travels to mine, and a sweet smile spreads over her lips. "Are you one of Brandon's friends?"
"I..." I don't know what to say, but thankfully, Brandon rescues me.
"Emilie is my girlfriend," he says without looking up from his phone. He is still tapping on the screen, completely oblivious to the fact that my jaw is somewhere on the floor. I didn't think we would lie to his family members, too! Even Bailey gasps.
"Girlfriend?!" Bailey glances back at her brother, shock evident in her voice, while Brandon just grunts.
"We are dating..."
"I...I see..." She looks at me again, this time with nosier eyes, and a giggle slips through her lips. "That's quite a height difference between you guys, though. Not that I'm hating! Quite the opposite. I think it's cute—Brandy would have to pick you up to kiss you!"
Brandon groans. "Please don't call me Brandy in public!"
"Why not?" Bailey walks up to her brother. She isn't as short as me but still a foot shorter than him. That, however, doesn't stop her from standing on her tiptoes to grab his cheek. "You will always be my little Brandy, no matter how big or old you get."
Brandon pushes away her hand and shoots his sister a death glare, but she isn't afraid of him.
Instead, she grins. "Can you believe this guy? Trying to scare his big sister when I know what a teddy bear he is." She pokes Brandon's side with her elbow and laughs when he pushes her away. "Hey, be careful!"
"With you?" Brandon arches an eyebrow and snorts. "Please, you're like a cockroach—nothing can harm you."
"True, I'm very sturdy," Bailey says, laughing until she remembers me. "So... Are you two free from your classes or something?"
"No, we were just about to leave," Brandon replies in my stead and finally puts his phone back inside the pocket of his jeans. "I'm driving Emilie to her first class," he glances down at me and does that little head nod thing that guys do. "You coming?"
"Y-yeah!"
"Waaaait!" Bailey grabs my hand, and I whip around, shocked to find her a little breathless. Is she nervous? "I know we just met, but if you're dating my brother, then...umm...maybe we should hang out sometime? You know, grab a coffee or something at my boyfriend's bakery."
I stare at her in shock. Bailey seems lovely, but Brandon and I are just fake-dating each other.
"Bailey, I swear to god..." Brandon mutters before raising his voice to his usual irritated tone. "Emilie and I haven't dated that long. Yesterday was our first date."
Bailey gasps. "And you brought her back to your place after the first date?" quicker than I can react, she closes the distance between her and her brother and glares up at him. "What is the matter with you?! You don't sleep with a woman after the first fucking date!"
His eyes widen. "Slept together? No, we—"
"Don't be mad at Brandon!" I blurt out, interrupting their argument and causing them both to look down at me in stunned silence. Brandon appears more shocked than his sister. "I...I got into trouble yesterday, and Brandon saved me," I blush and stare at the floor. "He is a good guy, and we didn't sleep together."
"Oh..." Bailey blinks before squinting up at her brother. "You better not take advantage of this one. She is adorable. Poor thing obviously doesn't like speaking but still stood up for you."
With that said, Bailey walks downstairs while Brandon silently turns his attention to me. There is a strange expression on his face that I can't read. It's making me nervous.
"Wh-what?" I dare to ask. I'm very proud of it, too; even Brandon's lips twitch in amusement.
"Nothing," he says in a low tone and turns around. "Come on, we don't wanna be late for your class."
I blink in confusion. "We?"
"I'm going to walk into your class and listen to it," he shrugs without turning around to meet my eyes. "I have nothing better to do, and we need to sell that we are a couple."
"Oh..."
"Yes, 'oh'..." He sighs. "It needs to be believable that we are a couple, and that means walking together, eating together, sitting in my lap, and lots of kissing in public places."
"KI-KISSING?!"
"Uh, yes?" He breathes a laugh, and, for the first time, I see him smile when he turns around. But it isn't a nice smile; it's twisted and naughty—the kind that gives you butterflies. "You couldn't honestly have thought that wasn't involved in our deal?"
"I... Umm..." I swallow thickly. My heart is thumping so fast that I'm afraid it's going to escape from my ribcage. It only gets worse when Brandon saunters over to me, smirking.
"Why don't we practice a little before leaving?"
My eyes widen. "S-say that again?"
He doesn't.
Brandon crosses the distance between us and bends down, but...it isn't enough. There are still miles and miles between our lips, and he cracks a smile before laughing.
"Damn, you really are short."
My face burns hotter than the freaking sun. "I...I can't help it..."
Brandon chuckles and stands up straight. "We will save the kissing for later." He heads for the stairs, and I silently follow him with a strange, anxious feeling in my chest.
I know Brandon is pretty, and I'm not stupid enough not to realize I'm attracted to him. But is it normal to feel this disappointed that he didn't kiss me? Yesterday, when his lips brushed against mine, even though it was only by accident, I felt sparks.
...but falling for him is a losing game, right?
Brandon I have a new goal in life: make Emilie Olsson fall in love with me. I can't accept that a girl on campus - especially a nerd - doesn't want me. That's why I'm playing it cool while driving, and when I know Emelie is looking in my direction, I throw my head to the side to make my blonde hair blow around my face. Sexily. Her eyes widen with my movement. "Wh-why are you twitching?" Twitching? This isn't twitching! I'm trying to do that sexy hair thing they do in the Wella hair commercial! "I'm not twitching..." I mutter. How is it that this female is completely immune to my flirting techniques?! "Really?" she doesn't sound convinced. "Because the entire car shakes now and then, and whenever I look at you, I see you moving." Okay, so now I'm blushing. For fuck's sake... This is beyond humiliating, and my voice comes out all growly and irritated, "I was just trying to get my hair in place, okay? That's all there was." Much to my surprise, Emilie giggles. It's a sweet sound th
EmilieI'm having trouble breathing after Brandon's soft lips part from mine. I never thought my first kiss would be with him—the popular jock who is also the son of a billionaire. He is very pretty, too, the kind of guy with eyelashes women around the world would kill for. And I'm in trouble because I want to taste his lips again. I know I'm out of his league, but a girl can dream....right?His muscular arms still hold me, and a faint, pink blush spreads over his face. He must be embarrassed. All of his friends watched him kiss me. And they have no idea it's all for the show, that we are fake-dating, and that he doesn't even like me. In their eyes, their friend has gone mad—why else would he kiss me?Suddenly, one of his friends whistles loudly with two fingers stuffed into his mouth. I recognize him as Henry Scampert. He has been relentless in his bullying ever since middle school. There was this one time he dipped my whole face in the toilet, and trust me, he didn't care that I w
EmilieAfter all of my art classes are over, I'm beat. I've spent most of the day trying not to drop my clothes that are far too big, and I can't wait to get home to change. Luckily, Brandon wasn't around to see me struggle. After lunch, he left for an economy class and said something about being busy with football and gym later. We parted ways, and since I don't have a phone(I left it at Jenna's place after I fled from her party), we didn't exchange phone numbers. Not that I mind. Brandon will change his mind about fake-dating me once he finds someone prettier. That way, he won't have to tarnish his image by being seen with a nerd like me. Sighing, I quicken my pace until I'm finally outside my apartment. It's lively as usual, and when I walk up the stairs, I hear TV series and music playing from behind the doors that I pass. I don't pay it any mind and fish up my keys from my pocket. I'm about to walk up the last stairs when I almost crash into someone—Cindy, the girl from my art
EmilieI come home late after watching Desperate Housewives with Cindy and Laura for hours. It was fun, but my eyes hurt. Gah. I'm ready to sink into my Pokémon oodie and say goodbye to the world before I head off to Dreamland. I'm so tired...But maybe a sandwich would be good? I change into my oodie and open the fridge, scanning the shelves for some ingredients. KNOCK KNOCK!!!My eyes dart to the door. Did I forget something at Cindy's place? I stop making my sandwich and stomp over to the hallway. I expect to find Cindy behind it, maybe even Laura, but it's Brandon. "Where have you been?!" These are the first words he barks at me. "I've knocked on your door a billion times!"I stare up at him since words won't come to me—my selective mutism has struck again. Brandon, however, doesn't call me out on this and instead sighs before handing me a box and a bag. "Your clothes are in the bag, and there's a new phone in the box. You're welcome."Wait, he went to Jenna's place to get my c
Brandon I jerk awake when an episode of the rom-com ends and notice Emilie has fallen asleep. Her head rests in my lap, red hair sprawled out in every direction, and I frown. “Typical...” A sigh leaves my lips. I planned to spend the night with her so she would fall for me. That’s my sole reason for coming to her apartment, but the little lady fell asleep on me before we could get to the good part: me getting undressed. How am I supposed to seduce her now?! Emilie shivers in her sleep, and I roll my eyes before picking her up into my arms. She doesn’t wake up. Her head rolls against my chest, a content smile on her mischievous little lips. I place her on her bed and tuck her in. I plan on sleeping on the couch but freeze when her eyes open. “Is it morning yet?” she mumbles. My lips twitch. “No, go back to sleep.” “But I’m not tired...” I snort. “Filthy liar.” “Okay, so maybe a little tired,” she giggles, making herself more comfortable against her pillow. “Are you staying ove
Emilie "I need you." My jaw slacks to the ground. I'm more than a little shocked to hear those words. What's even more startling is seeing Brandon half-naked inside my living room. Why isn't he wearing a shirt? And why is he looking at me like I'm his next meal?! "Uhh…" I take a step back from him out of sheer anxiety. "Wh-what are you doing here?" "I had to see you," he says. I squint at him. "Can you repeat that?" Is he drunk? Maybe there are funny mushrooms in his system? I keep studying him in silence, causing him to chuckle. "Aren't you happy to see me?" Even though I open my mouth, I'm not given a chance to respond. Brandon closes the distance between us - almost as if he teleported - and suddenly, his hands are on my waist, lifting me up into his arms. "I've been thinking about you a lot," he murmurs against my neck as he breathes me in. I'm so nervous that I release this awkward laugh. "Y-you have?" "Mhm…" "I see…" This is so awkward. I lean back, and Brandon smi
Emilie "You were never meant to be with Brandon," Laura says as she reads the lines in my palm. My apartment is pitch-black, and the only light source is a few flickering candles on my table. "It's very strange that Brandon came into your life...almost as if it were by a random event..." I squirm in my chair. "Is that so?" "Yes," she lifts her green eyes to mine. "But that doesn't mean you can't change the future. There might be a chance if you would rather be with Brandon than the one I saw you marrying in my first vision." "Who did you see me marrying?" "Sheldon Milhouse." My heart somersaults, not because I'm in love with Sheldon, but because he asked me out a month ago, or...I think that's what he was doing. Sheldon is bad with words - just like me - and I only understood what he was trying to do when it was too late. I sigh. "Sheldon is from my art class." "I know," Laura smiles. "Tall, lanky, and looks a bit nerdy?" "That sounds like him," I say. But he is nice, and I do
Emilie "I can't believe you're letting me borrow this dress!" I spin around inside Cindy's living room and beam at her. "No problem. It suits you," Cindy says and claps her hands. "I've never used that short A-line dress before. Pink isn't my color, but I love it on you. You look cute!" "Agreed," Laura says from the armchair. She is popping popcorn into her mouth, and Brandon narrows his eyes. "How aren't you fat yet?" he mutters. "You're always eating." "I go to the gym," she answers back with spice. "But this isn't about me—don't you think your girlfriend is pretty?" I wait for the moment his attention shifts to my dress, curious about his reaction to me wearing pretty clothes and makeup. My chest is heaving. Finally, his eyes land on mine. It's truly the most nervous moment of tonight since his opinion matters the most. Sadly, he doesn't seem that impressed. He looks away. "The dress is fine..." Just fine? My courage falters, but the second Cindy sees my smile vanishing, s