Annabeth greeted Zoe with a smile as she breezed into the office Monday morning. "Hi Zoe." She had been waiting for Zoe to arrive; there were some very specific questions she wanted to ask her, and they all had to do with Wade. Zoe came to the desk and looked through a couple of the files for her upcoming patients. She said hello. "I wanted to tell you Shula is coming in today. She mentioned a sore throat." Zoe nodded. "Mr. Thompson is already waiting in the exam room. He was extra, extra early today." That made Zoe laugh. "And I need some clarity as to why there's a picture of you kissing Wade on the Blawker?" That caused Zoe to pause.

"AB," She began, "I was drunk. And I kissed Wade." She picked up her files. "It's unfortunate that it ended up on the Blawker, but that's all that it was." Zoe cringed inwardly. The last thing she wanted was the town thinking there was something going on between her and Wade.

"Really Zoe? Wade?" Annabeth grilled. "Come on."

"What?" Zoe put her hands up defensively. "It's not the first time I've been more than buzzed and found comfort in Wade." Annabeth's mouth dropped open. "It's just Wade." She watched her friend shake her head in judgement. "It's no big deal AB. Besides, Wade's hot." She winked. "Thanks for getting Mr. Thompson set up." Zoe turned on her heel and went into the exam room. She didn't want the conversation to continue any further.

"Wade Kinsella!" Wade stopped chewing the chocolate croissant he had been shoving into his mouth. Lemon rounded the corner and he felt a headache sprouted instantly. "Tell me what you are doing kissing Zoe Hart on the Blawker?" She held her phone up, close to his face, invading his personal space. He continued to chew, taking the time to think of an excuse. "I mean honestly, Wade." Lemon continued.

"Well, Zoe was drinking and she gets a little touchy feely when she's drinking. So she kissed me." He shrugged. Lemon groaned and rolled her eyes.

"She is more of a mess than I thought." Wade chuckled. "As long as you two aren't back together." Wade shook his head. "Okay, good." She turned and walked away, kissing an eavesdropping Lavon on the way.

Once she was out of earshot, Lavon looked at Wade. "You know if she finds out, we're both dead." Wade nodded. "Great. You and Zoe better keep a lid on this."

"You got it." Wade finished his pastry in one bite before heading out the door. Lavon could only shake his head. Only these two would find themselves in such trouble.

That night, Wade made his way over to Zoe's house. He wanted to talk to her about what he had told Lemon and make sure they were on the same page. Hopefully, this would be the end of their lie.

"Hey." Zoe let him in and went back to her couch. She paused the TV. "What's up?"

"Lemon saw something on the Blawker about us."

"Oh right!" Zoe's hand went to her head. "I forgot, AB asked me about it too. The kiss."

"Right, the kiss. Anyway, I told Lemon you had too much to drink."

"Wade!" Zoe got up and slapped his chest. Wade curled into himself quickly to protect from her slap. "Why'd you say I was drunk?" She asked.

"Zoe, I was working!" He argued back. She bit her lip and thought it through.

"Okay. That's what I told Annabeth too."

"What's the slap for then?" Wade asked rubbing his stomach.

"You deserve it." She said with a smile. "As usual. Because you're Wade."

"Right." Wade shook his head. "Goodnight Doc." Zoe watched him leave her home. They had nearly dodged trouble and had done so with their quick thinking, which was aligned. She smiled to herself; it was nice to be getting along so well with Wade again.

After that night, the two of them fell back into their peaceful and platonic existence. There was little mention of the game of make believe and what the future held for them. Zoe was happy, Wade was happy, and they coexisted as friends.

That was until Karli and her boyfriend, Andrew, stopped into the Rammer Jammer one Sunday afternoon. "Wade!" Karli called, coming up to the bar. "How are you?" Wade almost forgot who she was, but quickly remembered and said hello. "We thought we'd stop by. I love this place."

"Reminds me of home." Andrew said.

"You an Alabama native?" Wade asked pouring them beers. Andrew shook his head.

"Backwoods South Carolina."

"Is Zoe meeting you here or something?" Wade asked.

"No, we just stopped on our way back to Mobile. I had this fantastic idea that I am so excited about. I was going to text Zoe, and I will, but I figured you could tell her." Wade's eyebrows went up. He and Zoe were supposed to be over by now. "We are going to rent this cute cottage out in the woods. We want you two to come. Justin and Duke will be there too. It'll be like a medical reunion."

"Except we're not all doctors." Andrew stated dryly. Karlie rolled her eyes.

"Would you rather me go by myself." She asked him. Andrew shook his head.

"I doubt either Wade or myself would send their girls on a trip with two other men."

"You got that right." Wade said.

"Okay, so you'll come?" She asked Wade.

"Yeah, I guess. That sounds cool." He didn't even know where the words were coming from. He certainly should check with Zoe first.

"Yay! I'll get the dates to you and Zoe. I'm so excited. Andrew and I left here last time talking about how amazing you were," Wade looked at Andrew who just shrugged. "Zoe is so in love with you." Karli said. Wade smiled uneasily.

"And I with her." The words came out effortlessly, and he wondered if they were true or just him elaborating on Zoe's lie. It made him uncomfortable. "Well enjoy." They took off to go find a table. He wasn't sure how Zoe was going to handle this. If she was nervous about one little night, an entire weekend would certainly throw her.

"What?" Zoe said jumping up from her couch. "You did what? A whole weekend?" Wade rubbed his eyes. He suddenly felt like he was really her boyfriend and he had just screwed up.

"Zoe, you weren't there, Karli was very convincing, I didn't know what I was saying. Plus, I thought you were going to tell them we broke up."

"I was giving it some time." She shouted.

"Look if you don't want to, say you have to work." Zoe slumped back into the couch.

"I'm just surprised at you."

"Because I agreed?" She nodded. "I got caught up. Plus, I can use a weekend away, do some fishing."

"Wade, it's not a boy's weekend. It's a romantic getaway." Zoe paced in front of him.

"Well, I don't know about that. Justin and Duke will be there. How romantic can we get?" Zoe rolled her eyes.

"Wade, you have to be my boyfriend again. That's kissing, hand holding, sleeping together in the same bed," His eyebrows went up. "Don't get any ideas." She said. She loved that he still acted as if it was such a great idea for them to have sex. It made her feel good inside, even if it was just a joke. "Are you sure you can handle all that?" She asked.

"Me? What about you? I don't want you to go falling in love with me." He winked.

"Wade," She turned serious. Serious because she had never said she loved him and the truth was, she had. She did. But those feelings had been pushed aside because she was so scared. He had broken her heart badly, and just admitting that she loved him made her worried he'd do it again. It made her vulnerable, and he had already destroyed that privilege.

"Look Doc, I can handle a weekend with you."

"Okay. Then I'll tell Karli we're in." She sighed. "I hope this doesn't backfire." She said under her breath.

It was Friday afternoon, and Zoe was waiting for Wade to bring help bring her luggage out to the truck. They were driving separately from everyone else to the cottage. She was completely nervous. "Geez Doc, how much you bringing?" He looked at her small suitcase and then tote bag. She rolled her eyes, but he picked them up anyway and made his way to the truck.

Once they were in and going down the road, Zoe just couldn't stop her mind from reeling. She wanted to be believable, but not overdo it. A part of her thought the sham was just a ridiculous idea, especially since Justin meant nothing to her.

"Look Doc, relax." Wade said. He didn't even need to look her way to know she was wringing her hands in her lap.

"I'm just worried about this. What are we going to say about why we were apart? How can we tell them you let me go to New York?"

"Zoe, you wanted to try something different, so you did. We're fine." He said with shrug. "Sometimes relationships are long distance." Zoe nodded in agreement. "It'll be fine. I can play along; I know you well enough, hell, I know you better than any of them. Seen you naked more too." Her tiny fist hit his arm.

"Wade! None of them have seen me naked." She argued.

"And rightfully so." He said with a smirk. She groaned. It was going to be a long weekend.

When they arrived they were greeted by Karli and Andrew. Justin and Duke were on their way still. "You're going to love this place!" Karli exclaimed. Although Wade liked Karli well enough, he cringed at her constant state of excitement. "It's beautiful."

"Some cottage." Wade drawled after looking at the massive home. It most certainly was not a cottage.

"You're telling me." Andrew said, handing him a bag.

"The New York City version?" Andrew laughed and nodded. They followed the girls up the steps and across the sweeping porch.

"So, I thought you two would like to have the basement. It's beautiful and private." She winked at Zoe. "And fully finished off."

"The basement?" Zoe looked uneasy.

"No, I'm telling you. Amazing." Karli said with her hands going wide. "It has a nice bedroom and full bath." They followed Karli and Zoe was pleased with the space. It was fully done and nothing like a basement she was expecting.

"This'll work." Wade said putting Zoe's bag on the bed.

"Okay, good. So Justin and Duke should be here soon. We're going to barbecue tonight. Wade do you want to do the honors? Andrew can help."

"Sure." Wade said. He could barbeque pretty well. The couple left Wade and Zoe alone. He looked at her. "This is a nice place." Zoe nodded. She started going through her bag. "I like them, Karli and Andrew. They're down to earth." She just hummed an agreement. "What's wrong with you?" Zoe shook her head as if nothing was wrong. "Right. Zoe Hart is never quiet." He got up to use the bathroom.

Zoe looked around the room, a nice sized bed in a private area of the house. She and Wade were almost getting a second chance, but it wasn't real. For some reason, it was affecting her too much. She wasn't supposed to be falling love with him; this was pretend. Her emotions kept slinging between the happiness she and Wade once had, and the hurt that she was refusing to let go.

That night, she watched from her lawn chair while Wade barbequed with Andrew. Justin and Duke stayed by her and Karli, but she was totally focused on Wade. He was having such a good time with Andrew. "Look at them," Karli said. "They're totally in their element." She smiled. "Andrew needed a friend." Zoe watched Wade. It hit her in small pieces, little memories of when they were happy before he had broken her heart. When she was away, she had missed him - even though they had broken up. Just because a relationship ends doesn't mean the feelings stop all at once. For Zoe, she willed them to, only because she thought it would make it easier to get over him. She was born to put her feelings way deep down inside of her, which is why she and Wade made the perfect pair. He was too.

"So, Zoe," Duke started, interrupting her thoughts, "how is Bluebell? I'm surprised you chose to go back." Duke was a psychiatrist at the hospital in New York. Now he was working in Mobile for a special program. Zoe always had a crush on him; he was tall, with dark hair and eyes, and always complimentary to her. Even if nothing had ever happened, it had been nice to have a man pay attention to her, be polite and kind. He was the opposite of Wade in many ways – he was exactly like the guys she used to date before Wade. The type of guy that could not hold her interest, which only made her annoyed.

"Bluebell is great." She said. "I had some unfinished business to take care of." Karli laughed.

"I hope you don't mean Wade." She said laughing. The other two started laughing as well.

"Did I hear my name" Wade appeared with a platter of meat.

"Yes!" Karli said. "Zoe was telling us she came back to Bluebell to handle her unfinished business."

"I didn't mean you, Wade." Zoe said quickly.

"Well we did need to be in the same state eventually." Wade winked at her, and she felt like the conversation was back in their control. "I'm glad Zoe took some time away. It was needed for her to realize this is her home." He took a seat next to Zoe at the table. "Right, baby?" His hand moved down her back lightly and Zoe nodded. The tingle she got from his index finger tracing her spine was making her squirm and Wade knew it. She shifted in her seat and smiled tightly at him. His finger stopped, but the smirk on his face did not diminish. He kept his hand on the back of her seat, and they focused their attention on the conversation.

After the dishes had been done, the group settled down inside. The guys picked up some cards and Karli snuggled in next to Andrew. Zoe yawned next to Wade. "Want to head to bed?" he asked quietly in her ear. She shrugged. "You did work today." He reminded her.

"Okay." She replied.

"We'll see y'all tomorrow." Wade said getting up with Zoe in toe.

"Fishing tomorrow?" Andrew asked. Wade nodded. He threw his arm over Zoe's shoulders as they said goodnight and headed downstairs.

Wade stripped his shirt as soon as the door was closed, and Zoe went to gather her things to get ready for bed. She went into the bathroom, leaving the door ajar. "You and Andrew are getting along well." She said through the door.

"Yeah, he's cool. It'll be good to go fishing." He sat on the bed. He could see a thin line of her through the door. She was leaning on the sink taking her makeup off. It reminded him of the time he came out of the shower to find her shaving her legs with his shaving cream. These small actions were intimate. The talking through the open door, his hand on the back of her chair at dinner – they were all the way real couples acted. He stood and unzipped his jeans, throwing them over a chair in the corner.

"You're quiet." Zoe said coming out of the room. She looked him over.

"Just thinking." He went into the bathroom and left the door the same. Zoe folded her clothes and laid them on top of the dresser. She climbed into the bed and rolled on her side facing the door of the bathroom.

He came out and climbed into bed, turning off the light on the night stand beside him. "Wade?" She asked in the dark.

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you tell me you bought the bar?" Her voice was soft, and he folded an arm under his head as he stared at the ceiling. She had wanted to ask him since she heard him say it, weeks ago when they played pretend the first time.

"Don't know. There wasn't time. You came back and it threw me for a loop." She watched him in the dark. She wanted him to know how sorry she really was, but no matter how many times it came out, it never covered the sentiment the right way.

"Wade, I – " She began, but her voice betrayed her and she couldn't produce the words. She wanted to tell him she was proud of him too.

"It's no problem, Doc." There he was, shutting down.

"Wade." She whispered. He turned his body on his side away from her.

"Night, Doc." He said over his shoulder. It was over before it even started. "Stick to the plan." He stated. Zoe squeezed her eyes shut and turned over heavily onto her other side. What was she doing? They were pretending, and yet it felt so good to be so close to him, to know he was back on the other side of the same bed. Countless nights they had spent together, mornings waking up, with his arms securely holding her to him. For a long time, since they had broken up, she missed it. She missed him.

On the other side of the bed, Wade sighed. He stared straight ahead of him. Zoe was right there, less than feet away, tucked under covers, and he was paralyzed. Paralyzed to say anything or do anything. If he told her he still loved her, she might run away again or remind him it was over. It was over. He had to keep repeating it to himself over and over again, now and especially during the time she was gone.

At first, when she left, he counted the days. He had hope that she'd return and they start over. Then after three months passed, she called Lavon to tell him she'd be staying longer in New York. She hadn't even had the decency to text Wade herself. He knew she felt bad; he could hear it now in her voice. A part of him only wanted to punish her, and another part of him wanted to turn over and pull her to him, hold her close all night. But to him, the latter was impossible. It was easier this way. He could protect them both if they just stuck to their plan.

A/N: I do not own Hart of Dixie. Thanks so much for the reviews on my previous chapter! I love hearing from everyone! xoxo -Brie