"And I should do this for you… why?" He eyed her down in the back of the taxi while she ran her lipstick over her parted lips with a few swipes.
"Because the last guy that agreed to do this for me bailed! I just need you for this one night to show Angela I'm not the single girl at the office party." She left out the fact that his name was the first that blurted out of her mouth when Angela asked her for the name of her "boyfriend."
"You sure? That's what it looks like from here. But, I'm down to change that."
Courtney shut her compact mirror, the blush more apparent on her cheeks. "Shut it! Now remember: small talk only, and no embarrassing stories."
Duncan smirked before recalling the amount of times he can tell the same story about her walking into the boy's locker room on the first day of junior high while bursting into laughter with their friends. She noticed the inner workings of his devious mind were turning their gears.
"I'm serious, Duncan. We need to be convincing."
"So am I, Princess." She internally feigned confusion by his statement, furthering herself into her inner denial of the impact his words had on her heart while the driver pulled up to her firm.
Duncan took advantage of the free wine being passed around the room while he made sure to stay by Courtney's side for the night. He dealt with a few stares from her coworkers, and he'd argue they're only seeing a tame version of him. The suit jacket Courtney brought for him covered up most of his tattoos, but couldn't hide the ink on his hands, the color he decided on this week in his hair, and whatever else they deemed unprofessional in a setting like this.
Courtney tugged him in the direction of her coworker. She greeted her with Duncan on her arm. "Angela! I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Duncan."
"So, this is the man I keep hearing about." Duncan cocked an eyebrow, pleased to hear the fact while she continued. "And I wasn't expecting him to be handsome, too!" Courtney tried her best not to roll her eyes as Angela inflated his ego.
Duncan looked down and noticed a ring on Courtney's middle finger. It was convincing enough to look like an engagement ring, and he smirked to himself before delivering the fabricated news. Why not make this night fun for him, too?
He grabbed her hand and interlocked his fingers with hers. "It's okay, Babe. You can tell them now."
"Tell them what?"
"Okay, I'll do it. We're engaged!" Courtney whipped her head quickly to face Duncan with widened eyes as his lifted her hand with the ring on it. Angela took this as an opportunity to poke holes in their narrative.
"Hmm… that's interesting! You didn't say he was your fiancé, Courtney."
Courtney forced a smile with gritted teeth in Duncan's direction. "Well, that's because I just wasn't ready to announce the news."
"What can I say? I'm just too excited to call you Wifey." Courtney noticed a tray of wine being passed around again and took one. She needed to shed some the nervousness off of her mind.
"Could you excuse us for one second?" Courtney grabbed Duncan's hand and headed to a nearby hall. She turned to him after assuring no one was around. "What are you doing?!"
"Playing along? You said you wanted it to be convincing!"
"I can't believe you told them you were my fiancé! Please, let's just try to keep a low profile from now on?"
"Fine, Princess." They made their way back into the party with Courtney hoping the rest of the event going smoothly.
That's when Angela called for the attention of the entire party to congratulate the couple. Glasses were raised in the air in spirit of a toast while Courtney was forced to accept their congratulations. Duncan hunched slightly to kiss her cheek, leaving a burning sensation where his lips pressed onto her. She felt a red hue tinge across her freckled nose. They heard Tom, the oldest lawyer at the firm, call out from across the room.
"Give her a real kiss, son!"
Courtney felt a thumping in her chest before turning to Duncan. She'd be lying if she told anyone her willingness was only to convince everyone. Duncan tried to push away his hesitations before he held onto her waist and leaned in. It was chaste enough for the setting they were in, but enthralling enough to hook her arms around his neck. He pulled away, but he still held her while he tried to figure out the unreadable expression she gave him before they parted. They knew nothing would be the same after.