Imagine: every day Gen and I would walk to school together. Half way through grade ten, we developed a group of friends, including Peter. I wouldn't say we were the popularest- forgive my spelling- kids in school….. but we were the popularest kids in school. A large part of that had to do with Peter, and partly Gen; they were both just extremely popular people. I was more of the weird friend who just hung around because Gen was my bestie.

Every morning we'd get to school. It was the same routine: go in the building, put our stuff in our lockers, and head over to where our group met. Peter was usually there before us, talking and chilling with a few others. He spotted us and instantly smiled. "Hey, cutie," Gen greeted him first, walking over with her arms wide open. This was before they were dating; it was clear from the start that she was into him. Peter however, at least for the first year, was harder to read. He hugged her back then turned to me. "Hey, Covey." He thought my last name was quote "cute", just like me apparently. And there it was; soft melodies from Pride and Prejudice already started playing from the moment I saw him. He waited for a second before grinning.

"What, are you getting lazy?" "Huh?" I blinked in my utter teenage confusion; not knowing to feel insulted whatsoever- oh, how things change with age. "Get over here," Peter instructed me. Oh! I blinked in realization. Then, wearing the most awkward elated smile, I walked over to Peter so he could wrap his arms around me. I was holding a textbook currently in my arms so I couldn't hug him back. But boy, did I enjoy myself in that moment, shutting my eyes and letting the music play on. Peter made a sound like he was smelling something, which I guess was me. "Huh," he said more to himself than me, I think. "What perfume are you wearing?" "Uh, none!" I wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing, feeling embarrassed all the same. Peter rested his head on my hair, still holding me close. "You smell like flowers."

"Alright, favorite store?" "Lush," I answered without hesitation. "Why am I not surprised?" Peter grinned to himself as the jeep turned onto my street. "Ok, your turn." "Hmmmm, favorite food?" "I'm a fries and burger kind of guy." "Why am I not surprised?" I laughed as Peter pulled up into my house. The jeep stopped and we looked at each other with soft eyes.

"Thank you, for getting me home safe. I appreciate it." "No problem. I wanted to make sure you got home alright anyway." And I had to turn my head to hide a smile. I guess Peter took this as his cue to continue talking, er asking. "So, what are you going to say to Sanderson?" "I have to tell him the truth," I said honestly. "Yeah, but uh, you know; what is the truth? I mean do you still like him? Do you not?" "Uh….." Even I had to think about this for a minute. I still didn't know…. I didn't know.

"I don't know," I suddenly heard my mouth say without my permission. Bad mouth! "I do… love him; I truly do. But….." "But what?" Peter asked. I sighed and looked forward onto the dashboard. "He's my best friend; the Josh I love was Margot's boyfriend. I love him desperately….. as a friend. And everyone says I'm "in love" with him, but I can't say for myself. It's in the realm of possibilities but…." My head gave a little shake as I sucked in my lips. "I don't know; I just don't know."

"Oh," I can't say that I was surprised by Peter's relieved tone. Going off what he said earlier, I think that was along the lines of what he wanted to hear. And I was simply being transparent too; I didn't say it for his or my benefit. It was just honestly how I felt. But Peter seemed to take this as a good sign. I know because he sat back in his seat and also turned his head forward; it didn't take a genius to see that the wheels were turning. "Well, how about this?" "What?" "What if… you didn't tell him?" "I can't do that, Peter," I immediately shot that idea down. "It wouldn't be ethical; I have to talk to Josh." "Why?" "Because I don't want him to get the wrong idea," I countered. "He deserves an explanation. Besides, he sent me like a billion roses the other day. You said so yourself; that's guy code for "I like you"." "How do you know he sent them?" "Because the card had a J on it. J for Josh." "Lots of names start with J: Josh, Jared, Jacob, John….."

"It doesn't matter," I waved my hands around in the air. "Either way, I know I wrote him a letter and based on the evidence of you and Lucas getting one, I assume he got his." Peter considered this for a minute before sighing himself. "Look, I'm gonna level with you. I still like Gen; that's probably not going to change anytime soon. But the girl's driving me nuts! She's not like you; she doesn't "respect" my decisions, at least when it comes to relationships." "What do you mean?" My head tilted puzzled. "You remember that day at the mall?" How could I forget? "Well, we broke up that day; or rather, I broke up with her." "Oh… why?" "Gen's really fun… in limited doses. But we're getting older and my partying days are coming to a close. Do you get what I mean? I'm going to be starting masters soon. It's time that I start thinking about the future….. you know, like wife-material."

Oh! Oh…. oh, yeah; I get that like 100%. Entering your later twenties, this becomes a thing, and while I was only twenty-four, I wouldn't be for much longer. Soon, I'd be closer to thirty than twenty…. if that wasn't a terrifying thought. There's no better way to explain it than you "grow up"; and judging by the way Gen spoke to Peter back at the mall, she still had a long way to go. Peter, on the other hand… "What are you getting at?" I asked, trying not to sound rude. I know he had a point to make but he wasn't being very clear. "Long story short, Gen isn't taking the break up well," Peter admitted tiredly. "She keeps calling and texting me, trying to get back together." "And you think I can help with that?" My eyebrow raised a little suspiciously. "Well yeah, actually. You see, Gen would leave me alone…. if I was dating someone else."

I responded by wordlessly opening up the car door and firmly shutting it behind me. "Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Peter instantly leapt out from his side of the jeep, racing over to me as I marched up the front path. "We're too old for this, Peter," I said, not even bothering to look him in the eye. "What are you talking about? You didn't hear my whole thing yet." "No, no. I literally just told you that I may have feelings for Josh; Josh is my top relationship priority at the moment. And then, you ask me to be your girlfriend to get your ex off your back? How wrong is that?!" "Hey! I didn't mean be in an actual relationship; just let people think we're together, just for a little while." "I'm not going to play any games with you," I retorted sternly.

"It's not a game! Well, it kinda is but come on! You didn't play any games in high school." "Because they're not ethical! I am kind of girl, Peter; you should know that." "I do! Actually…. that's why I kinda want you to be my fake girlfriend," he finally admitted, looking very petty at the moment. His hand rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "If you "date" me, Gen will think it's real because you don't play games. She'll back off once she sees that I'm no longer available." "Uh, Peter? Have you ever seen angry exs before? You think Gen wouldn't make my life a living hell? She'd be so jealous that she'd do everything to hurt me. And to be frank with you, I didn't come all the way back to America to have some woman ruin my summer before my last year of undergrad. And that's not even taking Josh's feelings into account! The answer is no, absolutely not!"

"To hell with Sanderson!" This… was the most disgusting thing Peter had ever said. I was about to berate him until I was red in the face, but he went on. "The dude just broke up with your sister, kay? He told you that he's still in love with another woman, who also happens to be your sister! He's your best friend; until you get feelings that aren't purely platonic for him, he's stuck in the friendzone. You don't owe him anything outside being his best friend; you don't have to save yourself for him, especially when he's hung up on Margot. You don't have to make yourself love him because you think you owe it to him; that's not how it works. If you do love Josh- in a romantic sense- then I'll back off and never say another word about it. But you yourself said you don't know. That's not how solid relationships start, with one of the parties unsure." And my jaw dropped; my mouth literally hung open in awe. Not because Peter was yelling at me for the third time since I got back but because…. he was right. Somewhere, deep deep down, I knew that he was right. And a part of me still believed that because I loved Josh so much as a friend, that I owed it to him to also love him romantically… when he needed me. Yeah, ok; that's also problematic.

Peter stopped to take a breath, shake his head, and plant his hands on his hips while he looked up at the sky. I waited for him to speak next because honestly…. I had nothing to say to this. We both knew he was right; I had no objection to offer. "How long did you say Sanderson was gone for?" "Uh, a month?" "Alright, how about this? I'm assuming that you still have some loyalty to Sanderson despite what I just said." I nodded quietly, unable to look him in the eye. "Ok, how about this? We become a couple for a month- just a month. We don't have to call each other "boyfriend" or "girlfriend"; we'll only do what you're comfortable with. Just be… mine for a month; without that sounding creepy," Peter paused to draw in a deep breath. "And then, if you feel something akin to romance for Sanderson by the end of the month, we can stop this….. whatever you want to call it."

I looked at Peter with gigantic eyes. After all that, he still wanted to enter a fake relationship with me. And all because Gen won't leave him alone. However, what I said about Gen earlier still holds; even if Josh wasn't in the picture, she'd still make my life miserable over the summer. My head shook, though not as confidently as I'd like. "Gen would do everything in her power to murder me. I'm flattered, but it's really not a good idea." Not if I want to enjoy my summer. "Look, don't worry about Gen. I won't let her do anything to you." "You can't promise that. And besides, you're still in love with her; how could you really stop her from doing anything? You'd always pick her over me." "No, I wouldn't. You'd be my girlfriend, or whatever you call it; you'd be my first priority in everything," Peter retorted with such genuine sincerity that I actually blushed.

Peter spotted my moment of weakness and went in for the kill. "I know you don't play games and have an ethical issue with this. But would it still be a problem if you set the terms and we didn't use the word "dating"? There's gotta be a way to make this morally viable for you." "Well I guess the only way is if we really became a couple… for the month," I quickly added. That's when Peter and I looked at one another in true understanding for the first time. If we did this, we'd have to be together for it to be ethical enough for me….. Sure, it would only be for a month, but we'd be really together. Peter would be mine… all mine for a month. My heart suddenly felt in my throat as the same lovely tune began to play in my head. Mr. Darcy… My mouth opened a touch as words and music all jumbled together inside my mind. Peter took his cue, seeing the dawning light shine through my eyes.

"Please, Aerity; I don't trust anyone else besides you." "But… we've only just met after six years apart." "Come on," his expression morphed into one unimpressed. "This is you we're talking about. You're like the textbook definition of a delicate flower and trust me; that's not a bad thing. You like radiate this goodness is what I mean." Peter, my eyes started to grow. "So….. will you be uh… will you be mine for the month, Covey?" Peter's gaze met mine again, intently. "And maybe longer, depending on how things go? With you and Sanderson I mean." "You have to be ok with that, Peter," I qualified. "He's my best friend; he's not going anywhere." "The dude's not even in the same city. But yes, I promise I won't freak out over your friendship. Let me qualify the word "friendship". You need to be honest with me about your feelings with him, ok?" "Ok, deal," my head gave a nod. Deal…

"So?" "So….." A pregnant pause swept over us as our gazes drifted, thinking…. realizing. "Peter?" "Covey?" And I smiled; I smiled…. "I'll do it, on one condition." The memory of my trauma and Josh holding me in his arms flashed through my mind. Of course, that would come up…. it was bound to at some point. "It's sounds really needy and I'm sorry, but…. please try and be understanding with me. There might be times when I get weird or scared…." "Hey, whoa, whoa," Peter's hand lifted into the air; my sudden shaky voice made him look nervous. "There's nothing to be scared about. I'd never do anything to hurt you." "Not you…." I whispered with my lower lip constantly quivering. It took him a second, but Peter finally blinked in comprehension.

"Don't worry; you're safe. You're safe with me." I didn't respond, still trying to control my now shaking bottom lip. Peter's eyes softened intently. "Is that why you miss Sanderson so much? You feel vulnerable apart like this?" And my head nodded; it was so true that I couldn't even try to deny it- not that I would. Peter took a few steps closer to me, his eyes still locked onto my worried face. "Will you tell me about it someday?" I nodded again, still not looking up. Peter's hand rose up to my chin, gently rising it so I had to meet his eyes. His beautiful, endless eyes…. "It's ok; it's ok, Aerity. I won't let anything happen to you; not while I'm around," his eyes lowered into mine. "I'm here. I'm here now."