This had to be the most awkward social situation possible. As the waitress left to place their order, Rhys took in the woman seated across from him in the small cafe, and he had to admit that the hideous dress she'd been wearing three nights ago hadn't made her justice. Dressed in a simple black summer dress and her hair loose over her shoulders, she had to be the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She was wearing a much more classic shade of lipstick, and the makeup she was using enhanced the many freckles on her cheeks. But for all that she was pretty, she hadn't talked much in the five minutes they'd been sitting together.

It was strange, being on a sort-of-a-date-but-not-exactly with a woman he'd only met for five minutes in a nightclub. He'd barely believed it when she'd called him the next afternoon, and he'd agreed immediately when she'd asked if he wanted to meet for a coffee. So now here they were, Monday afternoon, meeting in his favorite cafe in The Rainbow, and it was awkward. He didn't know why, really. They'd talked and joked around easily the other night, and he hadn't imagined today to be any different. But it was, because Feyre kept twisting her fingers and avoiding looking at him in the eyes. He was about to ask her if she felt okay when she finally opened the conversation:

"Were you serious about this weekend?" The question took him by surprise, and she seemed to realize it, because she blushed and bit her bottom lip before adding "sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out that bluntly."

"No, it's okay. And… yeah, sure. I mean, you'd have to tell me a little more about this wedding you want me to come to, but I'm free, and you can hold me to my promise," he ended with a wink, and she chuckled softly.

"Well, it's my sister's wedding, it's in a hotel upstate, and it's a three-day thing. The actual wedding is on Sunday afternoon, they have activities planned on Saturday, and the rehearsals are on Friday."

"That sounds eventful."

"Yeah, Elain and Lucien went kind of overboard with the whole big wedding thing," she answered, and she seemed to relax a little bit.

"So, if I come with you, we'd go together for the three days then?"

"If.. If you're okay with that?"

"Yeah, why not? It could be fun. Should I call the hotel to get a room there then?"

She turned bright red at that, and her eyes dropped back to her hands. "Actually I… I thought we could… share." The last word came out like a choked whisper, and Rhys frowned. She seemed nice, but he hadn't thought she would be willing to sleep in the same bedroom as him.

"Oh."

"Well… Okay so Saturday I was talking to Lucien, he's my sister's fiancé and he's also my ex's best friend. And he kept saying all these things about how sad he was for me that I was going alone, and how he hoped I was alright and… I kind of snapped."

"Did you kill him?" He said with a wink, and she laughed.

"No, worse. I told him I was coming with… my boyfriend."

"Ooooh okay. So you need me to lie then?"

"Well… yeah." And she continued before he could answer, words coming out of her faster than she probably wanted to: "I mean, you really don't have to say yes if you're not comfortable with it. We only just met and you don't know me and I realize this is a crazy idea that -"

"Feyre, I'm gonna stop you right there."

"It's okay, you don't have to say it, I understand."

He reached across the table to gently grab her chin and make her look up at him. "You didn't let me finish. I was going to say, that if you want, we could maybe talk for a while, and then decide together if we're comfortable with the idea of spending a weekend together? Not that you don't seem charming," he added, "but it could be nice to get to know each other?"

She leaned ever so slightly into his touch and nodded. "You're right."

The waitress came back at that moment with their order, and Rhys took back his hand, before asking: "So, Feyre, you have two sisters then?"

Friday arrived sooner that she wanted it to. Standing outside her apartment with her small suitcase at her feet, Feyre smiled at the man approaching, an overnight bag on his shoulder. He stopped beside her and said: "Hello Darling."

Feyre rolled her eyes. "I told you you didn't need to give me a nickname."

"But I do! It's been a month since we've met, right? Then I've definitely given you a cute nickname by now, Darling. We've agreed to this, remember?"

He was referring to the ongoing text conversation, where they'd established many facts about their so-called relationship.

Where did we meet?

Oh you were definitely the one who initiated the first kiss!

Do I call you Rhys or Rhysand?

Is kissing off limits?

Does this tie match your dress for the ceremony?

Their exchange was endless, full of jokes and stories about their family and respective lives. And full of sweet flirting, too. Rhys was shameless, and he'd been taking this deception seriously enough to have sent her grossly over-the-top but still charming messages over the last few days. Feyre had woken up that morning to a photo of a rising sunshine from what he'd described as his rooftop terrace with the caption "can't wait to spend this beautiful day with you, Darling." She'd snorted, but also blushed a little at how sweet he was with her.

"Ugh, whatever," she answered, and continued "now shush, they're here."

Indeed, Elain and Lucien's car stopped in front of them, and her sister opened the window.

"Feyre, put your bags in the trunk and come in!"

They were sitting in the backseat of the car a minute later, and Lucien started driving, but Elain immediately turned towards them and grinned at Rhys.

"Hello! Rhysand, right?"

"You can call me Rhys, all my friends do," he answered smoothly, smiling at her, and Elain's smile intensified.

"Alright. So Rhys, how did you and Feyre meet?"

Feyre tensed a little bit, but Rhys simply draped his arm on the back of the seat to encircle her, smiled at her fondly and turned back to Elain before starting to tell the story they'd agreed on, about them bumping into each other at an art show in The Rainbow, and hitting it off right away. Elain seemed to buy it easily enough, but then she asked the question Feyre was dreading above all else: "So how come Feyre hasn't mentioned you before?"

But once again, Rhys answered effortlessly. "Well, we've only been dating a month so I think she didn't want to jinx it by telling you really early. Right, Darling?" he said, turning to her and giving her such a charming smile that she was stuck for a second, lost in the depth of his dark blue eyes.

"Yes," she turned to her sister, "plus you were so busy with the preparations for this weekend, I didn't want to impose."

"Oh, not at all. It did make it difficult to find a room for you, but I called the hotel on Monday and I managed to get one of the suites for you!"

Feyre felt herself blush at the reminder that they were going to share a room until Monday morning, and she buried herself in her seat, letting the conversation between Rhys and her sister unfold for the rest of the trip.