Fake It Till We Make It

04

"Am I going to meet him today, Ruth?"

Tita Ellen marched up to me the moment I arrived at the church on Phoebe's wedding day, effectively wiping away my wild wish that she would still somehow forget. You'd think she'd ask me later, after the ceremony had ended, but she wouldn't be my dear aunt if she didn't ask about it outright.

Before I could say anything, I felt a hand touch the small of my back, and then I was pulled to a sideways hug.

"It took me a while to park, sorry," Ian said, his hand firm and gentle on my shoulder.

The way he said it sounded so natural that I almost believed what he said. But it wasn't; this was part of the script that we had planned and practiced last night. Ian had arrived at the same time as I did, but he had stayed at the back, waiting for the cue – which was my aunt's first question.

I smiled at him before looking at my aunt. I watched in amusement as her eyes widened and her jaw slackened just a little bit as she looked at me and Ian. My boyfriend.

"Tita Ellen, this is Ian," I said, leaning my head ever so slightly on his shoulder. "Ian, this is my Tita Ellen."

"Good morning po," he let go of my shoulder and tried to get her hand for a blessing, but she recovered quickly and instead moved to buss his cheek.

"Hello, nice to meet you, Ian." She actually fluttered her eyelashes. "Are you Ruth's...friend?"

Ian grinned. "I guess I am...?"

I suppressed a snort. "Tita, he's my boyfriend."

It was as if the word lit a fire beneath her. My aunt's eyes brightened and she gave Ian a very long look that made me uncomfortable. When he had passed her scrutiny, she smiled.

"It was very nice to meet you, Ian!" she exclaimed. "I have to go now, but I hope to talk to you later, alright?"

She gave him an air kiss before turning to me. Her hand squeezed my arm. "Good job, Ruth. I'm so proud of you."

When Tita Ellen left, Ian nudged me with his shoulder. "I totally see what you mean now," he said with a chuckle.

"We're not out of the woods yet, you know," I said with a sigh. "We still have the reception. Great timing there by the way."

"I was just following the script," Ian shrugged, then tugged at his peach necktie, and it was the first time I noticed that he indeed wore my gift. I gave the tie to him yesterday, so we could somehow match a little bit, thinking that it would make us look more like a couple. I didn't press him to wear it, because later I thought it seemed a little bit tacky, but seeing it there made me smile. He tugged again, loosening the knot and messing it up. I swatted his hand away to fix it.

When I was done, I looked up and our gazes met, my eyes locking with his. Somehow, I had pulled Ian toward me or I had stepped toward him – I couldn't remember – and now we were standing very close, so close that I could see the faint scar above his eyebrow and the light freckles across his cheekbones. I felt the soft thud-thud-thud of his heart through the back of my hand that was still holding onto his tie, and was it just my imagination or did his heartbeat pick up the pace?

"Ruth." His voice had gone huskier than what I remember.

"Yeah?" Mine was soft, just barely above a whisper.

The edges of Ian's lips quirked. He nodded over my head. "Your tita is watching us."

I let go of his tie and glanced over my shoulder. True enough, Tita Ellen had her eyes on us even as she whispered to my other aunt, who had a curious look on her face. She caught me looking and she waved at us, her expression proud and happy.

This was partly the intention, but ugh, gag. I bet every single one of my relatives will know about Ian before the ceremony was over. Throw in a few guests for good measure.

"Are you sure you're still up for this?" I asked him. "You can still back off. Run. I can handle this, really."

"And miss out on all of the fun and food? Of course not!" Ian laughed, and I thought that his laughter must have made a pleasant rumble in his chest if only my hand was still there.

What did I just think? I shook my head, pushing the thoughts away.

"I'm not leaving you alone here, Ruth," he continued. "We're a team, remember?"

Right. We were. There was that feeling again, one that was fondness and humility and gratitude, swirling into a medley of emotions that warmed me from the inside.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the coordinator starting to gather the members of the entourage and leading them to the entrance of the church. I turned to Ian. "I have to go. I'll talk to you later?"

"I'll be here," he replied. He opened his arms and I accepted his hug but was surprised to feel his lips press gently against my cheek.

It was over before I could even process it. Ian stepped back and was about to leave, but I grabbed his arm before he could take another step.

"That...that wasn't in the script." I stammered. All the warmth I felt seconds ago rose to my cheeks, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were as pink as the rose on my corsage.

He shrugged and smiled. "I know."