Page 58 of Meet Cute Reboot
“Wait. Wait.”
After he pushes Sonja off, he shakes his head like he just came up from a long dive under water. His eyelids are peeled back, white donuts circling brown irises.
Laughter spills from my throat. I clutch my stomach. Here comes the hernia. “Your eyes about popped out of your head.”
Luke grabs my phone. “Let me see that again.” He replays the video. “Thank goodness, they didn’t fall out of her shirt.”
“Look,” I say. I replay the video again. “You look like you’re coming up for air.”
“I was!”
His comment doubles my laughter. I fall to the parking lot.
“Get up, woman.” He grabs my arms. “You’re gonna get dirty.”
“I can’t,” I say, gasping for air.
Luke chuckles along with me. “You have to delete that video.”
“The internet never forgets!”
“We gotta scrub it.”
I let Luke pull me to my feet. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny. I don’t even know why I’m laughing.”
We look at each other, and I burst out laughing again. “Sorry. I’ll stop.” I take a deep breath and release it through rounded lips.
Luke and I continue along the boardwalk. We reach the pier and walk onto the weathered planks.
“Seriously, though,” he says. “Can we delete it?”
“I’m supposed to put a comment on it so people can vote for our next date. And...Sonja’s face isn’t in the video. Just her...you-know-whats.”
“I’m feeling a little violated.”
“It was an accident. And it has five thousand views.”
Luke flashes me an incredulous look and grabs my phone. “How is that even possible?”
“Don’t look. It’s probably more now.”
Benches line the pier’s perimeter. Luke walks to a gap between them and leans against the railing. I walk beside him and grasp the rough-hewn wood. Around us, the ocean breathes rhythmically, like a music conductor is leading the swell of each wave.
“You’re just using me as free advertisement,” Luke says. There’s a sullenness in his voice.
Of course he would think that. I’ve given him no indication otherwise. I hadn’t felt guilty about it until now. Except, that’s not why I’m here tonight. Is it? The livestream was just a cover.
“No, that’s not it,” I say. “We’re business partners. We’re both putting ourselves out there to generate attention and excitement, and I guess it’s working.”
Luke’s expression softens a bit.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but Instagram doesn’t just like your face. It likes mine too.” I say it with a smile to let him know boss Cassie isn’t in charge right now. Not entirely.
He turns to me, resting his elbow on the railing. “How long are we going to keep pretending?”
My adrenaline spikes. Pretending? I’m not pretending. “What do you mean?” I ask.
“How long are we going to keep up this charade for the Instagram audience?”