The guy took off his apron and bow tie. Instantly, he looked more attractive.
“We need to do something about your hair…” I said, giving him a once-over.
“What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s sticking out everywhere. Come here and lean down,” I instructed. When he complied, I quickly fixed his hair. “There, that’s better.”
“Nothing’s changed…” he grumbled, trying to see the difference in the side mirror of a nearby car.
“I opened up your forehead and tucked away those silly curls falling over your ears. If you can’t tell, you might need glasses. Book an eye doctor appointment when you get paid.”
“I’ll do that. Maybe they’ll prescribe some drops so I can spot troublemakers from a mile away and steer clear.”
“You’re not talking about me, are you?” I asked hopefully.
“Oh, no, sweetheart, of course not!”
“I’m ‘kitten,’” I stomped my heel. “Is it really that hard to remember?”
The guy closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
“I need some basic info.”
“Alright.”
“First, what’s your name?”
“Justine.”
“And what’s my name?”
“How should I know? We just met!”
“I mean, what was your ex’s name?”
“Oh… Roman. Roman Kutz.”
“Got it. Now, tell me briefly how we met.”
“We met on the subway. You gave up your seat for me, and then…” I started blinking rapidly as tears welled up again. Those sweet memories suddenly turned painful. “Then you said you’d never seen a more beautiful girl in your life. And that you’d never forgive yourself if you didn’t get my number.”
“I really couldn’t come up with anything more original than that cliché?”
“The important thing is, it worked,” I sniffled. “My eyes are going to be red again… They’ll definitely suspect something.”
“Nah, they’ll just think you’ve been crying tears of joy. Because you’ve got me by your side.”
“That makes sense.”
Temporary Roman took my hand and gave it two reassuring squeezes.
“Ready?”
With my free hand, I smoothed out my already flawless dress.
“The main thing is surviving Paul’s interrogation. Everything else is small potatoes.”
“This Paul guy is that much of a pain in the neck?”
“You’ll see for yourself the second he opens his mouth. Honestly, there are two people in our office who drive everyone up the wall. First is Paul, and the second…” He gave a faint smirk, and I immediately knew what he was thinking. “No, it’s not me!”
“Then who?”
“There’s this girl… her name’s Kira. She’s an absolute nightmare.”
Temporary Roman burst out laughing, so loud you’d think I’d told a hilarious joke. I had no idea where that reaction came from. I told myself he was just getting into character, learning how to respond to me. So far, not great.
“I take it Kira isn’t one of your friends.”
“No way! Are you kidding? She’s sharp-tongued and sarcastic. Talking to her makes you feel like a piece of dog poop.”
“Wow, not even a full piece? That’s harsh.”
“Kira would be a perfect match for Paul, but I really hope they never get together.”
“Why not?”
“Because if those two demons team up, they’d be an unstoppable force of evil. I’m terrified of the apocalypse.”
“Whoa…”
“Yeah. So, be careful.”
“Deal,” he nodded. “Shall we?”
“Let’s go.”
We climbed the stairs to the main hall and then out to the outdoor terrace where music was playing. I knew all eyes would be on me, so I instinctively leaned closer to Temporary Roman, seeking some kind of shield. He took it as a cue and wrapped his arm around my waist. My skin burned under his touch. I hadn’t fully processed that I’d broken up with Roman, so another man’s hands on me felt almost wrong.
“If you move your hand any lower, you’ll regret it,” I whispered in his ear.
We walked through an archway decorated with balloons and finally found ourselves among my colleagues. At that moment, it felt like even the musicians lowered their volume. Conversations and laughter died down. Smiles turned into undisguised curiosity. The only people who kept chatting casually were those who had no connection to our office—delivery staff, authors, tech crew. They were just passing guests in the publishing house, so my personal life was of no interest to them.
“Didn’t think you could make this much money off children’s books,” Temporary Roman remarked, eyeing the lavish buffet.
I tugged at him to turn away. I didn’t want it to look like my boyfriend was more interested in caviar canapés than in me.
“Usually, you can’t, but this year we published a bestseller. It’s already been translated into seven languages, and two studios fought over the film rights. By the way, guess who saw the potential in that manuscript?”
“Oh, let me guess… you?” he feigned surprise.
“Exactly!” Okay, maybe it wasn’t classy to keep bringing up that I’d pushed for the book to be published. But Temporary Roman was hearing it for the first time. It’d be a shame not to brag a little. “Oh, God… Incoming threat at twelve o’clock.”
Standing ahead of us, surrounded by girls from the illustration department, was my darling cousin. Even in full formal attire, wearing a suit my aunt had bought for him, he looked awful. I don’t know how people around him didn’t lose their appetite.
Paul waved at me, though his eyes were glued to my companion. He was probably analyzing his appearance from the moment we walked in, comparing it to the stories I’d told.
This is it.
I’m done for.
“Let’s have some fun,” Temporary Roman grinned. “Relax, Justine. This’ll be a blast.”
We approached a small table. I could see Paul practically bursting at the seams, itching to catch me in a lie. Even having a guy by my side didn’t dampen his enthusiasm.
“So, you’re the famous Roman!” he said, flashing all his tiny teeth. I’m not kidding—his smile reminded me of a piranha. “I’ve heard so much about you!”
“Really?” My companion raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. “I hope it was all good.”
“Of course,” Paul said, giving Temporary Roman another once-over. “I pictured you… bigger, though. And in the photos, your back looked so much broader…”
Damn it! I forgot to mention that Roman was a boxer. I’d set myself up—and my cover story—for failure. Thankfully, in that photo, my ex had his back to the camera. He hated being photographed, and I’d only managed to snap that shot while he was flexing his muscles. That, on the other hand, he loved doing.
Temporary Roman gave me a subtle pinch on the back as a sign of annoyance. I bet the price of his services just skyrocketed.
“I’m cutting weight right now,” he replied with a tone that suggested it should’ve been obvious.
As if that would satisfy Paul’s curiosity! If anything, it only fueled his desire to expose my lie.
“Why?”
“Oh, it’s simple. I’ve beaten everyone in my weight class, so now I’m dropping down to take all the belts in a lighter category.”
“I didn’t know you could do that…”
“Guess you don’t know much about boxing,” my fake boyfriend said, clapping Paul on the shoulder so hard he nearly buckled. I can only imagine what would’ve happened if the real Roman had done that! “Maybe we can meet up sometime? I’ll give you a few pointers.”
“I don’t think I need them,” Paul scoffed, adjusting his jacket.
“Yeah, you’re right,” I nodded. “His back would snap under the weight of boxing gloves.”
“Very funny, Justine!”
Temporary Roman glanced toward the buffet again. Those canapés were clearly still on his mind.
“Babe, can you grab us something to snack on?” I suggested, giving him a chance to take a breather.
“Sure.”
But before leaving me at the mercy of my cousin, Temporary Roman leaned down and kissed my shoulder. I nearly burst into flames from embarrassment. A stranger had just kissed me! And so tenderly, so intimately… I almost wanted it to happen again.
As soon as he walked away, Paul squinted at me again. I don’t know why he did that. He didn’t have vision problems, but he always narrowed his eyes when talking to me. Was he trying to peer into my conscience?
“This guy doesn’t really match the one you’ve been describing to everyone…” he hissed.
“Tell me about it. He’s even better!” I laughed nervously. “I’m crazy about him.”
“Justine!” Another colleague joined us. Her name was Julia, and she worked at the desk next to mine. She was actually my closest friend in the office. “Your Roman is amazing! We just met.”
I shrugged.
“Paul doesn’t like him.”
“Paul’s like the Grinch. He never likes anything!”
“Not true,” my cousin flashed his tiny teeth in a semblance of a smile. “I like Justine’s dress. Tell me, sis, how many years did you take out a loan for to afford it?”
Finally, my companion returned, holding a plate of appetizers.
“Hungry, sweetheart?” he asked.
Damn it. He was deliberately calling me the pet name I didn’t like! Playing on my nerves as if I didn’t have enough reasons to stress out.
“Thanks,” I reached for the food, but he beat me to it, feeding me directly from his hand.
I barely stopped myself from asking if he’d washed his hands. I took the bite, just grazing his fingers with my lips, and made a mental note to take some activated charcoal before bed, just in case.
“Aren’t they adorable?” Julia tilted her head, almost pleading with Paul to stop his detective work. “This couple was made in heaven.”
“The question is, how long ago was it made…” he muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Temporary Roman popped the last piece of cheese into his mouth and set the plate aside.
“Do you hear that?” he asked, suddenly lighting up.
“What? An air raid siren?!”
“No. It’s our song,” he said, taking my hand and pulling me to the center of the room. “Sorry, folks. My love and I always dance to this one!”
Only when we were far enough from Paul did I realize how grateful I was for the gesture.
“You don’t mind dancing, do you?” he asked, pulling me close by the waist.
I placed my hands around his neck.
“Not at all,” I said. We started moving in sync. I hadn’t danced with a partner in ages, but with this guy, it felt surprisingly easy. We made a pretty good team.
“You weren’t exaggerating one bit about your cousin. He’s awful. Even now, he’s staring at us…” He buried his face in my hair, his nose brushing against my earlobe. Goosebumps raced down my spine.
“Still watching?” I asked, breathless from the heat, the embarrassment, and… was that enjoyment?
“Uh-huh…”
“He’s insufferable.”
“Maybe we should turn up the heat? We haven’t kissed in front of him yet.”
“No,” I snapped. “That’s too much. What’s next? Should we sleep together and bring him the video as proof?”
Temporary Roman pressed his forehead to mine, bringing our faces so close we were almost kissing. I couldn’t help but notice the tempting shape of his lips.
“I’m afraid in that case, you’d never be able to pay me off,” he said with a smirk. “But I’m open to discussing the details…”
“I like you better when you’re quiet.”
“Noted,” he said, spinning me from one arm to the other. “I like you too.”
I wished the song would never end. Here I was with a complete stranger, yet I felt oddly comfortable. For a few minutes, I even forgot about my broken heart. Maybe I should patent this as a form of therapy? When a guy dumps you, hire a stand-in boyfriend for a while to dull the pain. It makes sense, doesn’t it? When our cat lost her kittens, my mom gave her a toy to cuddle with to ease the stress. In my case, instead of a toy, I had…
“What’s your name?” I asked, realizing I still didn’t know my rescuer’s real identity.
“Roman, of course.”
“No, not for them,” I gestured around the room. “What’s your real name?”
“I think it’s better if I stay Roman. That way, you won’t accidentally call me by my real name instead of his. It’d be a shame to slip up over something so small.”
“Fair enough…”
Mr. Incognito lifted his head and suddenly froze. Literally, he stood like a statue, not even breathing.
I turned around, hoping to understand what caused such a reaction. And I did. Charging toward us at full speed was Kira. She looked like an enraged bull at a rodeo. For a moment, I could’ve sworn I saw steam coming out of her nose.
“What’s her deal?” I muttered, confused.
Temporary Roman let go of my hand and put on an innocent expression just as Kira barreled into us.
“What the hell are you doing here?!” she shouted, nearly knocking me over. “I told you not to come! And why are you all over her?” She nodded at me.
“Did it look like we were all over each other from where you were standing?” he asked calmly. “Then perfect!”
I was completely lost.
“What’s going on here?”
“I have the same question,” Kira said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Temporary Roman let out a heavy sigh.
“Justine, allow me to introduce my sister…”