"Sean isn't even a little awed at me. So different from the guys I used to date." Dell took a sip from her cocktail. She was having dinner and drinks with the girls again. Oh, and Tim. Tim was with them as usual.
"Well, you're not really dating Sean," Jess reminded her.
"Well, yes, that's true."
"Oh, do I sense a little blurring of our objective here?" Max asked, leaning forward. "Could we be falling for the pretend boyfriend instead of the target one?"
"Dell!" That was Tina.
"No! No. Come on, Max. And Tina, calm down. No, I'm not in love with Sean. I'm just saying... He's different."
"Well, we already know that," Max said.
Dell sighed. "My rules were perfectly sensible since we both knew the objective of this setup. But he went and demanded his own rules. Now, I'm not averse to him setting his own rules. It's just that it didn't make sense."
"Like how?" Jess asked.
"Well... He wanted us to hangout every now and then. But no pictures. So what's the point, right? How would people know we were in supposed relationships?"
"Did you ask him?" Jess asked.
"Yeah. He just said he wouldn't continue being my pretend boyfriend if I didn't agree."
"What other rules did he have?"
Dell hesitated. But then she decided to tell them since they're her friends anyway. "He wanted a kiss every morning."
Tim shot out of his chair. Tina was scolding her while Jess looked shocked and Max screamed excitedly. Okay, Dell decided. Telling them wasn't a great idea.
"On the cheek, okay?!" Dell shouted over the noise. "Just on the cheek! Geez, you people are excitable."
"That's... That's... playing dirty!" Tim exclaimed. "Just because of the agreement... He's totally taking advantage of you!"
Dell had to chuckle as she rested her chin in her hand. "I'd say. The look he would make..."
"No! This is awful. End the deal now!"
"Relax, Tim. I have it under control."
"Could it be that... Sean's falling in love with you?" Max asked.
Dell shook her head. "Sean's definitely not in love with me."
"You said that about your colleague," Tina reminded her. "And look what happened."
Dell had to pause. Tina was right. She had no idea William had liked her. She looked at Max. "Was it really obvious from the start that William liked me?"
"I don't know, I've never met your colleague."
"Still, Sean's quite comfortable to have around." And before her friends could react, she added, "Oh and I'm having coffee with Raph tomorrow."
"With the girlfriend?" Tina asked.
"We don't know if she really is his girlfriend. But no, it's just the two of us."
"Normally, I'd be against you going out to non-work coffee with a man when you have a boyfriend," Jess said. "But, well, in this case, all the best."
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