The Couple
Chapter 36: Fake date

Celia

In the next two days, Harris managed to spread the rumor of our relationship. Next day, when I reached the office people were already gossiping about me and Harris. Tyler tried to talk to me but I shooed him away. I know he is Bryan's boyfriend and him being a traitor has very low chances but I can't trust anyone. It makes me think that he is a werewolf too and how can any werewolf inform Harris about their existence and what would he trade this big information for.

I spent the whole next week thinking of a strategy to find that traitor so I can throw him in front of Chris and reveal him and Harris in front of Chris. I am afraid he might kill this bastard but I hope he will find some way to punish them instead of becoming a murderer.

This whole week, I was trying to avoid J and Mary. Whenever they called I talked for less than a minute carefully without making them doubt me. The night all this happened, he tortured me by making me spend a night with him or should I say this like at his apartment. We both slept in different rooms.

I slept with a knife under my pillow, actually I didn't sleep the whole night and kept waiting for Harris to barge in my room and try something so I could kill him in my self defence and protect me. Yes, that was my plan to get rid of him but he didn't come and next morning he mocked me for staying awake with a knife and thinking about him. I was so angry that I tried stabbing him then and there but he caught me and punched me in my face.

After that incident, I was too careful because I don't want to know how will he torture me other times. I noticed Peter outside my building a few times, he even asked me about the phone calls with Jeanne and Mary and then I knew Harris is watching my every move and waiting for me to make a mistake so he can torture me but I will not give him a single chance. Even I made the first call to J myself to see if he is checking my phone calls too.

It was Friday, when I went to his office during lunch time. He wants to play a game with me but the game will be played my way. I have a few things in my mind. If my small plan worked well then I will try something big to trap him.

"Here is my girlfriend." He got up from his seat and walked towards me to give me a hug. I stood there and turned my face when he tried to be himself, a jerk and tried giving me a kiss. I pushed him and took a step back.

"So, what brought you here?" He leaned against the table and made himself comfortable over there.

"Jeanne doesn't believe that we're dating and if she doesn't believe then Christian also doesn't believe. We need to do something." He frowned and laughed. My nervousness grew more, but I was too determined to make my plan work. So, I glared at him and made myself look like I am too serious.

"Why do you care so much if he doesn't believe us? You should be relieved that he doesn't trust this false arrangement."

"First thing, there is no us. Second, I was thinking since then and realised that you were right, unfortunately that Christian is harmful for me." I carefully took a step closer to him before speaking further. I prepared my answers to his every possible question. "And if I want myself safe, I need him to trust our false arrangement and leave me. And you know what monster he is, right? I should be away from him." "Of course, I know what he is but I won't help you getting from him. But I want to listen to what you propose to make him believe we... pardon me... you and I are together." He said with a stern face. HE forgets to mock me.

"I want you to take me to dinner in a luxurious hotel. I am missing my New York City life." I shrugged trying my best to make him fall in my trap.

"I would like to deny your proposal to help you but taking you to dinner to make him jealous seems quite entertaining to me. So, I will give you what you want." He took a step forward and pinched my chin with his one hand while his other hand grabbed my neck from behind.

"Try to outsmart me and I will make you pay with your best friend's life." He left me and enjoyed the moment with me horrified. My one mistake and I will endanger the whole Dante family. I just need to be careful and I will surely reach the traitor and after that I am free from this devil.

It is evening and I am ready with the most covered dress I have. I am wearing a black bodycon dress with a V-neck and full sleeves. I did my hair loose curls with a smoky eye look and nude lipstick. I was waiting for Harris to pick me up for our fake date in my living room, walking across the room nervously, I just wished my plan works and I got some information. And since he hasn't informed me of the location, don't really have a particular plan to make it work.

My phone rang and I ran downstairs grabbing my purse downstairs with nothing much but my lipstick, phone, some money, pepper spray and pocket knife for emergency. I tried to look casual as I don't want to hint to Harris that I am interested in any way but still look tempting to make him drool. And I knew it my look worked as I caught him off guard with his mouth and eyes both wide open which made me sneer at him in disgust.

He drove us to the other side of the town and stopped in front of a quite luxurious hotel. Standing outside the hotel I realised I do miss my New York City life with J, my parents and other friends. I made a note to hang out in this side of the town as well as J, I and Mary didn't visit this side but only after all this is sorted out. I made a decision to tell everything to J about Chris and me after this sort. I am not going to lie to her anymore.

I went in with him and we ordered our dishes and drinks. I chose to check my phone to avoid him. When I thought of asking him for dinner I forgot I will have to spend time with him and tolerate him at dinner. But I need to know more about him and spend more time with so he can trust me a bit to have me around him. He spoke and broke the trail of my thoughts and brought me back.

"Why did you order vegetable salad on my behalf? Did I ask you or you know a lot about me?" He gritted between his teeth showing his irritation but kept his anger in check as we are in a public place and we are pretending to be a happy couple in love.

"It is healthy to eat and if you didn't want to eat it you could have denied it for yourself. I thought you should have something healthy too as you didn't order anything healthy." I just shrugged it off and continued using my phone trying my best to not look afraid of him or bring attention to us. Because I know soon I will lose my temper. I am scrolling through my social media account and looking at uploads of my friends. Linda and John were on a date last night while Shelly uploaded a funny video of Matt. I smiled looking at their pictures and their happy lives.

"What are you, my wife or mother? I should eat healthy too... my foot." He scoffed in anger and went back to his phone.

"I want a leave on Monday." I told him without looking at him not wanting to see his face. But I know he stopped using his phone and looked up at me in amusement as if I gave a child a new toy to play with. "Can I know the reason why my girlfriend wants to leave me alone at the office?" He asked with a pot which made scoff this time. I looked up at him with a fake smile trying to control my emotions and from shouting at him and screaming for help.

"My parents are visiting me. I need to spend time with them so better accept my leave for Monday and Tuesday. Our colleagues will consider you as a ruthless and arrogant boyfriend who doesn't even let his girlfriend hang out with her parents, won't they?"

He said something in response but something got my attention and I forgot to listen to him and his reply. It was Chris with some red headed woman wearing a blue gown which reached her knees and off shoulder neck who is holding one of his hands with both of her hands and laughing hysterically as they head towards the tables. I was fuming in anger as they came close laughing and enjoying each other's company.

This man flooded my phone with a number of calls and messages but from this morning I didn't get a single message or call. So, that is where he was too busy and I was trying to find the traitor in his pack to help him by tolerating this a**hole.

'Did he ask you to tolerate this man or for your help to find the traitor?' I shut my inner voice when Harris threw his hand in front of my face and started waving to bring my attention to him. I sighed and tried to calm myself but the only thing I could hear was their laugh and mumbled talks. And there she laughed again throwing her head back and I wanted to strangle her throat and kill her for hanging out with my boyfriend. Harris turned in the direction of my eyesight and started laughing and enjoying Chris's betrayal to me.

"Do you know why I brought you here only because I knew he will be here tonight with someone. Here, they are." I looked away from their direction and gulped down the glass of water when Harris chuckled before opening his mouth and shouted.

"Hey Christian, what a coincidence." He stood up calling them towards us and there our eyes met. I could see the shock and anger in his eyes as his jaw clenched and he gulped down visibly. I put on a smile and got up too to greet both of them. Harris practically hugged both of them while I just stood there.

"Celia, this is Olivia Christian's girlfriend and Olivia..." The red headed woman cut him in between and introduced herself again.

"It is Olivia, Christian's friend. I guess you're Harris's date." She had a radiant genuine smile which reached to her ears. She has blue eyes which make her look cute. Wait a second, I remember Jeanne told me Christian was never in a relationship with anyone after Olivia, is she the same Olivia? I shook her hand and tried to control myself from bursting here in the restaurant and slap Christian.

"I am Celia, Harris's girlfriend." As I said the word 'girlfriend' Christian's jaw clenched and I did a happy dance inside thinking that maybe she is really just his friend but they didn't look like so when they approached the tables. 'Stop thinking too much Celia, she said she is just his friend. You're a modern girl of the 21st century, damn.'

We all sat down together and they both gave their orders too. There was an awkward silence between us which broke when Olivia spoke first and asked us about our relationship. Seeing the clenched jaw and balled fist of Chris, I enjoyed teasing him and telling the fake love story of mine and Harris. He was sitting on the chair sideways with his chin resting on his one hand on the table. His eyes never left me until Olivia said something to him.

I teased the hell out of him when I told our story where he asked me to be his as mine and Harris's story. He excused himself to the washroom and left. I tried once to excuse myself but Harris stopped me from going anywhere. I talked to Olivia and got to know she just returned with her husband, Blake from some town in Ohio where she lives with him. She was not as happy as before when she talked about her husband, even though she didn't talk much about him or her relationship.

We ate the dinner in silence while Harris was trying to talk to Chris about one thing or another. I don't get one thing what he is getting from all these talkings. I ignored him completely and enjoyed talking to Olivia who shared some moments of their childhood together. I got to know that Chris was a happy child but was always protective of her, J and Mary. He always protected them with Ethan from the other boys.

After dinner, Harris and I left in his car while Olivia and Chris left in their individual cars. I breathed a sigh of relief, they didn't come in one car, she is already married and they are actually just friends. She is his ex-girlfriend about whom J told me. I just hope they are just friends and neither of them thinks of the other more than just a friend. We left with a promise to each other that Olivia and I will definitely meet for lunch once before she leaves the town again.

"So, how was it? It turned out that you became friends with the ex-girlfriend of your boyfriend." He had a good laugh as he said it. I just sighed and chose to ignore him as my plan was quite successful and I hope my next plan will also go the way I want. He left me under my building and left. I was relieved as he left.

As I unlocked my apartment, I was pushed inside by someone and heard a click of locking the door.☐☐☐☐

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