Pretending Hearts (O/O CLOSED)

She had stood on her toes. She had leaned in, and their lips had brushed together briefly. Arvil was ready to respond the second her lips had touched his, but then her father interrupted them and she pulled away.

It took a lot out of Arvil to hold in his growl of frustration. He had wanted to kiss her. Desperately. Why was it that every time it happened, they were interrupted?

Arvil shook his head and turned off the tap, grabbing a cloth and wiping the counter free of water. He sighed.

“We should head back,” he muttered, though all he wanted to do was pull her back for a kiss, however short it would be.

Arvil looked at Daisy, setting the cloth aside and walking to her.

“She’s your mother,” he replied softly. “Whatever the situation, help is always appreciated. I wouldn’t mind helping out my mom, or my wife, either.”

Arvil took her hand in his, squeezing it gently. He looked at her once, then at her mouth and then sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I’ll be leaving in a few minutes,” he said with a sigh. “I can’t leave the company unchecked like that for too long.”

“Of course I will. I don’t want you getting angry at me again,” Arvil chuckled as he remembered. “Not that I mind. I think I like having you fuss over me. Anyway, I think she will, too. I wouldn’t mind, either, because I would rather wait till that Gabriel whatever leaves.”

Arvil was completely, utterly transfixed by the smile on her face. It was just so goddamn beautiful, just like the rest of her was. Was there any part of her that wasn’t amazing? Even when she tugged him into the living room and was talking to her parents, he couldn’t remove his eyes from her lips. From that wondrous smile that made his own lips quirk up softly.

Then she finished and he cleared his throat, looking at her parents and smiling. “I had fun today,” he said. “Thank you for having me. The food was delicious, Annalise.”

“Well, you know being the CEO has its disadvantages just as much as it has its advantages,” Arvil winced before he turned to Thomas and shook his hand, a grin taking over his lips. “Well, you don’t have to worry about company. When your daughter and I get married, we’ll definitely drop by more often.”

Without sparing Gavril a glance, the two walked out. Once they were out of the house, Arvil pulled Daisy to him again, hands on her waist.

“I’ve got two things to ask of you,” he started. “One, an employee of mine is getting married. He invited me. Do you want to come as my date?”

Arvil stared into her eyes with deep intensity, his eyes burning. They flickered to her mouth before coming back to her eyes.

“Can I kiss you?” He finally asked, his voice raspy. “Not for show.”

Arvil’s darkened eyes lookef over her face, taking in each detail, especially the way her lips had parted. All he needed was the permission to cup her cheeks in his hands and press their mouths together softly.

And God only knows how much he had missed kissing her. He had done it once and it was like he was addicted. He just couldn’t get the feeling out of his head, of what it felt like kissing her and what her lips had felt against his.

And that was when Arvil realized it. He liked her. He liked Daisy Riley, his fake fiancée.

Arvil kissed her gently, pleased when she kissed him back. Was it cheesy of him to admit that it felt like their lips were made to fit in each other’s? He loved the taste of her. He loved how she responded to him.

Their lips moved slowly, in synch, and one of Arvil's hand moved to wrap around her middle while the other rested on the back of her head. He tugged her closer, wanting to feel her pressed against him. And at this point, if she pulled away, he knew he would let her despite wanting to kiss her more.

Arvil breathed heavily, eyes still closed. He pressed his lips together and exhaled through his mouth before opening his eyes and looking at Daisy. At her swollen lips and flushed cheeks.

“Anytime,” Arvil responded, his voice a little hoarse. Her hands on his face sent a shiver down his spine. “You don’t need to thank me for something I do willingly.”

Arvil watched as Daisy walked away, a fond smile on his face. He didn’t remove his eyes from her until she had driven off. Once he couldn’t see her car anymore, he turned back to walk to his own when his eyes caught Gavril’s. The two men stared at each other until Arvil broke the silence, his face hardened and void of any emotion.

“I don’t know what you’re planning,” he started slowly, but each word had a warning. “But if your actions hurt my fiancée in any way, you’ll realize mercy isn’t a word I’m much familiar with. Do not test me, Gavril Ford. I can be your worst nightmare when you least expect it.”

Without another word, the twenty-seven-year-old walked to his car, sat inside and drove off, the feeling of Daisy’s lips still fresh on both his lips and his mind.

[TIME SKIP: A FEW DAYS]

Arvil twirled the ticket in his hand, rotating in his chair. He’d gotten that for Daisy. He felt like she had been working too hard without taking a break, and then taking care of a fake fiancée was even more tiring. He appreciated everything she did for him. She didn’t need to, but she did it anyway.

Daisy Riley. A soft smile blossomed on his lips. He’d really fallen for her, hadn’t he? She was special. She was lovely. It was no wonder he had. Too bad their relationship was created out of lies. He would do anything to make it into the truth, but he knew Daisy didn’t want him. To her, he’d always be a lie they created. To him, she was the reality he could never have.

And Arvil was fine with that. He was fine with simply offering her his support until there was no threat to her happiness.

So now he was waiting for her to come so he could give her the ticket. She deserved it. She earned it, that woman…

Arvil looked up at his fiancée and a worried look crossed his features. He immediately put away the ticket so she couldn’t see it, and walked over to her.

“You should have slept in,” he frowned. “You could get sick, love. And you should have told me you couldn’t come. This isn’t important, you know.”

“All right,” Arvil furrowed his eyebrows again, grabbing her hand and leading her to the couch. “In case dear you passes out or something.”

He pushed her on the couch and gave her a wink. He grabbed the bags and took out one burger and fries and set them in front of her, sliding the milkshake to her as well.

“Eat,” he said softly. “And next time, take a break.”

“I like you, so of course,” Arvil shrugged nonchalantly before he stood up. “Actually, I am glad you’re here today. I’ve got something for you.”