After an hour of winding roads and fading sunlight, they finally pulled up to the rest house—a quiet retreat tucked behind an iron gate, half-hidden by trees glowing gold in the late afternoon.
Sam stepped out of the car and barely had time to breathe before Cassey and her friends descended on them in a burst of squeals and laughter.
"You made it!" Cassey cried, throwing her arms around Sam before spinning to hug Alexandra too. "Welcome to my humble chaos!"
The house smelled like pine, sunscreen, and something citrusy—clean, bright, loud in the way only weekend getaways ever were. Sam smiled, letting herself relax just a fraction.
Then Cassey ushered them upstairs.
Sam followed, distracted, until the bedroom door swung open.
She froze.
One bed.
Not two. Not even the courtesy of a second option. Just one wide, perfectly made queen bed sitting smugly in the center of the room.
Her stomach flipped.
"One… bed?" The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Heat crawled up Sam's neck at the thought. She and Alexandra… one bed. She glanced sideways—and immediately regretted it.
Alexandra wasn't panicking.
Alexandra was smirking. Not obvious. Not smug. Just the faintest curve of her mouth, like she'd been handed something delightful and was choosing restraint out of courtesy.
Cassey blinked, her smile faltering just a little. "Yeah? You're a couple. Why are you looking like that?"
Sam's breath caught. She opened her mouth to explain—and almost ruined everything.
"I thought there'd be another—" She cut herself off too late.
Cassey's brows knitted together. "Another what?"
Alexandra laughed softly, stepping farther into the room. "Another bed," she supplied smoothly, her tone easy and playful. "She means a smaller bed. Sam hates when there's too much space between us."
She gestured toward the mattress. "This thing is practically a football field."
Then she crossed back to Sam.
She stopped directly in front of her, close enough that their toes nearly touched, and slipped both arms around Sam's waist. From where Cassey stood, it looked natural—affectionate.
Cassey couldn't see Alexandra's face.
Sam could.
Alexandra's eyes sharpened ever so slightly, a pointed, silent reminder: Don't forget the act.
"Right, babe?" she asked softly.
Sam blinked. The near-slip clicked into place in her mind.
"Oh. Right," she murmured, forcing a small, sheepish smile. "Yeah… I just… don't like feeling too far away from her."
Alexandra held her gaze a beat longer—approval flickering there—before shifting smoothly to Sam's side. Her left arm slid around Sam's waist, snug but effortless, as if she had always belonged there. Her thumb traced a slow, casual line along Sam's side, light enough to tease, deliberate enough to anchor.
Cassey's suspicion melted into amusement. "That's actually kind of cute."
Sam let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
Her touch… it felt far too real.
Alexandra's lips curved into a playful smirk. She leaned in slightly, letting her cheek brush against Sam's, voice low and teasing: "Then I guess I'll just have to make sure she doesn't get too far away… all night."
Sam's chest fluttered. It was just a gesture, just a line—but it sent warmth pooling in her stomach anyway.
Cassey grinned like she'd just won the lottery. "Perfect! Then it's settled." She clapped once, sharp and enthusiastic. "Don't keep me waiting for the fun later!"
Leaning slightly in the doorway before she finally disappeared, Cassey's grin turned wicked. "And you two better behave yourselves! Save the fun for later, or I might just have to come back and check!"
Sam felt her cheeks heat up, a faint blush spreading across her face. She rolled her eyes playfully at Cassey, though she knew the gesture wouldn't hide her fluttering heart.
And just like that, she was gone, the door clicking softly shut behind her.
Silence settled over the room. Sam stared at the bed for a long moment, heart still fluttering. Alexandra's arm felt impossibly warm, impossibly familiar, and the casual press of her body so close made the quiet of the room feel alive. She pushed the thought away, telling herself it was all part of the act—but a reckless part of her wanted to linger, wanted to savor just how… right it felt.
Alexandra's voice cut through the quiet. "We do look like such a sweet couple, don't we?"
Then she realized Alexandra's arm was still around her waist, and she awkwardly shifted, sliding just slightly away as if the contact had caught her completely off guard.
Alexandra raised an eyebrow, tilting her head with a teasing glint. "Well," she said lightly, dropping her bag onto the floor, "guess that's that."
Sam turned to her. "Oh no. Absolutely not."
Alexandra blinked. "What?"
"You are not stealing the bed," Sam said firmly. "We can take turns. Or—" She jerked her thumb toward the sofa. "You can take that."
Alexandra looked genuinely offended. "You're kidding."
Sam crossed her arms, voice firm but low. "Alex… I've got a long drive tomorrow. I need uninterrupted sleep tonight—this bed is mine."
Alexandra stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Sam. We're supposed to be convincing."
Sam's pulse skipped. "We are convincing."
"Sleeping separately isn't very couple-coded."
Sam swallowed. Neither is sharing a bed with you, her mind supplied unhelpfully.
She ignored it and pointed again at the sofa. "You'll survive. I won't."
Alexandra opened her mouth—then closed it slowly, eyes flicking from Sam to the bed. The smirk returned, softer this time, almost fond.
"You're really kicking me out?" she asked.
Sam nodded, already climbing onto the bed, pulling the covers up with determined efficiency. "Absolutely."
Alexandra hesitated… then sighed theatrically, grabbing her jacket and heading for the sofa. "Fine. But when my back hates me in the morning, I'm blaming you."
Sam didn't look. She couldn't.
Because if she did, she knew she'd see how comfortable Alexandra looked. How natural. How right.
She exhaled slowly, heart betraying her with every beat.
For a fake couple, she thought bitterly, this was already getting far too real.
--
The sun had slipped beneath the horizon, leaving the rest house bathed in the soft afterglow of pinks and purples. The pool shimmered under strings of fairy lights, the water catching each flicker and scattering it across the walls like liquid stars. Laughter carried through the air—bright, carefree, and a little tipsy—mixing with the faint hum of music and the citrus scent of spilled cocktails.
Sam stepped out onto the terrace, scanning the crowd. "Where's Alexandra?" she asked, half to Cassey, half to no one in particular.
Cassey, lounging with a drink in hand, pointed toward the pool with a grin. "Out there, making us all look bad."
Sam followed her gaze—and froze.
Alexandra was just emerging from the pool, water cascading off her skin in rivulets that caught the light. Her brown hair clung to her shoulders, her two-piece bikini glinting faintly under the fairy lights. She pushed the wet strands back with a slow, easy motion, completely unaware—or maybe very aware—of the effect she had.
Sam's breath caught. For a heartbeat, the noise around her dimmed, fading into a soft blur. The sight hit her like a ripple through calm water—sudden, unexpected, impossible to ignore.
Alexandra's eyes found hers, a teasing smile curling on her lips. "You look like you've seen a ghost," she said, voice low and amused as she grabbed a towel.
Sam blinked, finding her voice somewhere between awe and embarrassment. "Just… wasn't expecting a grand entrance."
"Please," Cassey called out, breaking the spell. "You two are behind. We're already on round two—drinks, dares, no skipping."
Alexandra pulled on a bathrobe and joined the group, still dripping faintly, her skin glowing in the fading light. Sam followed, trying to ignore the flutter in her stomach—the one that had nothing to do with nerves and everything to do with the woman beside her.
Cassey raised her glass. "We're doing dares tonight—full-on bachelorette mode!"
Alexandra grinned, brushing her wet hair off her shoulders. "Dares, huh? Sounds dangerous."
"Oh, honey," Cassey said with a wicked smile. "Spin-the-bottle, truth or dare, maybe a little sexy scavenger hunt. We're going all in."
Sam forced a laugh, sinking into a lounge chair. Professional, she reminded herself. You're here for Cassey, not—
Her thoughts cut off when Alexandra leaned close, whispering, "You look tensed."
The scent of jasmine and chlorine filled Sam's lungs. She swallowed hard. "Just… mentally preparing for the chaos."
--
It began with "Never Have I Ever." Within minutes, the terrace was alive with laughter and mock groans. Sam sipped her drink carefully, pretending focus on the game while her gaze kept drifting toward Alexandra—the curve of her smile, the sound of her laugh, the way her eyes glowed when she teased the others.
"Never have I ever… skinny-dipped!" Cassey announced, eyes gleaming with mischief.
The terrace burst into cheers and groans. A few hands went up, some more sheepishly than others.
Sam took a careful sip of her drink, hesitating—then slowly lowered her glass.
Alexandra noticed. A teasing glint sparked in her eyes as she leaned closer, her voice low enough for only Sam to hear. "You've never? We might need to fix that someday."
Sam nearly choked on her drink, laughter spilling out despite herself. Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she shook her head, trying to play it off. Focus, she scolded herself silently. It's just a game.
Later came the scavenger hunt: find the most ridiculous thing and wear it like a tiara. Alexandra returned five minutes later, dripping confidence in a glittery sunhat perched at a jaunty angle. "Behold, your queen," she declared, twirling. Sam laughed, helplessly charmed.
By the time the bottle spun and the music turned softer, the laughter had blended with the quiet pulse of something heavier. Alexandra leaned in close, her arm brushing Sam's.
"You're awfully quiet tonight," she murmured. "Plotting your next move… or just enjoying the view?"
Sam's pulse stuttered. "Just strategizing," she managed, though her voice came out softer than she meant.
Alexandra's smirk deepened. "Sure you are."
The fairy lights flickered above them, the air thick with warmth and something unspoken—something that neither of them, for all their control, could quite pretend away.
As the night dragged on, dares became bolder: playful lap dances, whispered confessions, challenges that had everyone doubled over in laughter. Alexandra leaned into Sam during a dare, her breath warm on Sam's neck, a subtle hand grazing her lower back. Sam's pulse raced—every touch, every laugh, every stolen glance was a reminder that this was supposed to be fake, but it felt dangerously real.