Fake Love: The Perfect Boyfriend

Alessia groaned, burying her face in her palms. "I have just a week to get a boyfriend. Fuck." The sound of crunching chips filled the air, drawing her attention to the woman sitting across from her, unfazed by the crisis at hand.Straightening up, Alessia narrowed her eyes. "You're really not going to say anything?" she demanded, arms crossed.Brielle barely spared her a glance before rolling her eyes. "What else is there to say? I've told you already—quit the lie. Just tell your family the truth. They won’t kill you. They might be pissed, sure, but that’s as bad as it’ll get," Brielle said, tossing another chip into her mouth. She pointed a manicured finger at Alessia. "And honestly, you’re not finding a man like that in a week."Alessia sighed and let her gaze wander around the lunchroom. The days were slipping away, and she still couldn’t confess to her family or, worse, find a fake boyfriend.If only she had kept her mouth shut. She wouldn’t be in this mess. After successfully d

“Jesus, Elle, you can't go around snitching on me!” Alessia muttered, gesturing wildly with her hands, even though Brielle couldn't see her. She balanced the phone between her neck and shoulder while rummaging through her bag for her keys.“Well, someone had to, since you couldn't do it yourself,” Brielle huffed. “I was expecting a 'thank you,'” she muttered as Alessia rolled her eyes.“What were you thinking? Noah and I can never work, and you know that. But you still went ahead and told him everything!” She kicked the door open and walked in, shutting it behind her.“That’s just what you think, but my dear friend, Noah is the best option you have—if not the only one,” Brielle replied. Alessia felt a familiar twinge. It stung, realizing Brielle had said the same thing Noah had said earlier.Collapsing onto the sofa, Alessia sighed. “Noah and I aren't friends. He’s hated me forever. I can’t take him to Italy.” The idea made her uneasy—so much could go wrong.What if he ruined everythi

“Youngest family member?” Alessia asked as she and Noah stood at the terminal, waiting for their flight to be announced.“Piero. Blonde, tall, talks a lot, worrisome, and cute,” Noah replied, glancing at her before tucking his hands into his pockets.Alessia felt her face heat up as she nodded vigorously.“The eldest?” she asked.“Ricco. He’s married to your ex’s sister. You both have the same hair color and brown eyes. He’s quiet, observant, tall... and cute too,” Noah added, mimicking her words from earlier when she had described her family members. She had made sure to give him plenty of details, as he needed to know them for their 'real' relationship act.“Okay.” She looked away, watching the crowd of people. Were they all traveling, or were some just waiting for loved ones? The memory of her arrival in America flashed through her mind.“Your dad’s usually withdrawn, but I should be scared of him. Your mom does most of the talking. We’ll need to charm the pants off your parents,”

Alessia sighed as she shut the door behind her, her eyes scanning the room that held so many of her childhood memories. Her gaze moved from the frames hanging on the wall to the ones on the table—a typical Italian girl’s room.She forced herself to move, crossing the room and picking up a frame from the table. The photo had been taken at Antonio’s first football game, beaming widely as he draped an arm around her shoulders.Her jaw tightened as she quickly tucked the picture away—somewhere Noah wouldn’t be able to find it.Okay, maybe that wasn’t the only thing she tucked away. She had also hidden her more embarrassing childhood photos like the one Mama took when she lost her upper tooth and was forced to smile for the camera.She cringed at the memory. That was not something she wanted Noah to see.A knock at the door jolted her from her thoughts. She hurriedly closed the lid on the box she’d kept since childhood, pushing it under the bed before standing and smoothing down her dress.