All Chapters of Pretend to be mine : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Diana and Lucia’s friendship was the stuff of legends. They'd met in school, bonding over late-night pizza and study sessions. Diana had been immediately drawn to Lucia’s sharp wit and determination, while Lucia admired Diana’s quick thinking and creative approach to problem-solving. As they navigated the challenges of school together, their friendship deepened. They became each other's sounding board, offering advice and support through thick and thin. After graduation, Despite her demanding career, Diana always made time for Lucia. The two friends would meet for brunch every Sunday, discussing everything from their love lives to their latest career triumphs. Diana’s own love life was a bit of a rollercoaster. She'd had her share of high-profile romances, but nothing seemed to stick. Lucia often joked that Diana was too intimidating for most men, and that she needed someone who could keep up with her sharp tongue and quick wit. When she wasn't working or dating, Diana love

Avon left straight from the hospital to pick Lucia up at the airport, feeling a mix of excitement and relief. He had been looking forward to seeing her all day, and the stress of the past few days was starting to catch up with him. As he walked down the hall toward the elevator, Lucas high-fived him. "You'll be at 4th of July party on Sunday, right?" Avon nodded, smiling. "See you there." The elevator doors opened, and Avon stepped inside, feeling a sense of anticipation. He had been thinking a lot about his relationship with Lucia , and he was starting to realize that he wasn't ready to let her go just yet. When he arrived at the airport, Lucia walked out of the terminal just as he pulled up, looking stunning in her business attire. Avon jumped out of the car to kiss her, feeling a rush of excitement. "Hey," he said, smiling. "Welcome back." Lucia smiled back, looking a little tense. "Hey," she replied. "Thanks for picking me up." Avon nodded, opening the trunk to grab her lugg

She walked over to refill her glass of sangria. A guy Avon had just introduced her to followed her. "Lucia, right? Having fun so far?" He put an arm around her. Lots of huggers at this party. "Yeah, it's great." She stepped to the side so she could pour her drink. "Ethan, right?" "Yeah, so smart of you to remember." Ethan liked to stand close, didn't he? "So Lucia , where are you from?" She took a sip of her sangria and a half step backward. "San Francisco . I'm just down here for the weekend." Oh look, he'd moved closer. "You live in San Francisco ? That's cool. But I meant, like, where are you really from?" Now she knew where this was going. Like she couldn't "really" be from California? Why did people always try to ask her about her ethnicity in the clumsiest of all possible ways? Getting this question, especially in this way, always made her feel like such an object of curiosity. Today it made her feel like even more of an Other in this party full of golden-hai

Avon pointed and went back to munching on chips and listening to Lucia and Julian talk about hiking. Unsettled? He wasn’t unsettled. It was possible he would prefer Lucia to be standing next to him than over on the other side of the party talking to three strange men, but he wasn’t unsettled. He watched Lucas approach her group and tap her on the shoulder. Lucia threw her arms around Lucas and beamed her bright smile at him and absorbed him into her cozy little group. Avon waited for her to look around for him. She was probably just waiting to catch his eye to signal to him to come join them. But she didn’t turn her head. Lucia was glad she hadn’t tried to have the Talk with Avon before coming to the party. She would have made some humiliating speech about how she felt about him and how she wanted a relationship with him, and he would have looked at her with pity in his eyes. She’d always known what the deal was. That was the worst part. She’d known from the beginning who and wh

She thought about telling him that she’d stay, that she could get a ride home later, and also that he could go fuck himself.But her political training hadn’t completely deserted her; not even this much sangria would allow her to let all of these people know her business. So instead, she gave everyone in the group hugs good-bye amid false promises of getting drinks “the next time she was in town” and followed Avon to his car.Avon had stayed in Dorothy’s bedroom for a while after Lucia had fled. He’d wanted to run after her, to tell her no, she’d gotten it all wrong, that wasn’t how he felt. But he’d already made a mess of this conversation, so he figured he should maybe wait and try again when they got home after the party and could really talk.But then he got the call from the hospital and had to run outside and grab her in a hurry. He’d thought about asking Lucas to drive her home, but after basically accusing Lucas of hitting on her, he wasn’t in the best position to ask Lucas fo