The man had arrived at Caitlin’s apartment ten minutes ago. He sat impatiently on the living room sofa. As they had agreed beforehand, today was their scheduled date. Not that Caitlin particularly enjoyed doing this, but she was trying to consider Daniel’s suggestion and was too lazy to listen to his endless grumbling.
"Are you done?" Daniel called out.
He placed the magazine on the table and headed to Caitlin’s room to check on her. However, Caitlin completely ignored his presence, lost in thought as she stared at her makeup tools. Daniel leaned lazily against the doorframe, letting out an annoyed sigh. "What’s so hard about putting on some powder and lipstick?"
"I’m scared, Dan. What if we see something I don’t want to see?"
"This city is big enough, and I doubt we’ll run into that person while we’re together." Daniel shrugged nonchalantly.
Caitlin glanced at him, her expression filled with doubt, unsure whether she could trust Daniel’s words. The problem was, life had a way of throwing unexpected things at her, and she would rather avoid any unpleasant surprises. One way to do that was by not going out pretending to be a real couple—even though technically, it was her right since she had hired Daniel.
"Are you sure, Dan?"
"Ah, whatever." Daniel turned around and walked away. "Just don’t wear those ugly glasses of yours! You’re going on a date with me, not heading to work!" he shouted.
Caitlin chuckled to herself, amused at how well Daniel knew her habits. She didn’t actually need prescription glasses; she only wore them to reduce the blue light radiation from her computer screen. Her job required her to stare at a monitor all day long, from morning until evening.
In the end, they left the apartment for their date—only after Daniel managed to convince Caitlin that everything would be fine. When they reached the front of a car that was far from cheap, Caitlin was astonished at how seriously Daniel seemed to be taking this date.
With a sly smile, Daniel opened the car door for Caitlin, throwing in a few teasing remarks. He hoped she wouldn’t scratch the car with her heels or slam the door too hard and leave a dent.
"You should travel in comfort, Cat. It’d be a shame for someone as pretty as you to squeeze into a bus or be ogled by a taxi driver old enough to be your father," Daniel said, eyes fixed ahead.
Caitlin lowered her gaze, nervously fidgeting with the tassel on her bag. The subtle compliment caught her off guard. She stole a glance at Daniel—he was dressed in a black shirt and tailored pants, with an elegant watch on his left wrist. His hair was styled neater than usual. Oh, of course. This was a date. Daniel clearly knew what he was doing.
"I hope you were joking about watching an action movie," Caitlin muttered.
Daniel chuckled and playfully winked. "Not action, actually. More like comedy. A date is more fun when we laugh at the same things."
"You’re so weird." Caitlin wrinkled her nose, but a small smile tugged at her lips.
Once they arrived at the cinema, they bought tickets and waited for about half an hour before the movie started. After purchasing a large box of popcorn and two cups of cola, they entered the theater and found seats in the perfect spot—not too close and not too far from the screen.
As they exited the cinema, they were still chatting about the funniest scenes from the movie. For the first time, Caitlin felt like she was on a real date with her rented boyfriend. Daniel couldn’t stop laughing at a scene where the protagonist’s neighbor’s child got splashed with water, and Caitlin had to agree—it was hilarious.
But in an instant, her laughter died when she accidentally spotted her ex-boyfriend, Tobey, from a distance. He was hurrying over with drinks and snacks for another woman. Suddenly, Daniel placed both his hands on the sides of Caitlin’s face, turning her to look at him.
"You’re with me tonight, Cat. Just look at me," Daniel murmured.
"Let go!" Caitlin shoved his hands away and walked off, putting distance between herself and the crowd.
Daniel followed her. "Why are you the one running away? What did you do wrong?"
But Caitlin refused to answer the unnecessary question. She quickened her pace, almost breaking into a run toward the parking lot, ignoring Daniel’s persistent questions. Near the car, she kicked off her heels, not caring that the back of her feet were getting scraped.
Daniel opened the car door for her. Caitlin climbed in without protest, and he walked around to take the driver’s seat. Without another word, he drove away from the cinema. Caitlin stared out the window, lost in thought, while Daniel occasionally stole glances at her.
"Because I’m afraid of looking foolish, of being compared to her," Caitlin finally broke the silence. "Even though getting married in England is complicated, it seems like they’re serious. I’m jealous."
Daniel cleared his throat. "Marriage isn’t as beautiful as it looks, Cat. It takes a lot of work."
Caitlin sighed, her eyes fixed on the passing streets. "I know. But having someone by my side, supporting me, loving me... I want that."
"You have me," Daniel said.
"You don’t love me. We’re just playmates." Caitlin let out a small laugh.
"That’s true. But I don’t mind if you rely on me sometimes."
For some reason, his words triggered an idea in Caitlin’s mind. She should invite Daniel to her high school reunion. She needed to show people that she was perfectly fine after her breakup with Tobey.
She explained her plan at length, hoping Daniel would help her, even though she knew it was a bit ridiculous. Daniel simply laughed at her scheme but asked when and where this so-called childish reunion would take place.
"Next week," Caitlin replied with hopeful eyes.
Daniel smirked, glancing at his reflection in the mirror as he adjusted his hair with one hand. "I’ll see what I can do. But don’t get your hopes up. I might not make it."
"You have to! I’ll pay you more!" Caitlin grumbled.
"That’s not the issue, Cat. I just don’t know if I can promise to be there. Remember? You’re not my only client."
His response made Caitlin pout. She had heard that excuse far too many times. Sometimes, she wanted to follow Daniel home just to uncover his real identity. Realizing they weren’t heading toward her apartment, Caitlin blinked in confusion as the car pulled into a showroom. As she had suspected, Daniel was always unpredictable. When she turned to him for an explanation, he simply smiled mischievously.
"This car is rented, isn’t it?" Caitlin asked as they returned the vehicle to the attendant.
"And what if it is?" Daniel replied, challenging her.
"For a moment, I almost thought you were that rich," Caitlin scoffed.
They walked to the nearest bus stop, where Daniel told her he would wait until she got on a bus. He still had business to take care of at the showroom. Caitlin was curious but knew she couldn’t ask.
Daniel waved dramatically as if sending a child off to school when Caitlin finally boarded the bus. She sat down, her emotions tangled. How could he just let her go so casually?
"This is crazy. What kind of creature is he?" she muttered.
Suddenly, her heartbreak over Tobey shifted into an intense curiosity about Daniel. She made up her mind—no matter what, she was going to follow him and find out the truth.