Chapter Four

Dayne

I couldn't sleep. I kept tossing and turning as I thought about what transpired earlier this evening.

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"The truth is, I was actually pretending this was a real date, Dayne."

I cut short the thumb-wrestling match on my lap and gasped as realization of what he said finally clicked. I raised my head and found him staring at my wide-eyed expression. His head was tilted and his hands were both on his lap. He looked so nervous and unsure, just as I was.

O.M.G!!!! Is he.....?

But then he suddenly laughed nervously and said, "Uhm... The truth is I need some sort of practice for this... uhm... girl I've been liking for some time now. And... uhm....I was wondering if you could maybe... help me? Like, you know, be my pretend date to help me practice? I have never had the time and never wanted a girl so much to try to date before. So..." He cleared his throat as he stopped talking and hesitatingly asked me again. "Will you help me, Dayne?" He was pleading with his eyes. "Please?" The unsure man beside me is unlike the gorgeous and confident Brian I spent the entire dinner with.

I felt like a bucket of cold water was poured on me, and I froze. I was beginning to think that he was going to tell me he wanted to go out with me for real, hence he pretended we were on a real date. But the truth was actually far from it. He was just using me as a practice date for some other girl he likes! Ouch. Now this is certainly NOT a daydream.

I felt..... disappointed? But why? Did I really think that he'd go for the likes of me? Come on, Dayne, keep on daydreaming.

He was expectantly watching me and waiting for my reply even as the battle inside my head was in progress. Then, I finally found my voice, "I... I don't understand, Sir. Why me? I mean, I've told you earlier, I have no experience with dating. I don't see how I can be of help in this."

"W-well, by acting as my.... uhm...pretend date and...well... help me practice on the things I need to do or say and those to avoid to make the date interesting and fun. You can act as my critique, make suggestions, and give me advise on what women like and don't like. Until we both can be fully satisfied and confident that I can already pull it off on my own." He eagerly explained but even his eagerness can't hide his nervousness and... uncertainty. "Well, what do you say, Dayne?" Brian pressed on.

So I'm like the guinea pig?! My mind screamed. Nooo!!!!

But I calmly and quietly asked, "Is it not better to just be yourself and let this girl like you the way you are, Sir? What I mean is, if she will like you or love you it should be because she saw who you really are in a spontaneous way, you know even your clumsiness and all. Not just your good qualities or should I say your practiced techniques, no offense, but even your not so good ones. That.... that would be so great." I whispered the last part more like for me than for him. That's daydream material for me.

Then I looked up to see him staring at me, trying to suppress a smile that I see in his eyes and is threatening to break loose from his lips. Is he amused by my unrealistic ideas of love and attraction? Mental note: Keep thy daydream ideas to thy self. Sigh.

"Yeah, that would really be great," he replied then went on to say, "But I also believe that there are things that require a certain degree of exposure, practice or training or should I say a sort of getting a little bit used to in order to make things come out naturally. If I cannot be relaxed while doing something, then I would be stiff and awkward and just a mess, which is not really who I am because I am actually fun to be with. And you said so yourself, without experiencing something and then be suddenly made to go through it sans any preparation would be like groping in the dark, not knowing where to go or what to do. I'm sure that's no way to impress a girl. That would be tragic for my first attempt at pursuing a girl I like so much. Right? And so, I invoke the age old adage, practice makes perfect and with that I rest my case." He was smiling now and seemed to have reverted back to his cool confident self.

I could not help but smile at this. He surely used his lawyering skills for his case. I slowly nodded my agreement to his explanation.

"Hmm, well, this feels unfair as I am not equipped to argue my way out of anything like you obviously do. Maybe I should call my boss for this." Brian laughed at hearing this and shook his head in amusement. "Well, you argued your case well, Counsel. What can I say?" I said shrugging my shoulders and raising both hands in mock surrender, making Brian chuckle once more. "But, Sir...."

"Brian, Dayne," was his quick cut in. "You can just call me by my name. Especially as we will be "dating" in the coming days.... or weeks..... or months even.... to come," he was obviously teasing me and I had to laugh, feeling somewhat relaxed now.

"I don't remember ever agreeing to help you, Si... uhm.... Brian." It really felt weird to call him by his name. But I sure could get used to this. Uh-oh...Warning sirens blaring.

He laughed. "I thought by you saying I argued my case well meant you agreed with my proposition, Dayne." He was teasing me again, his smile making his already beautiful eyes gleaming.

"Well, I'd say that in a serious situation such as the one you're proposing, which will mean me becoming the target of many a woman's wrath in the office and beyond, and with intermittent disruptions to my personal after office schedule, not that I have anything significant to speak of, tacit agreements cannot be assumed, Si... uhm... Brian." He just laughed again. "And besides, I have no input to share as I am not experienced in the field of dating. As in... zero. I don't really see how I can be of any use to you in this regard." I helplessly added.

When silence ensued, I once again reasoned, "Seriously, Brian, I really don't think a guy such as yourself still needs practice. You just have to smile maybe and that girl would probably be smitten already." I can't help but blurt my thought out in jest.

"Believe me, I've done that, a lot but.... uhm.... no progress there." He laughed a little while shaking his head. "I am just like you Dayne. Never really had the time for other things except my studies. So, this... is really new territory for me." He explained.

I'm quite enjoying this exchange of banters between us. Surprisingly. This is much better than my mental monologues, I guess. Especially after a week of being alone in the house with no one to talk to. "This" is indeed way way better.

Then, suddenly, and without as much as a warning, he turned his body so that he was facing me. Then he took my hands, shocking the daylight out of me, and forced me to turn towards him. He looked me in the eye, and said in a teasing but somewhat serious tone, "So... Dayne Marie Samaniego, will you please be my steady pretend/practice date for as long as we both shall need to be?" He was smiling so sweetly but I can feel his cold hands shaking a bit. My knees felt so weak. I can't breathe. But I could not help but smile shyly back at him. The situation was absurd but oddly cute.

And before I could even think, I breathlessly answered, "Yes, I do, Brian Jake Madrazo."

And this was a real-life scenario, ladies and gentlemen, not a daydream-oh-snap-out-of-it scene. Uh huh, you better believe it.

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"What did I get myself into?" I asked myself while lying on my bed and staring at the ceiling, one arm resting on my forehead. Still not able to recover from my stupidity and whirlwind false romance when my phone buzzed. I froze when I saw Brian's name as the sender.

[Hey, are you still awake?]

Should I pretend to be asleep and not reply? I thought. I need to think!

I don't know what to feel about this farce that I agreed to play with him now that I've gotten some time to think about it.

You are not and never have been impulsive, Dayne. You always weighed things out before you made any decision, big or small ones. So, what happened???

I felt somewhat afraid.... for me. What if I learn to enjoy the pretend dates and his company? What happens when he doesn't need the practice dates anymore? How will I feel then? Will I be fine and okay with it ending? We are talking about gorgeous Brian after all.

Oh, boy. What did I just do?

I decided not to text Brian back and pretend to be asleep or at least let him think that I was. Damn, I'm starting to be good at pretending now. But then my phone buzzed again.

[Goodnight, Dayne. Dream sweet dreams of me.]

Oh, man. I'm in so much trouble than I bargained for. I pulled the sheets over my head and groaned. "Why did I ever say yes to this?!"