Sidequest for Love by L.H. Cosway

“Like I said, I can’t tell you all the details, but if you knew how it all came about, you’d actually feel sorry for him. He didn’t intentionally set out to catfish her. It’s complicated. And I think he was a little lonely at the time. But the person he’s pretending to be is the exact opposite of Neil, which makes things even worse. If Annabelle is the vain, narcissistic type I suspect she is, then she could break Neil’s heart when she sees the real him.”

Billy took a sip of his drink. “Poor bloke.”

“I have a plan, though. I’m going to try and set him up with someone else before he ever gets the chance to meet Annabelle.”

Billy’s smirk re-emerged. “And would this someone else happen to be you?”

I rolled my eyes. “No, I’m not setting him up with me. I already told you I don’t fancy him. I’m going to find him a nice, kind, pretty lady. Someone who will appreciate what a gem he is.”

“Sure, sure,” Billy said, clearly not believing me for a second.

I frowned as I focused on my food. Did I fancy Neil? Was that why I felt so passionate about keeping him away from Annabelle? I mean, I did think he was handsome, and as had already been established, he had a fantastic backside that I enjoyed ogling. But it wasn’t just how he looked. I liked Neil’s personality on a fundamental level. I looked forward to talking to him at the end of each day, hearing his opinions and takes on things, and arguing with him when I disagreed.

Even sitting here now, it was hours until our video call, and I was already wishing those hours away. Had chatting and watching period dramas with Neil somehow become the highlight of my day?

Ah, hell, maybe Billy was onto something after all.





9.



Neil

A soft, delicate hand ran down my bare stomach, and my gut swam with desire. She laughed softly, and it vibrated through me, lighting me up from the inside out. Her hand went lower, taking me fully into her grasp. I turned over, and a flash of blue hair filled my vision. I threw my head back as she fisted me, pumping once, twice …

When I glanced at her again, her hair was no longer blue, but blonde, and now she was lowering herself down my body, tugging at the waistband of my jeans …

I woke on a gasp, blinking at the clock on the bedside dresser. It read 6:07 a.m. My alarm normally went off at 6:30 a.m., but I’d woken early, probably due to the intensity of the dream I’d just had. One part of me wished to go back to it, but another part wished to avoid it altogether. The woman in my dream had held a striking resemblance to …

No, I refused to delve too deeply into whatever that meant. It was just a silly dream. Nothing to be concerned about.

Climbing out of bed, I headed straight for the shower, setting the water temperature to slightly cooler than normal. It did the trick to temper the heat that had been burning under the surface of my skin. Once out of the shower, I dressed, checked my agenda for the day, then set off to start work. I had a busy schedule to contend with, but I welcomed it since it allowed me to avoid analysing my unexpectedly erotic dream.

Later on, I’d just finished grabbing lunches for the cast when my phone rang with a call from my sister. “Hello, Rosie,” I answered.

“Hey, thought I’d give you a bell, check how things are going over there,” she replied.

“Things are good. The filming is on schedule, and no one’s managed to injure themselves too badly so far,” I said before taking a sip from my coffee as I leaned back against a wall. I’d been on my feet all day, and this was the first chance I’d had to grab some caffeine.

“That’s great to hear. I’m at work, too. We’re just about to close up for the day,” Rosie said. “I’m nervous because I had the wild idea to set up a book club and the first meeting is later this week. I’m worried nobody will turn up.”

“I’m sure people will show. Book clubs are hugely popular these days,” I said to reassure her. “What book are you going to be discussing?”

I heard Rosie blow out a breath on the other end of the line. “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Do you think it’s too quirky for a first pick?”

“No way. That’s a great book and it has a fantastic twist. People love twists. You chose well.”

“I hope so. The head librarian, Noleen, will be only too thrilled to shove the failure in my face if it isn’t a success.”

“I didn’t realise working in a library could be so cutthroat,” I said just as I spotted Callum headed my way.

Rosie sighed. “You have no idea. Listen, I better go, but I’ll call again later in the week. Grandma’s been wanting me to set up a video call. She misses you. She always does whenever you have to travel for work.”

“Well, tell her I miss her, too. And let me know when you want to do the video call. I’ll make sure I’m available.”

“Will do! Talk soon,” Rosie said.

I hung up just as Callum reached me. He had sunglasses on, so I couldn’t tell what kind of mood he was in. We were currently camped out in one of the many city parks we’d been filming in. Right now, everybody was having lunch, though Callum was always the fastest eater of the bunch.

“Neil, I was hoping to have a word with you,” he said, and my stomach lurched. A sense of dread set in as I imagined he’d discovered my online relationship with Annabelle and was about to tell me I was fired.