Falling Just as Hard

The hot water running out of the shower head reminds me of how late I am on my rent again, especially with my heat cut off in this cold season.

I enjoy every bit of it, knowing that this gym shower was the only place I could warm up before going back to my run-down apartment to freeze to death.

When I’m done, I wrap a loose towel around my chest and leave the bathroom stall. If I stay there any longer then someone will get suspicious that I’m the one always using all the hot water.

I get dried, putting my wet hair up into two braids. I pull on my basketball shorts and tank top, my sneakers going on next.

I’m about to leave when my phone rings. I look at the caller ID to see it’s my landlady. I decline it.

My fingers swipe across my phone to check if Jess had replied to my text, but there is still nothing, making me sigh. She was my best friend and my only hope of paying my rent before I’m thrown out.

Yes, this is the thousandth time I’ve asked her to lend me some money with a promise to pay back, but I hope this is the last. Her family is rich, but I’m not going to keep taking advantage of that and living off her. I’m going to find a job, and everything will be okay.

I sigh.

The gym is the only thing keeping me sane at this point. It is a good thing Jess had a free membership that I was able to use because she couldn’t hit the gym to save her life.

My phone rings again, and I know this time I cannot decline the call.

“Hello, Ms. Wang. I was not expecting your call” I say with a grimace. That is a lie. I push the gym doors open and step into the busy street, making sure not to bump into anyone.

“You have been declining my calls!” she yells, making me shriek and pull the phone away from my ear. When I put it back on, she’s yelling at me in Mandarin, so I say the only thing that comes to mind.

“I’ll have your money by the weekend. I promise. You know I always pay up,” I say with a sweet voice that sickens me.

“You always say this! Have it before midnight today or I’m throwing you out!” she yells something else in Mandarin again before hanging up on me.

Tonight?

She has to be joking.

It is literally impossible to have the money before then. I glance at my watch. I barely have fifteen hours before midnight. Does she expect me to rob a bank or something? Jess is still not answering my text. I just hope she’s alright.

Lost in thought, I bump into a wall, or a wall bumps into me… I’m not quite sure which. I rub my forehead to ease the pain from the contact, only to look up to see a pair of blue eyes staring at me.

Well, it’s not a wall but a guy.

The suit he wears hides some of his muscles but not quite all. I can still make out the hard planes of his shoulders and his strong arms.

“If you’re blind, the least you can do is apologize for bumping into other people,” he says, his strong jaw ticking with the same little patience I had.

“Excuse you!” I exclaim. “You bumped into me, so you should be the one apologizing. And I’m not blind!”

“Do you also not have manners? You’re yelling in the street and disturbing a whole lot of people.” He smirks at me, and I want to punch the living daylight outs of him. I am already having a bad day, and I really do not want to deal with this.

“I’m not dealing with this,” I say and take deep breaths to calm myself. I step to the side to go around him when he grabs my arm.

“You need to pick these up.” He gestures to the bunch of flyers scattered on the floor. “After all, you made me drop them.”

I scoff, unable to believe what he was saying. “You mean I should bend over and pick these for you?” I ask, putting emphasis on each word.

“Yes,” he answers simply, a small grin on his face like he’s enjoying our entire ordeal. Well, I’m not.

“Let go of me this instant,” I say, but he doesn’t make a move. If anything, his grip on me tightens and borders on becoming painful.

“Just do as I ask, and you’ll be on your way.” He removes his hand but doesn’t move away.

Why is he being so stubborn about this?

“Move.”

He doesn’t even seem to be bothered by the anger that is on my face or the deepness of my voice. “No,” he just says simply.

The corners of my mouth turn up in a tight smile. “I just need to pick it up?” I ask sweetly which takes him aback as he takes a step backward.

“Yes.”

I nod before bending down to grab the flyers. I slowly stand up, able to see the smile on his face. He probably thinks he won.

He stretches his hand to take them from me which leaves him unprotected and vulnerable to what I’m about to do next.

Folding all my fingers in, I throw a punch directly in his face, the loud crunch I hear next gives me a deadly satisfaction as his expression turns into one of agony.

I laugh.

Hard.

“Next time, don’t mess with every girl you see,” I say, patting myself on the back as he cradles his nose in his palm.

Despite the pain, he manages a smile. “If anything, you’re hardly a girl”

I’m about to throw another punch when someone holds my arm from behind. I turn to see another human wall in a suit behind me.

“I’m not sure what is going on, but I apologize for his behavior,” the new guy says, his voice calming and making me drop my fist to my side. If only Mr. Asshole here was just as nice.

“Did you just call me Mr. Asshole?” he exclaims, grunting from pain.

Did I say that out loud?

I put my hand on my hip. “And what if I did?” I don’t even give him a chance to reply because a text pops up on my phone and it has me screaming in terror.

Oh no! My interview!

I look between the two guys unsure of what to say, so I just run as fast as my legs can go. I have just two minutes to get to my interview, and I can’t afford to be late. If only that wall of a man didn’t bump into me.

When I push open the door to the cafe, the place is already empty, and I can tell that I’m more than late for the interview. I walk straight to the counter where a girl about my age is sitting with her headphones on.

“Hello, I’m here for the interview.” I fiddle with my fingers.

She pops the gum she’s chewing before raising her eyes to me like I’m an annoying kid that she wants to get rid of. “They finished like an hour ago. Don’t know why you even bothered showing up.”

I suck in a deep breath. “I can’t even see the manager? Surely there’s something that can be done for me.”

She doesn’t even answer, just keeps chewing her gum like no one is speaking to her. I look at the little office beside the counter where I’d first met the manager and she offered me a job. If only I were early, I would have gotten that job.

Everything was going well until wall man showed up.

I’m fuming.

And if I ever see him again, he’s dead meat.

I don’t even realize I’m still holding unto the flyer until I’m standing outside the cafe as I tried to hail a taxi.

The colorful fonts grab my attention, and soon, I’m reading it all through. By the time I’m done, I’m laughing like a maniac.

Wife for hire? Definitely something someone as arrogant as him could pull off. Why is he looking for a wife anyway?

What am I even asking? He goes around bumping into girls and demanding they apologize instead—who would want to be with someone like that? Besides, all men were so not worth the trouble.

I’m about to discard the flyer when something huge catches my eye. That can’t be… $20,000? That’s a lot of money. Even a half of it would solve all my problems this minute and even more.

I go through the instructions on the flyer with rapt attention this time, and it says that a lady is needed to pretend to be his wife for just three months, and they would be paid handsomely with $20,000 as just the starting price, and conditions are negotiable.

This has to be a dream.

How can he possibly give out this huge amount of money, and what does he even need a wife for? This is getting interesting.

My phone dings, and I check it to see it’s a message from the bank and not Jess. This was turning into a sticky situation real quick. Why is she not answering my calls?

It is just me and my debt in this entire city. I have no family, and the one friend I have has most likely abandoned me to my fate. Maybe this is the end for me. I’ll move out and live under a bridge and maybe get a rich woman to fall in love with me.

This is totally not going to work.

As I go over my predicament in my head, the flyer I have in my hand got even more attractive. There is no harm in trying it. Being someone’s wife doesn’t seem that big of a job. I wasn’t even attracted to men, so it’s perfect.

No stress for an entire twenty grand.

No! I can’t do this. But I have no other choice. Without Jess’s help, I am down for good this time.

I sigh.

I check the address on the flyer. There’s an interview in…five minutes? I might have missed the cafe interview, but I couldn’t miss this one. It’s my ticket out of hell.

With the last penny in my purse, I hail a cab. It better be worth it because this is all the money that I have.

The cab stops in front of an expensive looking restaurant, and I have to double check if it’s really the address.

It is. I stand outside the glass door and take a couple deep breaths before pushing it open. Here goes nothing.

I’m still rooted to the spot until Kyle shakes my shoulders, snapping me out of my daze. “Did you just…” I’m unable to control my thoughts because my nose hurts more than my bruised ego.

“Just let it go,” he says calmly, looking at me like I’m some spoiled child.

I push his hand away. “Easy for you to say because you’re not the one getting punched by a girl in the middle of the street.”

He doesn’t even seem fazed. “Told you we should take the car. You wanted the street experience for yourself”

“And now I’m totally regretting it,” I mutter under my breath. It had seemed nice, walking the streets and casually handing out flyers like I see them do in the movies, but with my half-broken nose… it is the worst thing anyone had to go through.

“Do you want to keep handing them out, or do we go straight to the restaurant?” Kyle asks.

I look down, but there’s only a couple flyers on the floor. The crazy girl must have taken them with her in a haste.

The fuck am I going to do now?

“There’s none left. She took them with her.”

The corner of his lips twitch, and I can tell he is close to losing it. “Let’s just go to the restaurant then and hope someone magically shows up.” His tone is tight, and I can’t even blame him.

“You should have just listened to me and posted an ad on social media,” he adds as he turns and walks away. I follow him immediately. It would be tragic to get lost in the middle of nowhere.

“What if my dad saw? It would definitely get me in more trouble than it’s worth.” I cringe. I had absolutely no way to explain this to him.

“Maybe you should just think about settling down for real.” He takes a quick glance at me as I follow closely behind. “Aren’t you tired of all the girls?”

I laugh, causing many people to turn towards us, but I don’t care. “How can you for one second even think about that?” I slap his shoulder, my hand falling off as he keeps walking. “I would never…ever get tired of all girls. Women were sent to this world to spice it up. Why would I give that up just to satisfy my parents?”

“Still so immature,” he says under his breath, but I can still hear him.

“Hey!” I yell, but he only walks faster. “The real problem is my parents. Why can’t they just give me my inheritance without all these drama? Why do I need to settle down first before I get the money?”

A horn blasts off the distance, muffling my words, but I hear Kyle laugh. “Because, my dear friend, they’re afraid their beloved son will spend all of their riches and hard work on women. It would be heartbreaking for them.”

I scoff. “They’re probably right”

Kyle stops abruptly, making me almost bump into him. “Let’s just focus on getting you a fake wife, okay? You’ll figure the rest from there.”

We don’t speak again after that. I really hope we find someone that can pretend to be my wife for just a couple months until the inheritance is transferred to my name. It’ll be a clean break; I’ll pay her, and she’ll be on her way while I probably spend all the money… on pretty girls.

It’s perfect.

No need for any commitment whatsoever.

When we finally get to the restaurant where I’m holding the interviews, my heart sinks with disappointment. It’s empty, just like Kyle had predicted.

I slip into a seat, unable to look him in the eye. I already know what he is going to say. He already told me my little plan was lame, but there was no harm in trying, right?

He pulls out the seat next to mine. “You should’ve listened when I told you not to rent the entire place out.” He’s holding a bottle of water that I don’t know where he got from. He chugs down the water before I even have a chance to reply to him.

“Someone is going to show up,” I mutter to myself, glancing at the door. “We managed to give a couple people the flyer before the punch girl appeared.”

Kyle just nods. “If you say so. We’ll just wait.”

I glance at my watch. Is anyone really going to come? Maybe my plan was just as stupid as Kyle said, but surely there is a girl somewhere that needs fast money and is willing to just be my wife on paper.

My fingers drum on the table to kill boredom as my thoughts go back to the girl on the street. I touch the side of my nose lightly. How did she learn how to punch like that? Although, it shouldn’t come as a surprise.

She was wearing big basketball shorts and a tank top—definitely tomboy material. Must be where she got that attitude from.

I don’t even realize an hour has passed until Kyle nudges my side. “Let’s get out of here. This isn’t working, and I have somewhere to be.”

With a weary smile, I look at the door. “Five minutes more? I have a feeling someone is on their way.”

He sighs. “No one is crazy enough to take an offer like this.” He waves the flyer in my face. “Anyone who does has no sense of shame or pride.”

I shrug my shoulders. “Say whatever you want. They’re getting tons of money for it.”

He gets up, and I’m about to do the same when the door opens, and a mob of dark brown hair is the first thing I see.

It might work out after all.

It’s not until the person comes completely in that I groan. It’s the punch girl. She walks steadily towards us, glancing around the entire place.

“Where’s everyone?” She stops in front of us with a raised brow.

Kyle regards her with a frown. “What are you here for?”

I laugh. “Obviously, she’s here to apologize to me. Why else would she go through the trouble of finding me?” I nudge Kyle’s arm. “I told you all the girls have the hots for me.”

Her face turns into one of confusion. “What do you mean apologize?” She waves the flyer in her hand that I didn’t see before now. “I’m here for this.”

For a moment, no one speaks. I stare at her, and her angry eyes stare back at me until I ruin the silence with my laughter, unable to keep it in for much longer.

“You mean… you mean…” I can’t speak until I get my laughter under control. “You want to be my wife? Have you lost it?” I break into another round of laughter, stopping only when Kyle elbows me in the ribs.

“Why?” Kyle asks her, and I watch her eyes grow wide before they dim.

“Twenty thousand dollars is no joke” she says quietly, looking down at her shoes.

That’s weird.

“So you’re here to be his wife?” Kyle asks, adjusting his position on the seat with a mean look on his face.

She’s about to answer when I yell, “No!” Yes, I’m desperate but not that desperate. She isn’t my type at all though she’s a beauty in the eyes.

She’s slender, her baggy clothes hiding a figure I wasn’t sure was there, and I certainly don’t want to marry someone that can easily punch me in my pretty face.

“No what?” Kyle asks, annoyed.

“She can’t be my wife.” I roll my eyes. “She’s totally not my type,” I say, adjusting my jacket.

She looks at me briefly before looking down. I’m not sure if those are tears in her eyes, and I don’t ask.

“Be reasonable, Jake. She’s the only option you’ve got. I doubt anyone else is showing up for this,” Kyle says, casting me a side glance. “Be reasonable.”

I cross my arms. “Still, what if she punches me or something again? I like my women soft and curvy and not out here looking like a gangster.”

“Then you should have indicated it in the flyer.” Kyle pinches the bridge of his nose, and I know he is tired of me. “We’ll go ahead with the interview”

He gestures to the girl. “Your name and why you think you should get this job.”

I groan. “We’re finding me a partner. Stop making it look like a job application.” They both ignore me as the girl fiddles with her fingers.

“My name is Olivia, and I’m perfect for the job because you don’t have to worry about me falling in love with him or whatever,” she finishes, her voice growing bolder as she spoke.

I raise an eyebrow at that. “What makes you so confident that you won’t fall in love with me or form any emotional attachment?”

“It’s just impossible to. Besides, I’m not attracted to dickheads like you,” she answers, and I almost bolt up from my seat.

“Did you just call me a dickhead?” I ask. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

Kyle touches my arm lightly.

“You need a wife, and I need that money. We can definitely work something out.” She steps closer to me, “I don’t know why you’re doing this, but something tells me you’re just as desperate as me.” She doesn’t remove her gaze from me. She’s right. I am desperate.

“I just want to know one thing…” I scratch the back of my neck. “Why do you think you’ll never fall in love with me?”

“I’m not attracted to you?”

My fist pounds the table. “And why is that?”

Her mouth twitches. “Does it hurt your pride that someone for the first time does not find you attractive?”

“Just answer the question.”

She looks me dead in the eye. “I’m just not attracted to men.”

“What?”

She sighs. “I’m a lesbian. That is why I can’t ever be attracted to you. It’s the perfect arrangement.”

A part of me is relieved. “That makes more sense on why you can’t see just how handsome I am. Well, you’re hired, but I have a set of rules you must follow.”

She’s about to answer when both our phones go off at the same time. It’s a text from my father to bring my future wife to dinner tomorrow. Good thing I already found someone to fill in.

“Hey, we’ll be going to dinner…” I trail off when her eyes remain glued to her phone. She finally puts it away and looks at me, her expression apologetic.

“I’m sorry I can’t go through with the contract. I need to go” she says, rushing her words. She glances at her phone again.

“I don’t understand…”

She shakes her head. “I’m sorry,” she says, then hurries out the door.