The Counterfeit Lover (War of Sins Book 3)

‘Where are you taking me?’

‘You’ll see,’ he gives me a charming smile, taking my hand in his as he resumes his attention to the road.

I’d expected him to be weirder today after what happened last night, but it’s been the opposite. From the moment I’d woken up he’d been extra attentive, bringing me breakfast in bed and brushing off any attempt at talking about the events of the other night.

Still, I can’t help but worry about him, and I wish he’d confide in me what he’s feeling.

But I won’t force him.

I recognize he must be having a hard time, so I’ll let him slowly open up to me, being there for him at every step.

We end up somewhere in Brooklyn, in what seems to be an industrial area.

Raf parks the car, and taking my hand, he leads be towards a row of warehouses.

‘When I moved back home from college I stored all my stuff in here,’ he mentions as the security checks his ID before letting us pass to the back where the storage units are.

Raf already has a key, and locating his unit, he unlocks it, opening the door wide for me to go inside.

There are quite a few boxes stuffed to the rim, as well as a few suitcases. Everything is neatly packed, and each box has a tag on it with its contents.

‘Even back then you were so organized,’ I smile.

He shrugs slightly, but his cheeks redden as he clears his throat.

‘Here,’ he calls me over as he pulls one of the boxes, opening it to reveal books, books and more books.

‘What is it?’ I laugh as he starts taking them out one by one, a look of pure concentration on his face.

‘I have something for you,’ he mumbles, continuing to sift through the books.

Moving to his side, I plop myself on the floor.

‘Don’t,’ I startle when I hear his voice, blinking in confusion. ‘The floor is cold. Don’t sit there,’ he clarifies, and before I can reply, he has one of his suitcases open, taking out a sweater and motioning for me to sit on it. ‘There, better,’ he muses to himself in satisfaction before he goes back to his box.

A bewildered expression gives way to one of pure pleasure as I realize he takes care of me even unconsciously. It’s second nature to him, and I bask in that feeling of adoration.

‘Finally,’ he exhales in relief, whipping out a big hardcover book from the bottom of the box. Even in the dim light of the storage unit I can spot the play of color—the fact that the edges have been painted with gold.

Almost bashfully, Raf comes to sit by my side as I make some room for him on the sweater.

‘What’s this?’ I inquire as he hands the book to me.

The cardboard cover is sturdy, the materials used to bind it clearly expensive. Yet there’s no title on the front.

It’s only when I open it to the first page that I spot it, and its significance.

The Plumed Serpent, 1920 Edition.

‘You…’ I can’t even form the words as my eyes instinctively fill with tears at the sight of this precious gift.

It’s an absolutely exquisite collector’s edition—a rare one, too, going by the year, condition and level of detail afforded to gilded pages.

‘I got this for you. Well, for curiouscat,’ he smiles shamelessly at me. ‘And now it’s finally with its rightful owner.’

‘You got this for me when you didn’t know who I was. When we were just friends,’ I look up to find him staring at me intently.

‘I don’t think we were ever just friends. Yes, we might have been entirely platonic at that point, but that type of connection… What we had—what we have—is rare. It’s so much more than I can put into words…’

Closing the book, I place it carefully on the ground before I take his hands in mine.

‘You’re more than I deserve, Raf,’ I confess, the only thing I’m able to say without giving everything away.

It was never entirely platonic for me. He has no idea how many times I fantasized about him, how his elusive persona or his digitized voice were forever at the center of my teenage dreams. I clung to his words back then, just like now. The only difference is that now I can touch him, feel him…rejoice in him.

‘No, no, don’t say that,’ he gathers my face in his big hands, bringing me closer to him as he inhales my scent, his mouth hovering over mine. ‘Not when I’ve been the one to mess up time and time again. Not when…’ he trails off as he brushes his lips against mine.

But just as release a content sigh, giving myself into him, he’s off me, already studying the next box.

‘And to apologize for yet another failed date last night, I have a surprise for you,’ he suddenly declares, taking out a couple hoodies with a university emblem on them.

I raise a brow in question.

‘The best date idea,’ he continues, clearly quite pleased with himself, while I’m still dying to hear what’s so great about it.

‘I’m taking you to a frat party,’ he states resolutely before his mouth stretches into a big grin. ‘I’ll give you the American Pie experience, pretty girl, this time no blood and no murder, I promise,’ he gives me a dazzling smile.

I blink twice before I burst out into laughter.

‘You remember,’ I whizz out. ‘You really remember all that?’ I ask, happiness suffusing my entire being.

‘Of course I do,’ he nods emphatically. ‘I remember everything.‘

My cheeks redden.

‘And that means I have even more data to make you happy,’ he suddenly winks, this new levity transforming his face and making my heart beat faster in my chest.

‘Then I’d love that. But how are we going to go to a frat party when…’

‘Let me worry about that,’ he cuts me off, giving me a loud smooch on my cheek.

We end up taking some of the boxes with us to the apartment and we spend the rest of the day lazily lounging in the living room binge watching the first season of Buffy. We fall into an easy camaraderie punctuated by diverting banter and it’s like we haven’t been apart at all—like we’ve been together all along.

Though I’m a little curious how he plans on getting us into a frat party since we’re not students, I keep my mouth shut as he instructs me to put on a pair of jeans and one of his old university shirts that incidentally comes to my knees.

He’s amused as he watches me try to arrange it, giving it some shape by tucking the front of it in my jeans.

‘You have no idea what seeing you in my shirt does to me,’ he drawls, looking me up and down with satisfaction evident in his eyes. ‘And even better,’ his mouth tips up in a mischievous smile as he takes his cologne and sprays it all over me.

I chuckle, not minding his idea at all as I twirl around so he can douse me in his scent.

He dresses similarly, donning a pair of jeans and one of his university hoodies. Yet no matter how relaxed his outfit looks, there’s still a preppy air about him.

At this point, I’m convinced that he can make anything look good.

And to show him he’s not the only one who want the world to know he’s staked his claim, I put on a bright red lipstick before I wrap my fingers in his shirt, pulling him towards me so I can kiss his neck, leaving my mark behind.

‘All done,’ I quip, satisfied with the way my lips are now visible on his skin.

With that we can finally leave. Taking a cab, we head uptown to where his university is.

I still have no idea how he plans on getting us into a frat party since I know how the last one went for him—absolutely abysmal. On top of that, there’s also the issue that neither of us are students.

The cab drops us right in front of the main gate of the university, and grabbing my hand, Raf takes me to the liquor store.

‘The first step is to come bearing gifts,’ he winks as he picks a couple of bottles of more expensive liquor.

‘And the second is to find a party.’

With two bags will of alcohol, we go down a street Raf says is known for having frat houses. And that is immediately evident as loud noises erupt in the air, students walking around drunk and having a good time.

Music is blasting from a few of the brownstones, and as we walk down the street, Raf stops in front one of the houses.

‘Let’s try this,’ he nods to the entrance. A few of the frat guys are outside smoking.

Holding my hand, Raf ushers me up the stairs and towards the door.

Just as I think the guys aren’t going to let us go in, they open the door for us, inviting us in.

The moment we’re inside, the music is blasting in the speakers, people walking all over the place with red solo cups in their hands.

‘We’re in,’ I blink, the reality of the moment finally hitting me.

‘Told you,’ Raf smiles at me, tucking me closer as we go deeper into the house where the bar is. He places the bottles on the counter, and the guy serving the drinks gives him a surprised look.

‘Hell, man, you went all out,’ he chuckles, shaking hands with Raf. ‘I haven’t seen you around here before.’

‘Took some time off school,’ Raf lies. ‘But now I’m back.’

And just like that, he’s back to his charming self, engaging in a short conversation and having the other guy eating from the palm of his hand—believing every single lie he’s spouting.

I watch the interaction, a little in awe of him, but also curious about how his time in college could have been so bad considering he’s so freaking good at striking up conversation even with someone he doesn’t know.

‘I’ll see you around,’ he eventually nods at the guy—Tobias. He even got his name. Taking two glasses, he asks Tobias to give us some jungle juice.

‘And now for the start of the experience,’ he turns to me, handing me a glass and urging me to try it.

‘This isn’t bad. Not at all,’ I exclaim, surprised.

It’s sweet and you can barely detect the alcohol.

‘And that’s the issue. If you’re not careful it will go to your head.’

‘You’re too good at this,’ I praise his excellent social persona as he leads me to a couch.

Already we’d been made aware the dance floor is downstairs, in the basement, while the upstairs levels are off limits to strangers.

‘Now. You should have seen me when I was in college. I was so bad,’ he cringes, bringing one hand to his face.

‘How could you have been so bad?’

‘I had no confidence in myself,’ he grimaces. ‘You know most of my embarrassing stories from my time here, but the truth is that I could have made friends. I could have put myself out there, but I didn’t. I was dealing with a lot of mental health issues for which, retrospectively, I should have sought help.’

‘Raf…’ I place my head on his shoulder. ‘To know what you went through and where you are now… It makes me so proud of you. You have no idea,’ I smile at the memories of our conversations. ‘You make me want to be better—do better.’

He’s nothing short of a magnificent example—someone I’ve always respected and admired.

It’s true that during his time in college he was dealing with a lot. I, better than anyone, know of his struggles and the fact that he’d had many identity crises, one after another. He’d been so self-conscious of himself and the image he portrayed to the outside world because, simply put, it didn’t fit the image in his own mind.

Yet the man he is now? The man before me?

He learned to love and understand himself. He finally found himself. And that alone gives me immeasurable joy.

I’ve always loved him, regardless of his looks or the past, but to know he loves himself, too, makes everything so much sweeter, so much potent.

He finally knows his worth. Something I’ve known all along.

‘I don’t think I told you,’ he smiles sadly, his voice semi-drowned by the music all around us. ‘But everything I did to better myself was for you. For the promise I made you before I escaped,’ he pauses, giving me an odd look. ‘I promised I’d come back for you, and I promised myself I’d take revenge on my brother for everything he’s done to me. It seems I failed at both, didn’t I…’

‘Don’t,’ I quickly shake my head. ‘Don’t go there. I don’t want you to beat yourself over that. And if you want to do something for me, then…love me. Just love me, Raf, and never leave me.’

‘Never,’ he murmurs before giving me a quick kiss. ‘Now let’s have some fun. We didn’t come here to sit on the couch,’ he chuckles, helping me up and leading me to where some people are busy playing beer pong.

Now, that, I’ve seen in movies. And as soon as we get closer, I get curious about it.

‘Can we try?’

He gives me a nod, and as soon as the people currently playing finish, he reserves the spot for us.

‘You’ll get so drunk tonight, pretty girl,’ he teases me, pointing to the newly filled cups with beer.

‘Or you will get smashed tonight, dear husband,’ I taunt right back, settling on my side of the table and stretching in an attempt to show him how serious I am about this.

He shakes his head, smiling. Picking up the ping pong ball, he hands it to me, signaling to start.

A smile probes at my lips as I decide to play with him a little.

In the beginning, I miss all the glasses on purpose, which prompts a shameless grin on his face.

In fact, slowly, people gather around us, cheering us on despite not knowing either of us. A few girls gather behind me while some guys are behind Raf. Suddenly, this seems to have turned into a battle of the sexes.

He smirks as he takes down another one of my cups and I’m forced to drink.

So far, I’ve lost three cups while he lost none.

Not for long.

Rolling my shoulders, I give him a look that says the war is on before I pick up the ball, flexing my elbow and throwing it into a cup—right on target.

Raf blinks in surprise before winking at me, all the while picking up the glass to drink and washing the ball in one of the water containers by the side.

He looks so cool and poised, the girls behind me are already swooning about him, their whispers reaching my ears. For a moment, I feel a low current of jealousy pass through my body. But I soon squash it as I sweetly turn to them.

‘My husband thinks I can’t win this just because I’m a girl. But I think the verdict is still to be determined.’

My words work perfectly as they convey our connection and they also enlist some of the girls on my side, cheering me on and wishing for me to win to prove him wrong.

I’m quite surprised at the turn of events and the fact that they back off immediately, instead only gushing about my handsome husband and how lucky I am to have him.

Jealousy soon forgotten, I actually start having fun.

One after another, I sink the ball in Raf’s cups while he misses every now and then.

Giving me a look, he chugs the last of his cup before he sets about his turn.

We’re both down to two cups now, so the battle is tight.

‘If I win,’ Raf speaks, his voice loud enough to be heard by everyone. ‘I get to choose the next show we watch,’ he smiles evilly when he sees me blink at him.

Pursing my lips, I see what he’s trying to do.

For a few days now he’s been bugging about a new show he’d wanted to watch—one I’d declared a little too cheesy. I’d kept talking him out of it, but it seems he has his hidden weapons.

‘Fine,’ I nod, keeping my head high. ‘But if I win,’ I pause for the dramatic effect, all the while keeping the eye contact, ‘we’re watching the show I want to watch.’

Not that I have one in mind, or anything that he could do for me that he isn’t already doing. But I can’t not issue a challenge of my own, especially seeing how many people are awaiting to see the winner of the game.

We both nod, and adding a second ball to the game, we decide to make it more interesting. We’d both be aiming at the same time, and whoever gets the first shot wins.

‘And go,’ someone gives the signal.

I throw my ball just as he throws his and…

They both hit the glasses at the same time.

‘It’s a tie!’ someone announces.

Belatedly, I see phones around us. Some recorded the moment to see who got it first, but as they start fighting among themselves, Raf and I decide to accept the tie.

There’s a choir of cheers on both sides, guys patting Raf on the back and girls whispering in my ear how cool everything had been.

‘Why don’t you and your girl come with us upstairs?’ Tobias, the guy from before, addresses Raf.

I’m a little tipsy—just a little though—so I give Raf my silent assent, sliding my hand into his as we’re led upstairs to a room.

‘This is so reminiscent of my first frat party,’ he whispers, ‘but also flipped on its head. Everyone…likes us,’ he states in awe.

‘Everyone likes you,’ I correct, since I’d seen how many fanboys he’d collected downstairs alone.

Between each pass, he would converse a little with each, his speech and manner so imposing he’d suddenly become some kind of authority in that little circle. Case in point with Tobias, who’d been so in awe with Raf even though we’d both tied, that he’d invited us upstairs.

‘I think I need to stop worrying about girls hitting on you and start watching out for the guys,’ I joke.

He shakes his head at me, but I can tell he’s just amused.

Reaching the landing, we’re led towards a big room at the end of the hallway. Inside, there are already seven or so people, all sitting around with a can of beer or a glass of alcohol and chatting. Some are also smoking, even though that was prohibited downstairs.

‘Everyone, this is Rafaelo and his girl, Noelle,’ he introduces us, and one by one, people start making introductions.

We take a seat on one of the couches and Tobias offers us both some drinks.

‘Are you ok? You had quite a bit of beer?’ Raf asks, ever the thoughtful sweetheart.

‘You did notice it was awfully diluted. I don’t think you need to worry.’

Maybe I’m a tiny bit tipsy, but one more beer won’t hurt.

Raf snakes a protective arm around my waist as he tugs me into him.

Though in the beginning I fear things will be awkward since we don’t know anyone, it soon becomes quite pleasant as we engage in small talk and funny anecdotes.

I become more comfortable as I see there are two more couples in the room, Max and Ava, and Janice and Aaron. Another girl, Samantha, is currently sitting awfully close to one of the frat brothers, Jason, and I note there might be something there. Aside from Tobias, there’s one more guy, Levi.

The conversation becomes more and more interesting, and once again I note the effect Raf has on a crowd.

He’s speaking and…well, they’re just listening.

Right now he’s talking about some business model I know nothing about. I only get to chime in when the conversation verges a little more on the fun stuff—like video games.

‘It’s funny you say that,’ Raf smiles. ‘Noelle and I met in an online game.’

‘No shit,’ Aaron comments. ‘That’s so cool. I’ve tried to convince J to play with me so many times, but she’s never been into that.’

‘What was the game?’ Levi throws the question, and suddenly, I’m included in the conversation, too.

Every time I speak, though, Raf finds ways to touch me—visibly touch me—for the other guys to see. It’s so blatant, I can’t stop my lips from curling up in a smile.

‘Why don’t we play something?’ Ava suggests. “I’m bored of your nerd talk,” she huffs and everyone laughs.

‘Let’s play never have I ever,’ Sam suggests, her eye straying to Jason as she licks her lips. Oh, there is definitely something there.

‘Oh no,’ Raf groans in my hair. ‘That game right there landed me in hot waters last time,’ he bemuses, and I remember exactly what he’s talking about.

‘You’re not drunk now, and you’re certainly not who you used to be. We’ve got this, don’t worry,’ I wink at him.

I may not have played the game before, but I’ve seen it in movies and shows before. Save for Raf’s last failed attempt, this seems like a fun activity.

The questions start soon enough, some asking about countries visited, or stunts performed on campus.

Since the rule is to drink only if you’ve done it, neither Raf nor I drink.

‘Never have I ever ridden a bike,’ I say as my turn comes.

‘You’ve never?’ he murmurs the question.

I shake my head. It hadn’t been something I’d been allowed to do.

‘It seems I’m the only one,’ I chuckle.

‘I can ride one, but not so well,’ Ava muses, swirling the liquid in her cup.

‘Ok, Rafaelo next.’

‘Never have I ever…’ he trails off pensively, ‘crashed a car.’

I groan. The little…

Grumbling something under my breath, I take a drink.

Everyone is on me then, wanting to hear the story. A little embellished, I give it to them.

‘You got caught by the cops?’

‘Well, my brother helped me get out of the situation,’ I do my best to explain, though I never reveal one thing—why I’d crashed in the first place.

Once the excitement from my story dies down, the game continues. In between, Max whips out a couple weed cigarettes, passing them around.

‘We can leave if you want to,’ Raf whispers when the joint comes our way.

I shake my head.

‘I like being around people my age for once,’ I assure him. ‘And I kind of want to try it?’ I ask tentatively.

His brows go up, but he doesn’t say no. Instead, he holds it to my lips, walking me through the steps of how to smoke it.

I inhale once. A slight cough. Then twice. Three times. And damn, but it starts getting more and more pleasant. Definitely better than the stuff Sergio had at the hacienda.

As the joint makes the rounds, the game becomes more and more sexual in nature.  One after another, the lines become all about positions, acts, and kinks.

I blush, but when Raf inquires again if I want to leave, I guarantee him I’m comfortable and I’m having fun. Especially as each round ends up with a few stories to fit the subject.

The weed finally gets to me and I become more relaxed as I slump against Raf, a silly grin on my face. I also can’t help myself from giggling at every little thing—no matter how funny.