Percy nods, the words stuck in his throat, refusing to come out. He could feel the pit in his stomach growing larger and larger, threatening to swallow him and all his lies whole. It was better this way, though. If Avery thought he was actually holding up his end of the bargain, at least if it fell apart she’d be surprised enough. He didn’t want to think about how hurt she might be, though. He pushed the thought aside. He also knew if it got out any further that it would be him that would have hell to pay. That his father would tear him to shreds before Avery ever got the chance. So… at least there was that. Her gentle squeeze on his hand is comforting, despite the fact that he feels like a fraud for feeling safe within her grasp.
“Yeah… yeah. It’s… It’s not,” he said, trying to reassure himself. He looks up at her again, his eyes never really being able to focus for too long on her without a twinge of guilt, but he tries. He knows from experience that eye contact is the key to making someone believe you. “I really appreciate this, and you, Avery. A lot.” he says, holding her hands softly in return, savouring the moment before he felt his phone vibrating more agressively. He picked it up, looked at it. Dad. He showed Avery the phone screen before picking it up and holding the phone to his ear.
“Your mother just told me what she saw you post… Is it true son? Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
“Hey dad,” he said gently. “It kind of just… happened,” he trailed. “You know us, we’ve always been close,” he said. He told his dad little, that Avery was here with him, that they were happy together. That it was still new. The lies started to flow off his tounge like they were a perfected script instead of a haphazard truth. Maybe it was because he knew his survival relied on his performance. His father’s voice echoed through the phone line, probably loud enough that Avery could hear despite the phone not being on speakerphone. He mentioned something briefly about First Lady and Don’t screw it up. He cringed a little, as he hung up. “Sorry… my dad can be a little… Well, you know my dad….” he trailed. “You’re right,” he said, proud of the charade he just pulled off on the phone. Dare he say, Percy kind of got a kick out of it. “Nothing to worry about. We can do this.”
Avery shrugs, “You don’t have to thank me,” Tumbling from her lips, though she basks in even the slightest bit of gratitude that Percy is showing her. In theory, she deserves it. In theory, she’s putting her own neck on the line to try and help out a friend, and if this were ever to come to light -- which, if she had it her way, it never would -- then she would either be caught out as a liar or a fool. Avery, of course, didn’t intend to be either. If she played her cards right, this situation could stand to benefit her as much as it helped Percy, catapulting her to a higher status, along for the ride while Percy made his way up the ranks. If he could keep up the ruse for long enough, she imagined they might even see themselves in the White House.
She was getting ahead of herself.
Her eyes light up as Percy shows her the caller ID, immediately grasping the gravity of the call. This was the first hurdle, convincing their families of the lie. Of course, Avery had little doubt that Percy’s parents would take the bait -- they seemed desperate to see their son with any woman, and Avery was like pick of the litter. She anticipated that they would be far too excited about this all to probe too deeply with questions.
Avery doesn’t mean to listen in on their conversation, but Percy’s father speaks down the phone so loudly that it’s quite difficult not to. She misses bits, but hears enough to discern that he had, in fact, bought it. If she hadn’t been speaking to him only moments ago, Avery could even be forgiven in thinking that Percy sounded confident when speaking to his father. “That went well.” She says as he ends the call, a smile on her lips. This, dare she say it, was fun. “He sounded excited.” She notes, “You’re a natural.”
