Le Dîner de Counterfeits
He had been turning over the question in his mind the entire afternoon, dodging traffic on his bicycle while he mulled over how best to frame the proposal he had in mind.
Knocking on the door across the hall from his apartment, Mamoru straightened the strap of his bag and smoothed down his tie. His dark hair was probably a mess, but he knew combing his fingers through it would only make it that much more unruly. He kneeled as the door opened, sweeping a young girl into his arms.
"Chibiusa! You've grown so much since I last saw you! You're a giant," he exclaimed, holding out her arms.
"I just saw you this morning! You're so silly," Chibiusa replied in mock indignation, puffing out her cheeks. She turned to wave at their neighbor before dashing past Mamoru and into the hallway to their apartment.
Alone, Mamoru managed a polite smile, unable to recall the last time either of them had been in the same room alone together. So much of their relationship- watering houseplants and collecting mail while on vacation, watching his daughter after school, all done through texts and the occasional call. Aside from one cheery Christmas morning walk instigated by Chibiusa, the two were hardly neighborly.
"Thank you so much for watching Chibiusa. She means the world to me. And she likes you too, that's important. You're a good influence," he began, already inwardly cringing. It occurred that he hadn't been on a date since divorcing his wife, and his inexperience suddenly felt very palpable.
"My hospital is holding a fundraiser in two weeks, and it would mean the world to me if you would come."
He paused, deep blue eyes gazing into endless garnet. It was impossible to know how she would react, but if he didn't ask there was no chance of him pulling a whiff of his plan off.
"And... my boss thinks I'm married, so you'd be doing me an enormous favor if you showed up and pretended to be my wife for one evening."
@afterlifesoldier
