Alright, here's my new story! I can't wait to work more on it, I only have this chapter and a little of the second written, so you might have to wait a week or so for the next update, especially cause I have a midterm this week, but I thought you would like to read the first one and tell me what you think?

Making Him Believe

Chapter One

Make believe, a children’s game that Megan Murray never dreamed she’d be playing at the age of twenty-four. She stared at David Preston, her closest friend, with shock.

“Come on, Meg. Please help me out!” David was going home, to Maine, for Christmas and he wanted her to come along.

“Wait, explain this again. Your parents think you have a girlfriend?” Megan asked, crossing her arms over her chest and gazing at him with narrowed eyes.

“Uh huh.”

“How did they come under this illusion, David Matthew Preston?” She checked for the third time that her hair was secure and her makeup flawless.

“You look fine, stop worrying. And I might have told them six months ago that I was dating a girl.” He brushed a bit of fluff off her sleeve and gave her a hesitant smile.

“Were you?” Megan inquired, straightening the dark blue pantsuit she was wearing.

“Does it matter?” he replied, fixing the collar of her white shirt. Megan raised her eyebrows and stared at him. “Alright, yes I was. But she wasn’t serious and I told Mom she was.” None of David’s girlfriends were ever serious.

“So, in six months you couldn’t find time to undeceive them?”

“Um, no.” David wore such a comical expression that Megan felt some of her frustration diffuse and she smiled.

“It isn’t really that hard, Dave. You tell them you broke up with her.” She turned around and started to gather her notes from the side table.

“Please Megan? I’ll do anything!”

“Why me, then? I’m sure you could find ten other women willing to play your girlfriend for a month.” She scanned over his heart-stopping physique and his beautiful face for a moment. He could probably find twenty women willing to be with him.

“Yeah, I could, but none that have known me for six months or longer. Plus I’d scare away any self-respecting girl with just my story.” He flashed her a boyish grin.

“I must have very little respect for myself then,” she quipped. He smiled again and gave her a shove towards the door beside them.

“We’ll talk when you’re done.” She smiled back at him and then stepped out onto the stage.

Megan collapsed on her couch with a sigh, she was terribly tired. Her black and white Chihuahua, Rufus, jumped up next to her to lick her wrist. She absentmindedly stroked his head and her eyes drifted closed. She slowly slipped closer and closer to sleep. Her cell phone rang suddenly jarring her out of her peaceful sleep.

“‘ello?” she asked sleepily.

“Megan,” his stern voice filled the other end of the line. “You left me after the conference.”

“David?” she sighed wearily. “I’m sleeping Dave.”

“Sorry, but I need to talk to you about this. Will you let me in?” She rolled over and looked at her front door. It was so far away.

“It’s unlocked,” she murmured, not really sure that it was, but not caring. Shutting the phone, she rolled over and hoped sleep would claim her again.

David came inside and glanced around. Rufus leapt off the couch and launched his furry body at the man’s feet. Megan didn’t react, except to curl tighter against the couch. Flipping the living room light on, David pulled his black coat off and laid it on the kitchen bar as he passed.

“You know, front doors are supposed to be locked when you sleep.” Megan turned over to glare at David.

“People aren’t supposed to come over when you are sleeping,” she said through clenched teeth. David knew from experience that she wasn’t mad yet, just slightly annoyed.

“Very true, but people have a nasty habit of showing up when not wanted.” He sat down near her feet and pulled Rufus onto his lap.

“Like you?” she queried.

“No, like my parents. Which brings us back to my problem.”

“Tell them you broke up,” she grumbled.

“Well, you see, there’s a problem with that.”

Megan turned her sharp green eyes on him. David looked nervous. It was strange to see this self-possessed man looking so worried. She somehow knew that he was worried about telling her the reason he couldn’t just tell his mother and father, apparently very scary people, that he had broken up with his fake girlfriend. Megan had known David for four years, and she had heard plenty of stories about his father, but not much about his mother. She wondered what had David so scared.

“A problem, David?” she asked when he cleared his throat for the third time. He looked at her for a moment.

“I kind of already told them you were coming out with me.” He smiled sheepishly. Then he reached around to take the black heels off her feet. “How can you sleep in that suit?”

“Please tell me that you did not tell your parents that I am your girlfriend. Tell me that you didn’t use my name,” she snapped, sitting up to stare at David.

“You look pretty,” he commented, grinning hopefully.

“Go find another Megan, you idiot.” She walloped him with a pillow and lay back down on the couch.

“Come on, Meg. I’ll do anything for you! Please don’t make me face my mother alone!”

“Are you going to beg me?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

“I’m not too proud, my dear.” He fell to his knees beside the couch and clasped his hands to his heart.

“Have you always been this dramatic?”

“Megan, pearl of my heart, dimple in my smile, song in my soul. Please?” His words caused the desired effect, Megan giggled.

“Which is it? Am I a pearl, dimple or song?” she asked, chuckling.

“All of them, sweetheart. Megan, I swear, if you do this for me, I will do anything for you. What do you need?” He took her hands in his and grasped them tightly.

“Nothing right now,” she sighed heavily. “If I say yes, and I’m not saying I am, what would we have to do?”

“Lie to my parents,” he replied with a shrug.

“I’ve got that one, David. What else?”

“Well we’d have to fool my mother, which is easier said than done. We’d need to memorize details and such.”

“Like…”

“How we met, our first date, stuff like that.”

“Well I guess it would be best to stick to the truth, as much as we can.”

“Is that a yes?” He jumped up and pulled her into a hug. Suddenly, he started to laugh. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he repeated like a mantra.

“I haven’t said ‘yes’ yet,” Megan reminded him dryly.

“But you’re going to,” he murmured happily and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Thank you!”

One week later, after securing a month-long vacation from her work, she stood with David at the airport.

“You packed the heavy coats, right?” he asked. Megan smiled, biting back on her nervousness. David was just as nervous as she.

“Yes, I remembered warm clothes. Our coats are inside the blue bag. I didn’t forget my toothbrush either. Calm down, will you? You’re making me nervous.” He smiled and reached out to grab her hand.

“Sorry. Are you sure we can do this?”

“Why are you so worried about your mother?” The boarding call came over the P.A. system and they quickly walked toward their gate. David slung the blue bag over his shoulder and searched his pockets for the boarding passes.

“I hate going home,” he muttered, handing the attendant their passes.

“Have a nice flight, Mr. Preston, Ms. Murray,” the woman said cheerily, as if mocking David’s torment.

Megan gripped the arms of her chair as the plane taxied down the runway. She tried in vain to make her mind believe that planes were sturdy and safe. Come on, she pleaded internally, what are the odds of our plane crashing?

“You okay, Meg?” David’s warm hand slid over Megan’s.

“Uh huh,” she said without opening her eyes.

“Are you sure, you don’t look it.”

“I’m just not very fond of flying.” She cracked her eyes open to see the amusement on his face. His blue eyes were dancing. “It’s not funny, David.”

“It is hilarious, and irrational.” He gently squeezed her hand, offsetting his words with comfort.

“Irrational?” she squeaked indignantly.

“Come on, Megan. Were you ever in a crash?” She shook her head. “And do you know someone who was?” Again he received a negative reply. “Do you know the statistics of plane crashes? Or that car crashes are more common?” Megan scowled at him for being right.

“I’m sorry my irrational fear offends you so. Can we change the topic?”

“Sure, what would you like to talk about, dear?” He batted his eyes in a ridiculous impression of a flirting girl.

“I don’t like that one,” she commented, her nose scrunched up to comment on his eye batting.

“You called me dear,” he said, holding her hand tighter as the plane started down the runway.

“Well, you liked it. I didn’t. Try something else, dear.” He let go of her hand and turned towards her.

“See, now it sounds condescending.” Megan reached over and took his hand again.

“I’m sorry, honey-bunch.” He didn’t relinquish her hold again, but grimaced at the name.

“You’re forgiven, baby doll.” She blushed and giggled over that one. David smiled, liking this game they played. “Like that one?”

“Maybe a little,” she hedged.

“Then, would you be a doll and pick a topic for us to discus?”

Her laughter was enough reward for him. At least now she wasn’t shaking in fear, although she was unnaturally pale.

“How about you tell me why you are so worried about your mother?” Megan’s stomach lurched as the front wheels left the ground and seemed to leap into the air. She crushed David’s hand in hers and hoped he would say something to distract her.

“Mom’s a trial. She’s been trying to match me up with women since I was five. No really, I was the hit of my kindergarten class. Moms loved me, girls loved me. I think it had something to do with the huge amount of brownies I took to class everyday. But anyway, moving across the country did nothing to stop her. So therefore you, my girlfriend, are the perfect distraction.”

“Thanks,” Megan said sarcastically, albeit softly. Her shoulders were tense.

“Relax Meg,” his voice was calm and commanding. Her eyes darted to his.

“I can’t,” her strained voice managed to say.

“Sure you can. Look at me.” She tore her eyes away from the chair in front of her and glanced at him.

His eyes caught and held her attention. He reached over and cupped her cheek, a warm smile covering his face.

“You are perfectly alright. Look, there is no problem here. Once the plane has leveled, the captain will come over the intercom and talk to us. Okay?” She swallowed and managed to nod.

“W-why will I be a distraction?” she asked softly, clutching his hand tightly. David stared into his friend’s eyes for a moment.

“A welcome distraction, sweetheart. My mother will want to know everything about you. That means that she will leave me alone.”

“I don’t have to lie to her, do I?”

“Only about the dating me part. You can tell her whatever else she wants to know.”

“Do you think Rufus is alright?” Megan asked suddenly.

“Sure, he’s having a merry ride down there.” Megan had insisted upon bringing the dog with her. She had spun a pathetically sad tale about Rufus’ adventure alone for a month. The sad tale had almost made David give in, however it wasn’t until she deepened her voice and said ‘day one alone: I saw a cat outside and wanted to chase it. Instead I cried.’ At that point, David had to give in.

“I wish he could have ridden up here, with us.”

“I know, but I’m sure he’s fine.” Megan nodded and closed her eyes again, waiting for the captain’s voice.