“Okay, men. Your turn.” Dami flipped the card back and forth in her hands. “Let’s see how well you can match your girlfriend’s answers.”

Dara sat across from Jiyong at the kitchen table. She didn’t look particularly nervous, but perhaps it was easy to be the calm one when he was doing all the worrying for the two of them.

Dami showed the card she was holding to Mom and giggled. Sitting up taller, she read off, “What do you think she said when asked, ‘Where was your first kiss? And was it earth-shattering, ho hum, confusing, or the start of something amazing?’”

Jiyong gestured for Hanbin to go first. As he feared, this game would reveal just how unprepared they’d been to fake a relationship. He wished Dara could telepath her answer to him, because their first kiss had been tonight at dinner, and it had been all those things—ho hum when he gave her a peck, confusing and earth-shattering when she continued it. Not the start of something amazing. At least he could rule that one out. Or could he?

Hanbin smiled at a blushing Hayi. “Not ho hum. What were the other ones again?”

Dami repeated them.

Hanbin slapped his knee. “Okay, it was definitely earth-shattering for me, but I think she would have said ‘confusing,’ so I’ll go with that. Oh, and our first kiss was by her car in front of her apartment.”

Hayi flipped her white board. She’d written down ‘earth shattering kiss by my car.’

Hanbin laughed. “I’ve never been so happy to be wrong, babe. Wait, do we get a point for where it happened though?”

Dami and Mom consulted before Dami announced, “We’ll make this a two-point question. So, yes. You’ll get one point for where it happened.”

Jiyong turned to Dara, and she raised her eyebrows at him. If that was supposed to be a message for him, it didn’t help. Which answer should he go with, and where on earth would she say they’d had their first kiss?

“Our first kiss was at our apartment complex,” he began.

“Boo,” Soohyuk called out. “You’ll have to be more specific than that.”

Everyone else unfortunately agreed.

At least they hadn’t looked shocked, which meant his answer wasn’t too far off from what Dara had said. “Okay, it was outside the door of …” Dara very subtly pointed at herself. “Dara’s apartment. And I’d say the kiss was … the start of something amazing.” The words had just felt right, and the satisfied smile Dara gave him confirmed it.

She flipped her board with the matching answer. How in the world he’d gotten both right?

“Two points. Nicely done, you two.” Dami clapped. “Okay, Jiyong. You go first on this next one. Dara said she’s most attracted to your…”

Dara turned bright red and covered her face with her board.

He’d never seen her flustered before, and it had him blushing in response. “She’s most attracted to my…” Obviously, she hadn’t said something benign like his sense of humor or kind heart. What would make her hide her face? “Um… My winning smile?” he knew it wasn’t right, but reaching for something else would only embarrass them both worse.

Dara flipped her board. His biceps? She looked everywhere but at him, amid hoots and laughter. Working out in front of her would never be quite the same.

+++

“See, that wasn’t so bad. We even won The Newlywed Game.”

“’I guess we know each other better than we thought we did.” Jiyong smiled at her. He seemed a lot more relaxed now that they were almost done.

Dara swung his hand with hers as they walked back to his truck. From the house, his mom and stepdad were watching them leave.

There had been several not-so-subtle attempts on his mother’s part to invite her to more family events that weekend, but Jiyong had immediately declined on Dara’s behalf. If he didn’t want to extend the charade, she certainly wasn’t going to offer.

They’d gotten out of there sooner than she had expected. It was only a little before nine. As soon as Hayi and Hanbin left, Jiyong had made excuses for them to leave only minutes later.

The night was still young, and while she didn’t think she could eat another thing, that was no reason not to stop in on another Thanksgiving.

Dara set her cake container on the middle seat before pulling out her phone. She sent a quick text to Ji Yeon, asking if everyone was still there and if they had room for more. Jiyong rounded the truck and got in on his side, shooting her a shy smile. Dara put her phone in her lap and put on her seatbelt.

“Um, would you mind dropping me at my friend’s house? It’s not too far from here, and I’m afraid if I go home first and drive back, it will be too late to go.”

“The place you planned to go for Thanksgiving?” Jiyong asked, looking guilty. “Of course. I’d be happy to.”

“Thanks. You want to stop in with me? We’ll talk about you either way, so you might as well show up too.”

Jiyong’s mouth dropped open, and he let out a short laugh. “Um, that’s not the best sales pitch I’ve ever heard. Your friends know about me?”

“I didn’t tell Ji Yeon to keep it a secret, so, I think it’s safe to say everyone there knows I just pretended to be your girlfriend for your family. But my friends will also worry less if they meet you and see for themselves that you’re perfectly harmless.”

He nodded slowly. “Okay, sure. You’ll need a ride home anyway. Do they know we’re coming?”

Her phone pinged in response. “Ji Yeon says, most everyone has left, but please come, and bring the man for vetting.”

Jiyong scrubbed a hand down his face. “I guess I deserve that after letting my family grill you.”

Dara gave him directions before resting her head back and closing her eyes. “I’m so full I could burst.”

“Me too. Unless someone hands me dessert.”

Dara laughed. “Because you’re too polite to decline it or because there’s always room for dessert?”

“Both?”

The laughter died out into silence, and Jiyong turned to look at her. “Where’s your family tonight? Sorry, is that prying to ask?”

It shouldn’t be prying, even if it felt that way. Dara traced her finger over the glove compartment door. “My mom died when I was nineteen.”

Jiyong shook his head, his eyes serious and sad. “I’m so sorry.”

“It was really unexpected. A heart defect she didn’t even know about. It had always been the two of us, so I felt like an orphan, even though I was technically an adult. Someday I’d like to search for my dad, maybe see if I have half siblings. They have those DNA tests now.” She wasn’t ready to tell him she’d already bought the DNA test and sent it in. The wait to get the results was excruciating. But that was her own worry. She bit her lip, looking out her window and hoping he’d just forget she’d said anything at all.

Jiyong’s hand slid into hers, giving it a comforting squeeze. No, he wouldn’t be forgetting that she didn’t have a family. That she desperately wanted one. Man, she hated being a downer, even for the length of a conversation. Time to talk about other things.

“So, let me prep you a little on who you’ll meet tonight.”

“Okay.” Jiyong glanced at the street sign up ahead. “A left here?” His hand casually left hers to move back to the steering wheel, and she missed its warmth.

“Yep.”

“You mentioned an Ji Yeon.”

“Yes, she’s my coworker, but also my former roommate. She’s married to Jung-Suk. And they’re raising his three siblings together.”

“Oh, wow. How old are the kids?”

“Um, the youngest, a boy, is ten, I think. His sisters are twelve and seventeen or there about. And Ji Yeon and Jung-suk are expecting their first baby. So, it’s a weird, full house, but they’re some of the best people you’ll ever meet. It’s their house we’re going to.”

Talking like this, Dara had a strange sense of deja vu, except she was the one prepping Jiyong, rather than the other way around.

She pointed out Ji Yeon and Jung-suk’s house, and he parked behind Suho and Jisoo’s truck. Excellent. Those