She disappears into the building, and I stand there like an idiot, watching the door long after it closes.
For a second, I forget we’re pretending.
My phone buzzes.
ISABELLE
Well played, mon chéri. I have to admit, I didn’t think you had it in you. She’s eating out of your hand already
My stomach turns. Another text.
ISABELLE
I look forward to you coming to collect your prize. Don’t keep me waiting too long—watching you work has been the most entertaining part of my semester
I stare at the screen, jaw clenched.
That moment when I called her my girlfriend? Whenher hand fit perfectly in mine? When I forgot to let go even after the show was over?
That didn’t feel like part of a plan.
I don’t respond to Isabelle’s text and head back across campus, but the words stick.
Collect your prize.
Tomorrow, Theo will see us together for the first time. The fake dating goes live. The performance starts for real.
And somewhere between holding her hand and calling her mine, I stopped acting.
Which means I’m in way deeper trouble than I planned for.
11
PROOF OF CONCEPT (WREN)
Study groups sprawl across the long dark-wood tables—essays versus equations, highlighters bleeding neon into photocopies. Theo sits across from me, calm as ever—sage-green, steady. And then Kieran drops into the seat beside me, close enough that his hoodie brushes my arm, and everything tilts.
We’ve been fake dating for barely a day, and he’s already pretending personal space is a myth.
He leans in, that smug, superstar grin firmly in place, voice a low rumble that curls around the edges of my focus.
“As your boyfriend”—his tone is pure mischief—”I’m well within my rights to kiss you right now.”
I keep my eyes on my notes. “We agreed—no kissing,” I mutter under my breath. “Remember? Last night?”
“Sure.” His shoulder bumps mine lightly. “I just wanted to make sure you’re still committed to that terrible rule.”
“I’m trying to pass this class,” I whisper back, and steel blue flickers through my head, brightening with those white-gold sparks that mean trouble when Kieran is around.
He lowers his voice further, breath warm at my ear. “Blink twice if you’re tempted.”
I widen my eyes and hold them there, refusing to blink at all. My pulse misbehaves, hammering where it shouldn’t.
He catches it—of course he does—and his grin fades to something gentler. “Hey. Relax, Rules,” he murmurs, leaning back just enough to give me air. “I remember. No kissing…” A beat. The corner of his mouth curves again. “…for now.”
Across the table, Theo drags a hand over his face, jaw tight. “Can we table the flirting and actually get work done?” His voice comes out sharper than usual. “Some of us have labs.”
I glance at him, pulse jumping. Theo is famously patient—the guy who explains concepts three times without complaint. This edge is new.
