By the end of the week, the rumor had completely taken over the school.
Ethan Blake and Lena Carter.
Officially dating.
Unofficially confusing the entire student body.
And according to Ethan…
If we were going to make this believable, we needed proof.
Which is how I ended up standing outside the school entrance on a Saturday afternoon.
Waiting for him.
I crossed my arms and looked at my phone.
"This is ridiculous," I muttered.
"Waiting for someone?" a familiar voice asked.
I looked up.
Ethan was walking toward me.
Casual clothes. No school uniform.
For a second, he looked different.
Less intimidating.
More… normal.
He stopped in front of me.
"You're early," he said.
"You're late."
"I'm right on time."
I rolled my eyes. "Where are we even going?"
He smiled slightly.
"Our first official fake date."
My heart paused for a split second.
"Don't say it like that."
"It is what it is."
He started walking.
And after a brief hesitation, I followed.
The Mall
Of course.
He chose the mall.
A place full of people.
Perfect for being seen.
"This is strategic," he explained.
"Strategic for what?"
"For making it believable."
I sighed but continued walking beside him.
We passed by stores, and I could feel people staring.
Some students were here too.
Great.
Ethan suddenly stopped in front of a café.
"Let's sit."
We ordered drinks and sat near the window.
For the first few minutes, it was awkward.
Very awkward.
Then Ethan leaned slightly closer across the table.
"We should talk normally."
"I am talking normally."
"You look like you're attending a meeting."
I glared at him.
He smiled.
Then, unexpectedly, he reached across the table and gently adjusted a strand of hair near my face.
My body froze.
His fingers barely touched me.
But it was enough to send heat to my cheeks.
"Stop doing that without warning!" I whispered.
He didn't pull back immediately.
Instead, he looked at me carefully.
"You blush easily," he said quietly.
"I do not!"
"You do."
The atmosphere changed again.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then suddenly—
A group of students walked past the café window.
One of them noticed us inside.
And started pointing.
"Oh my gosh! It's them!"
I panicked slightly.
Ethan noticed immediately.
Without saying anything, he moved closer in his seat.
Not too much.
Just enough so it looked natural.
Then he casually placed his hand near mine on the table.
Not holding it.
Just close.
My heart started beating faster.
The students outside were taking pictures.
Great.
This was definitely working.
When they finally left, I let out a breath.
"That was stressful."
Ethan leaned back in his chair.
"You did well."
I looked at him.
"For what?"
"For acting like my girlfriend."
My face warmed again.
"It's not that hard."
He tilted his head slightly.
"You seem more nervous than me."
"I am not nervous."
But the truth was…
My heart hadn't calmed down the entire time.
After finishing our drinks, we walked around the mall.
At one point, I almost tripped.
Before I could fall, Ethan quickly grabbed my arm.
Instinctively.
Strong.
Secure.
My breath caught.
For a second, we stood very close.
Too close.
His eyes looked different again.
Focused.
Careful.
"You should watch where you're going," he said softly.
"Y-You let go first!"
He didn't move immediately.
Instead, he looked at me for a brief moment longer than usual.
Then he slowly released my arm.
And suddenly, the space between us felt colder.
Strange.
When we were about to leave, Ethan suddenly stopped walking.
I turned around.
"What now?"
He looked at me seriously.
"Today wasn't bad."
I blinked.
"…It wasn't?"
He shook his head slightly.
"No."
For a moment, I thought he would say something else.
Something important.
But instead, he just added,
"We should do this again sometime."
My heart skipped.
But I quickly reminded myself—
This was fake.
Just for the competition.
Nothing more.
Still…
As we walked back home, I couldn't ignore one small thought.
Why did I secretly hope he meant it?