Fake Hearts On Ice
Lila only wanted to fit in for this one night and this one party. So she had one fake boyfriend to keep her from feeling invisible in a sea of confident smiles and perfect couples. It was supposed to be simple until her fake date ditched her under the blinding strobe lights, leaving her stranded and humiliated in the middle of the hockey team’s Freshers Welcome Party.
But humiliation took an unexpected turn when Ethan, her best friend’s brother, and worse, her brother’s best friend stepped in to save her. That moment should have been the start of something new. Instead, it became the beginning of everything she never saw coming.
Because while her heart recognized something in his eyes, his stayed shuttered, cold and unreachable. And just when she thought she was ready to forget, the fake boyfriend returns, this time, asking for something real.
Between two hearts that shouldn’t collide and a past that refuses to stay buried, Lila must choose: follow the safety of what she knows, or risk everything for what she can’t seem to let go of?
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Chapter: Chapter 3 Lila's PovAt first, I told myself not to panic.Jake was probably at the drinks table, laughing with someone and forgetting he was supposed to be back in the next one second. The song had only just started. The lights had softened, the DJ letting the rhythm stretch, giving couples time to settle into each other. It made sense that he stepped away right before the dance. He had said one second. Well, people always said one second and meant something else.So I should just wait. Right? RIGHT?I shifted my weight and waited.As I did so, I smiled faintly, still playing the part, still pretending this was all under control.Drinks, I thought again. He’s just getting drinks.I glanced toward the table. It was crowded, a knot of people pressing forward, plastic cups raised, faces flushed. I scanned for his dark hair, his jacket, that confident posture that had drawn my eyes earlier.Nothing.My stomach tightened in response.Okay. Bathroom, then. Maybe, he became pressed and had to go to the restr
Last Updated: 2026-02-04
Chapter: Chapter 2 Lila's Pov“Relax,” Jake murmured against my ear, his hand warm and possessive at my waist. “If you grip my arm any tighter, people will think I’m dragging you in here against your will.”“I am relaxed,” I lied, forcing a smile as the bass from inside the hall rattled through my bones. “This is just my face when I am relaxed.”He laughed in a low and confident manner, the kind of laugh that made people turn before they realized why. “ Just do better. You’re doing great, Lila, by the way. Just do better, trust me.”Trust him.The word settled strangely in my chest as the doors to the hockey hall swung open and light spilled out like a living thing.The music hit first. Loud. Pulsing. A rhythm that seemed to crawl under my skin and demand movement from me. Colored lights flashed overhead, bouncing off banners with the team’s logo, off glass cups, off bodies already pressed close together. The smell of perfume, sweat, alcohol and anticipation blended into something dizzying.Jake tightened his arm
Last Updated: 2026-02-04
Chapter: Chapter 1 Lila's Pov“You don’t get it, Ava. You never get it,” I snapped at my best friend, my voice already fraying even though the night hadn’t officially started.Ava Reed didn’t even look up from her phone as I spoke. She just lay sprawled across her bed in her oversized hoodie, hair piled into a careless bun, one sock missing, scrolling like the fate of the universe wasn’t currently pressing down on my chest. Our room smelled like vanilla body spray, instant noodles, and the faint chemical bite of disinfectant wipes the hall porter had overused earlier that afternoon. Outside, someone down the corridor blasted music that vibrated through the thin walls, bass thudding like a that of a baby volcano.“It’s a party, Lila,” she finally said lazily. “ Just a hockey team party. You’ll survive.”I stood in front of the mirror, tugging at the hem of my skirt like it had personally betrayed me. My reflection stared back, too aware, too sharp-eyed, already imagining everything that could go wrong tonight. Th
Last Updated: 2026-02-04
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