3. No More Secrets

By Wednesday morning, our fake relationship had officially become the worst-kept secret at Dalton.

Not because Liam and I had told anyone. We hadn't. But apparently, all it took was one hockey captain walking across campus holding a girl's hand for the entire university to put the pieces together themselves.

Liam seemed completely unbothered by the attention. I, on the other hand, wasn't sure whether I wanted to laugh or hide every time someone looked at us.

"You're staring," Liam said as we walked toward the student center.

"I'm observing."

"Same thing."

"No, it isn't."

He glanced at me with a grin. "You're nervous."

"I'm not nervous."

"You're squeezing my hand."

I immediately loosened my grip. "Because everyone's looking."

"That's the point."

I looked around. He wasn't exaggerating. A group of girls near the fountain were whispering while watching us. Two guys from the hockey team called out Liam's name, and one of them gave him a thumbs-up.

I groaned. "This is ridiculous."

"You agreed to it."

"I didn't realize fake dating came with an audience."

"It does when you're dating me."

I looked at him. "That sounded arrogant."

"I'm a hockey captain. It's allowed."

I laughed at myself.

That was the problem with Liam. He made everything feel easy. We'd been doing this for only a couple of days, yet sometimes I forgot that we were pretending. The way he reached for my hand felt natural. The way he walked me to class felt familiar. Even the occasional kiss on my forehead didn't feel as strange as it probably should have.

Maybe because Liam had always been part of my life. Maybe that was why this whole arrangement seemed so believable.

We reached the student center, and Liam pulled me slightly closer before opening the door.

"Ready?"

"For what?"

"Going public."

I frowned. "I thought we already were."

"Not completely." He pulled out his phone. "There's a team dinner tonight. Everyone will be there."

I stared at him. "And?"

"And you're coming with me."

I stopped. "Liam."

"Blair."

"You're enjoying this way too much."

He smiled. "Maybe."

"You know I'm not exactly used to being the center of attention."

"You won't be."

"I'm literally walking around with the captain of the hockey team."

"Exactly."

I laughed and shook my head. "Fine. I'll go."

His smile softened. "Good."

---

By noon, the story had spread even further. Someone had apparently posted a photo of Liam and me walking across campus. I found out when Chloe nearly tackled me outside my next class.

"You didn't tell me!"

I blinked. "Tell you what?"

She held up her phone. There we were , Liam holding my hand, smiling down at me while I looked up at him. The picture looked intimate. Too intimate.

"Oh my God."

Chloe grinned. "So?"

"So what?"

"Are you dating Liam Callahan?"

I hesitated. Technically, no. Practically, yes. According to the agreement, absolutely.

I smiled. "Yes."

Chloe's mouth dropped open. "You're serious?"

"Very."

"Since when?"

"Recently."

She stared at me for another second before grabbing my arm. "Blair Parker, you have been here for barely a week, and somehow you've already landed the captain."

I laughed. "It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?"

I opened my mouth, but before I could answer, someone walked past us.

"Fake."

My smile disappeared. I turned.

Jace stood a few feet away. His expression was different. There was no lazy grin, no teasing comment, just surprise. He looked at me, then at the photo on Chloe's phone, then his eyes moved toward the hand I was still holding.

"Excuse me?" Chloe asked.

Jace looked at her. "Nothing." He glanced at me again. "You and Liam?"

I swallowed. "Yeah."

He stared at me. For once, he had nothing smart to say.

"Since when?"

"Monday."

His eyebrows lifted. "Monday?"

I nodded.

"Interesting."

"Why?"

He looked toward the floor for a second before giving a short laugh. "Nothing. Just didn't see that coming."

Then he walked away.

Chloe watched him leave. "Who was that?"

"Liam's teammate."

"Does he always look at you like that?"

I frowned. "Like what?"

"Like you just told him the world ended."

I glanced toward Jace. He was already gone.

"I don't know."

But something about his reaction stayed with me.

---

That evening, Liam picked me up for the team dinner.

"You look beautiful."

I looked at him. "You're supposed to say that because we're dating."

He smiled. "Doesn't mean I don't mean it."

I felt my cheeks warm. "Don't make this weird."

"I'm not." He opened the passenger door for me. "I'm just being a good fake boyfriend."

I smiled. "Right."

The restaurant was already crowded when we arrived. Most of the hockey team was there, laughing around several long tables. The moment Liam walked in with me, conversations paused.

Then someone shouted, "Captain finally brought her!"

Everyone laughed. I immediately wanted to hide.

Liam simply wrapped an arm around my waist. "Everyone, this is Blair."

"Your girlfriend," one of the players added.

Liam smiled. "My girlfriend."

I smiled too.

Then I saw Jace. He was sitting at the end of the table. His eyes met mine. He looked away at first.

That was strange. Very strange.

Liam guided me toward an empty seat beside him. Jace was sitting directly across from us.

Perfect.

For the first few minutes, dinner was easy. Everyone was friendly, and I started relaxing. Liam kept making quiet jokes beside me, occasionally leaning close to whisper something in my ear.

Then one of the players asked, "So how long have you two been together?"

Liam glanced at me. I knew the answer we'd agreed on.

"Not long," he said.

Jace's fork stopped halfway to his mouth. He looked up. "Not long?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah."

Jace looked at me. "Funny."

I frowned. "What?"

"Nothing." He went back to eating.

I stared at him. There was something different about him tonight. He wasn't flirting. He wasn't teasing. He wasn't even looking at me as much as he usually did.

And somehow, that bothered me more than his usual attitude.

---

After dinner, I stepped outside for some air. The evening was cool, and I wrapped my arms around myself.

A few seconds later, the door opened. I expected Liam.

It was Jace.

He stopped when he saw me. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

He nodded. Neither of us spoke. Then he leaned against the wall beside me.

"So it's real?"

I looked at him. "You know it's fake."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "I wasn't asking about the agreement."

I didn't know what to say.

He looked away. "I just didn't expect it."

"Why?"

He gave a small laugh. "I don't know."

For the first time since I'd met him, Jace looked genuinely uncertain. It made him seem different. Almost vulnerable.

Then the door opened again. Liam stepped outside.

"There you are."

His eyes moved from me to Jace. Jace straightened. "Just making sure she's okay."

Liam nodded. "Thanks."

Jace looked at me one last time. "See you tomorrow, Parker."

He walked back inside.

Liam slipped his hand into mine. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded.

But as we walked back into the restaurant together, I couldn't stop thinking about Jace's face when he'd realized Liam and I were together. He had looked genuinely shocked. And I couldn't understand why.

Because as far as I knew, Jace Bennett didn't care about me.

Not yet.