5.The First Kiss

Friday night brought another hockey game, another packed arena, and another reminder that pretending to date the captain of Dalton University's hockey team was going to be much harder than I had expected.

I sat near the glass with Chloe, watching Liam and the rest of the team warm up on the ice. Jace was there too, skating beside Liam as they passed the puck between them. Even from the stands, I could tell they were close. They moved around each other effortlessly, almost like they already knew what the other was going to do before it happened.

"You're watching Jace," Chloe whispered.

I immediately looked at her. "I'm watching the game."

"Sure."

"I am."

She smiled. "I didn't say anything."

I turned back toward the ice, pretending she hadn't caught me. Liam glanced toward the stands a few seconds later and smiled when he found me. I smiled back, and the strange little tension inside my chest disappeared.

That was Liam. Familiar. Safe. Someone I had known long before Dalton.

The game was intense from the first whistle. Liam scored once in the second period, while Jace assisted on another goal. By the end of the third period, Dalton won by two points, and the entire arena erupted.

---

After the game, I waited near the players' entrance like I had the previous night.

Liam appeared a few minutes later, still wearing his team pants and a black Dalton hoodie.

"There you are."

I smiled. "Congratulations."

He pulled me into a hug. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course."

He looked around the hallway before lowering his voice. "We need to do something."

"What?"

"The team is celebrating tomorrow, but tonight there are still people around. Cameras, students, teammates."

I understood immediately. "The agreement."

"Exactly." He smiled awkwardly. "So…"

"So?"

"We probably need to make this look more real."

I stared at him. "You mean…"

He nodded. "The kissing part."

My stomach suddenly tightened. "Oh."

"Yeah."

Neither of us said anything for a moment. It was ridiculous. Liam had hugged me hundreds of times. He had kissed my forehead that week. He had been my best friend for years. But kissing him on the lips felt different. Very different.

"You don't have to," he said quietly.

I looked at him. "What?"

"If you're uncomfortable, we don't have to do it."

There was no pressure in his voice. That made me feel better.

I smiled faintly. "We're supposed to convince people."

"I know."

"So…"

He looked at me. "So we should probably practice."

His eyebrows lifted. "Practice?"

I laughed nervously. "Don't make it weird."

"I wasn't."

"You were about to."

He smiled. "Okay."

We moved toward a quieter part of the hallway. Liam stopped in front of me. For the first time since we'd decided to fake-date, neither of us knew what to do.

"This is awkward," I whispered.

"Very."

"You're supposed to be good at this."

"I'm good at hockey."

I laughed. "Not helping."

He smiled, then slowly reached for my hand. His fingers intertwined with mine.

"Still okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

He leaned closer. I could feel my heartbeat speeding up. Then his lips touched mine.

It was barely a kiss. Soft. Careful. Almost hesitant.

When he pulled away, we both stared at each other.

"That was…"

"Awkward?"

"Very."

He laughed. "Okay. Again?"

I nodded.

This time, when he leaned in, I was ready. His hand settled gently against my waist as his lips met mine again. The kiss lasted longer this time, and the awkwardness slowly disappeared. I relaxed against him, my fingers curling lightly around the front of his hoodie.

It was strange. Because this was Liam. My Liam.

The boy who had stolen my candy when we were eight. The boy who had helped me sneak out of my bedroom window when we were sixteen. The boy who had known me long enough to recognize when I was lying just by looking at my face.

But standing there with his lips against mine, I wasn't thinking about childhood memories. I was simply enjoying the kiss.

His thumb brushed lightly against my waist, and I smiled against his lips. He smiled too.

When we pulled apart, neither of us immediately moved away. Our foreheads almost touched.

"That was better," he murmured.

"Much better."

His eyes dropped briefly to my lips. Mine did the same. For one dangerous second, neither of us moved.

Then Liam kissed me again.

This time, there was nothing awkward about it. It was slow and warm, and somehow it felt natural. I wrapped my arms loosely around his shoulders while he held me closer. The world outside the hallway seemed to disappear.

I forgot about the agreement. Forgot about the rumor. Forgot about everyone who might have been watching.

Until Liam suddenly pulled back.

We stared at each other. His breathing was uneven.

"So…"

"Yeah."

"That was definitely more than pretending."

I laughed softly. "Maybe."

He looked almost as confused as I felt. "We're supposed to be fake dating."

"I know."

"And we just…"

"Kissed."

"Yeah."

I looked down, suddenly embarrassed. "It was just practice."

Liam smiled. "Right."

"Right."

Neither of us sounded convinced.

---

A noise came from the other end of the hallway. We immediately stepped apart.

Jace appeared around the corner. He stopped when he saw us. His gaze moved from Liam to me, then to the distance between us. His expression changed. For once, there was no teasing smile.

"You two okay?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah."

Jace looked at me. I suddenly felt painfully aware of how red my cheeks probably were.

"Good game," I said.

"Thanks." His eyes stayed on me for another second. Then he looked at Liam. "Coach is looking for you."

"Coming."

Jace nodded and walked away. I watched him disappear.

Liam touched my arm. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

I looked at him. "We should probably remember the rules."

He nodded. "No real feelings."

"Exactly."

I smiled. "It's fake."

"Fake."

We both said it at the same time. Then Liam laughed. I laughed too.

But as we walked away together, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed.

Because the first kiss had been awkward. The second had been different. And the third one?

Neither of us had been pretending.