CHAPTER 5 ~ COFFEE SHOP

MEGAN'S POV

"What kind of mutually beneficial arrangement could you possibly need from me, Connor?" I asked quietly, looking up at his tall frame while I adjusted my grip on my heavy shopping bags.

He looked down at me with a very serious expression on his handsome face, but he did not answer my question immediately.

Instead, he reached out his large hands and gently took all three of the heavy plastic bags from my grasp.

Although I initially tried to hold onto my expensive purchases, he easily transferred the weight to his own strong arms and gestured toward the small brick building located on the corner of the busy street.

"We cannot discuss private matters while we are standing on the public sidewalk, because anyone could walk past us and overhear our conversation," Connor stated firmly, guiding me forward with a light, respectful touch on my lower back.

"We are going to get some warm coffee and sit down inside so we can talk properly."

I was already feeling incredibly exhausted from the intense confrontation with Caleb but I did not argue with his highly logical suggestion.

I simply nodded my head in agreement and walked beside him down the concrete pavement. While we walked together, I could not stop thinking about the surprising kiss we had just shared, and my lips still felt slightly tingly from the physical contact.

We reached the small coffee shop a few minutes later, and Connor politely pulled the heavy wooden door open so I could step inside the warm building first.

The interior of the shop smelled strongly of roasted espresso beans and sweet vanilla syrup, and the quiet background music provided a very welcome relief from the loud city traffic outside.

Only a few other customers were sitting at the scattered wooden tables, and most of them were entirely focused on their open laptop computers or reading thick paperback books.

We walked directly to the front counter, where a young male barista wearing a green apron smiled at us warmly.

"Welcome to the shop, what can I get started for you two today?" the friendly barista asked, wiping the counter surface with a clean white cloth.

"I will have a large black coffee, please," Connor ordered smoothly, before turning his dark eyes toward me. "What do you want to drink, Megan? You can order whatever you want."

Since I had skipped my morning classes and spent the entire afternoon shopping at the mall, I desperately needed some sugar and caffeine to restore my physical energy levels.

"I would like a medium caramel latte with whole milk, please," I told the barista politely.

"I will also take one of those large blueberry muffins from the display case," Connor added, pointing his finger toward the glass pastry cabinet resting on the counter.

Connor immediately pulled a dark leather wallet from the back pocket of his denim jeans and handed a crisp twenty-dollar bill to the cashier before I could even reach for my own debit card.

Even though I usually preferred to pay for my own food and drinks, I decided not to protest because I was still mentally processing the shocking events of the afternoon.

After the barista handed us our warm ceramic mugs and a small white plate carrying the fresh muffin, Connor picked up my shopping bags again.

He led the way toward a highly secluded leather booth located in the very back corner of the quiet room, far away from the other patrons.

We sat down on the soft brown cushions opposite each other, and he placed my bags carefully on the empty seat directly beside his left arm.

I wrapped both of my hands around my warm ceramic mug, allowing the pleasant heat to soothe my cold fingers, and took a slow sip of the sweet caramel drink.

Connor took a large swallow of his dark black coffee, set his mug down on the wooden table, and pushed the small plate holding the blueberry muffin toward the center of the table so we could share the food.

He broke a piece of the soft pastry off with his fingers and ate it slowly and leaned forward so he could speak to me quietly without raising his voice.

"I am going to be completely honest with you, Megan, because I do not want any misunderstandings or lies between us," Connor began, his deep voice sounding incredibly serious.

"I know exactly what Caleb Mercer has been doing to you, and I know he is a highly toxic, manipulative person who targets vulnerable students for his own sick entertainment."

"If you already knew he was a terrible person, why did you wait until today to intervene and help me?" I asked defensively, feeling a sudden flare of protectiveness over my own difficult situation.

"Because you never actively fought back against him before today," Connor explained calmly, looking directly into my eyes without blinking once.

"I saw you stand up to him on the sidewalk today, and I heard you insult his massive ego perfectly. You proved that you are completely done being his helpless victim, and that specific realization made you the absolute perfect candidate for the arrangement I urgently need."

I chewed a small bite of the blueberry muffin, swallowed the sweet food, and wiped my mouth with a paper napkin.

"I still do not understand what you could possibly need from me," I replied, tracing the rim of my mug with my index finger while I waited patiently for his full explanation.

"As the captain of the hockey team, my entire life revolves entirely around my athletic performance and my academic grades," Connor stated clearly.

"I want to be drafted in the first round of the NHL this upcoming spring, which means I have absolutely no free time to waste on college parties or casual dating. Because I actively avoid the campus dating scene entirely, massive rumors have started circulating around the school that I am secretly gay."

"Are you actually gay?" I asked honestly, feeling very confused by his straightforward admission.

"No, I am not gay, but I also do not care about what random students say about my personal life," Connor answered, shaking his head slightly.

"However, the sports media and the professional NHL scouts are starting to pay intense attention to the relentless campus gossip. The scouts do not care about my sexuality, but they care deeply about media distractions, and my sports agent specifically told me yesterday that the constant rumors are seriously threatening my professional draft position."

"So, you need to prove to the media that you are straight so the scouts will leave your personal life alone," I concluded, finally understanding his highly difficult situation.

"Exactly," Connor agreed, taking another slow sip of his black coffee before setting the mug back down on the wooden surface.

"I need to be seen in public with a girlfriend, but I absolutely do not want the emotional drama of a real, complicated relationship. If you agree to be my fake girlfriend, I will provide you with absolute, undeniable protection from Caleb and Vanessa. Caleb is entirely terrified of me, and he will never dare to look in your direction or bully you again if he believes you belong to me."

I sat completely still in the comfortable leather booth, processing his surprising words while I stared at his handsome face.

He was offering me the exact physical and social safety I desperately needed, and all I had to do was pretend to date the most popular, respected athlete on campus.

"This is a massive commitment, Connor, and we would have to convince the entire school that our relationship is completely genuine," I pointed out cautiously, worrying about the realistic execution of his plan.

"We already convinced Caleb when I kissed you on the street, so we can definitely convince the rest of the school," Connor replied confidently, leaning closer across the small wooden table.

"Are you willing to sign a fake dating contract and be my official girlfriend, Megan?"