Fake dating my best friend's hockey rival

Chapter 1

Octavia

My legs were finished. Not tired. Finished. I was literally fighting for my fucking life as I dragged myself to my best friend's apartment after a brutal twelve-hour shift at the cafeteria. My thighs burned, my knees threatened to give out, and every step felt like a personal attack.

All I wanted was a bath, food, and a bed. Not necessarily in that order.

Finally! By God's grace, I reached for the door, only for a familiar voice to assault my ears and shatter the little peace I had left.

“Oh! Fuck me, Cole! You know exactly how I like it!” The familiar, sultry voice moaned, echoing through the hallway. For a second, I genuinely thought it was a deliberate attempt to piss me off.

I drew in a deep, shaky breath, letting it out slowly as though I could exhale the heaviness sitting on my chest.

I know what you're probably thinking. A cheating boyfriend and a backstabbing best friend? The good old betrayal cliché, right?

No! These ones are my best friends.

Cole Lannister was the captain of the Crimson Bears hockey team and son of the wealthy family my parents had worked for before a tragic car accident took their lives.

He had been my best friend since we were eight. Eight! That was more than a decade of scraped knees, stupid dares, shared secrets, and memories I could never imagine living without.

And then there was Phyna Freeman, my best friend here in college. We'd been inseparable since our freshman year, navigating college life together, sharing late-night gossip and embarrassing stories.

Cole was a full-time playboy. I'd watched him fuck girls for fun and do things I couldn't repeat to another sane soul. Yet, I stayed by his side, foolishly hoping that one day, he'd finally see me and the love I'd carried for him all these years. Every time he brought another girl home, I'd tell myself she was just another passing fancy. That none of them mattered. That one day, he'd get tired of playing around and finally realise the person he'd been looking for had been right beside him all along.

God, I was an idiot.

“You’re driving me nuts, Phyna,” I heard him grunt as he did God knows what to her, followed by her soft whimper. I could practically picture her head thrown back in pleasure, her face flushed and lips parted. An image that had invaded my dreams countless times, except in those dreams, it was always my face he was looking at.

I flung the door open, my face twisted in disgust and of course if you look closer you'd see my fucking jealousy.

Their heads whipped toward me, their faces flushed as they hurriedly untangled themselves. But that wasn't what hurt the most. You know what did?

It was the awkward smile tugging at Cole’s lips. The kind that said he was embarrassed to be caught in such a situation. And the Cole I knew? He never got embarrassed for fucking around.

Wait! Is he…. No! I must be imagining things.

“Uhhh, Tavi, we didn't mean for you to find out about us like this. We just got carried away,” Cole mumbled.

But even as he spoke, his eyes drifted back to Phyna, his expression softening in a way that made something uncomfortable twist in my chest.

“Well, I didn't expect to find both of my friends in such a compromising position.” My voice sounded steadier than I felt. I turned before either of them could get a proper look at my face, marched into my bedroom, and slammed the door.

There. Dignity preserved.

I was furious, hurt, and jealous, but I'd rather swallow glass than let them see how badly they'd gotten to me.

This was Cole's apartment. His parents had bought it for him when he got into college, because apparently, some people received luxury apartments as congratulations for getting accepted into school.

Meanwhile, I'd been working three jobs just to keep a roof over my head and pay my tuition.

When I couldn't afford rent anymore, Cole had offered me a room without making me feel like a charity case. It was one of the reasons I loved him even more, which was honestly embarrassing, considering how little sense my heart had.

And now, I had to live with my best friend, the one I was secretly, hopelessly in love with, while watching him sleep with other girls like it didn't tear me apart.

Suddenly, my appetite vanished. I flopped onto the bed, too exhausted to think, and squeezed my eyes shut, hoping sleep would mercifully take me away from my miserable reality.

Thankfully it did.

But my eyes just had to snap open in the middle of the night. The noise was even worse now. Cole's room was right beside mine, and I could hear Phyna moaning in pleasure through the walls. My throat tightened in that familiar, awful way it always did whenever jealousy clawed its way into my chest.

I couldn't shake the feeling that something about this was different. 

I pushed the thought aside, grabbed my pillow, and pressed it over my ears, but the noise wouldn't stop. I had classes by eight and a shift to resume by 2 p.m. Tomorrow was going to be hellishly busy, and all I wanted was a few hours of sleep.

Without thinking, I jumped out of bed and stormed toward Cole’s room, pounding on his door like a woman possessed. The noise stopped instantly.

“Some of us have classes and work to worry about tomorrow morning, okay?! Sorry I'm not a fucking nepo baby who has everything handed to her!” My voice cracked on the last word while I stood there, breathing hard, my fingers curling into fists.

I walked back to my room and shut the door, collapsing onto my bed as I wondered how different my life would have been if my parents were still alive.

But the door suddenly burst open, and this time, it was Cole. His blonde hair was slightly damp, and he was shirtless. Beside him stood Phyna, wearing his shirt. I clenched my jaw, fighting the sudden urge to rip the damn thing right off her body.

“What the fuck was that, Octavia?” he barked, using my full name. I could tell he was mad. But guess what? I was even fucking madder.

“Well, learn some manners, Cole. You don't bring your sluts into an apartment we share.”

The words were already out of my mouth before I could fully grasp how harsh they sounded. Phyna let out an offended scoff, and I knew I'd hit a nerve.

“Slut?”

“I’m… I didn’t mean…”

“Wait.” Phyna's eyes narrowed. “Are you seriously this angry because we disturbed your precious sleep, or is it because you can't stand the thought of Cole making me scream?”

My stomach dropped. Then she glanced at Cole, then back at me. A slow, knowing smile spread across her face.

“Oh, my God. You fucking love him, don't you?”

“What?!”

The room fell fucking silent. I could see the confusion written all over Cole’s face, the way his eyes searched mine as if silently begging me to deny it.

“You think I don't see it? The way you talk about him and those dead eyes of yours suddenly light up. The way you're so obsessed with your little routines. ‘Oh, Cole and I have to be at the park.’ ‘Oh, we're going to the cinema soon.’”

Phyna chuckled, a mocking little sound that made my stomach twist. She wasn't just teasing me; she'd been waiting for this moment. She knew I loved Cole, knew how much he meant to me, and still chose to start something with him.

Cole stood there, saying nothing.

I looked at him, waiting for the familiar spark of protectiveness I had known since we were eight. Waiting for him to tell Phyna to stop, to remind her that I was his best friend, that she had no right to speak to me that way.

But he only tightened his arm around her waist. Something inside me went painfully still.

Years of friendship. Every little moment I'd treasured because I'd foolishly believed it meant I was special to him.

He couldn't even defend me.

“I don't know what the fuck you mean, Phyna!” I lied, fighting back the tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

“Yes, you do!” Phyna insisted, refusing to back down.

“You know what? Get out!, both of you” I screamed, my voice cracking under the weight of everything I was desperately trying to hold together.

Cole stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Phyna’s waist without sparing a glance for me. He didn't seem to notice the way I stood there, shattered, watching the two people I trusted most walk away together.

“Wait!” I called out.

Cole turned, his expression already impatient.

“Tomorrow, I'm finding somewhere else to live.”