CHAPTER EIGHT: MAKING IT BELIEVABLE

~~Chloe's POV~~

"Come on, girlfriend. We have a reputation to build."

Caleb stood, hooked his bag over his shoulder and strolled off as though he hadn't just announced the start of another problem in my life.

I stared after him for a second before grabbing my own bag and following.

"You know," I said, catching up, "for someone who came up with this ridiculous plan, you're surprisingly bad at it."

He glanced at me. "Good afternoon to you too, sweetheart."

"Don't call me that."

"Would you prefer darling?"

"I'd prefer silence."

He laughed, and I immediately regretted agreeing to spend more time with him.

We had barely convinced Ryan and Olivia that we were dating. If anything, our little performance at lunch had only made them more suspicious. Caleb seemed to find this hilarious.

I did not.

"So, what's the plan?"

He shoved his hands into his pockets. "We spend time together. We let people see us around campus. Maybe take a few pictures and post them."

I looked at him. "Pictures?"

"Yes, Chloe. It's what people do when they're dating."

"Thank you for the explanation. I was beginning to think couples communicated by carrier pigeon."

He grinned. "You're welcome."

"I'm serious," he went on, ignoring my eye roll. "If we want people to believe this, they need to see us together more than once. One announcement at lunch won't do much."

He had a point. Unfortunately.

"Fine. But we are not going to start acting ridiculous just because we're pretending."

"Define ridiculous."

"Whatever stupid thing you're thinking right now."

He pressed a hand to his chest. "You wound me."

"I'm sure you'll survive."

We walked to a café a short distance from the main university building. It was packed, students crowding the outdoor tables, laughter and clattering cups spilling onto the pavement. Caleb claimed a spot near the entrance, and I sat opposite him.

He pulled out his phone.

"Come here."

"Why?"

"Picture."

"Already?"

"Unless you'd like to wait until graduation."

I sighed and slid into the seat beside him.

He raised the phone, but before he could take the shot, I noticed how stiffly we were sitting, like two strangers sharing a bus bench.

"Move your arm."

"What's wrong with my arm?"

"It's just hanging there. Put it around my shoulder or something."

He regarded me with open amusement. "You want me to put my arm around you?"

"Don't make it weird. It's for the picture."

"Of course, girlfriend."

His arm settled across my shoulders, warm and heavier than I expected, and every muscle in my body locked.

"Relax," he murmured.

"I am relaxed."

"You look like someone's forcing you to film a hostage video."

"Maybe someone is."

He laughed and lifted the phone. "Smile."

I managed a small one.

He studied the screen. "That's terrible."

I turned on him. "Excuse me?"

"Your smile. You look like you're attending a funeral."

"That's my normal smile."

"That's unfortunate."

"Caleb."

"Fine. One more."

I tried again, breathing out slowly, letting my shoulders drop.

He took the picture and tilted the screen toward me.

It wasn't bad.

Actually, it was better than I'd expected. We looked easy together, almost natural, his arm around me, my head angled toward his. If I hadn't known better, even I might have believed it.

That thought unsettled me more than I wanted to admit.

"See?" he said. "Not so difficult."

"Don't get excited. It's one picture."

"One very good picture."

"Your confidence is honestly impressive."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"I'll take it anyway."

I pulled out my phone and studied the photo again.

"What caption are you using?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Something simple."

"Like?"

"Unexpected company."

He nodded slowly. "Not bad."

"And you?"

He typed, then turned his screen toward me.

Didn't see this coming.

I stared at it. "Seriously?"

"What?"

"It sounds like you accidentally walked into the wrong relationship."

He laughed. "It's a caption, Chloe. Not a wedding announcement."

"It's still terrible."

"Then come up with something better."

I handed his phone back. "I'm not doing your work for you."

We both posted the picture.

For a few minutes, nothing happened. Then my phone began to vibrate, and kept vibrating, until it buzzed against the table like a trapped insect.

A girl from one of my lectures commented first.

Wait. You two?

Then another.

I thought you hated each other.

And another.

Since when was this happening???

I couldn't help laughing.

Caleb leaned over my shoulder to look. "What's funny?"

"People are confused."

"Good. Confused means they're paying attention."

I scrolled further. Someone had even tagged a friend underneath, asking whether this was some kind of joke.

"Nobody believes us," I said.

"Give them time."

"You say that like you have a degree in fake relationships."

"I don't need one. I'm naturally convincing."

I looked at him.

"Don't laugh," he warned.

"I wasn't going to."

"You were."

"Unfortunately, I still have some self-control."

He shook his head and went back to his phone.

We stayed a while, then decided to eat. Caleb ordered a sandwich and a drink while I settled for a plate of pasta. We talked about nothing in particular, lectures, assignments, the professor who graded like a vengeful god. It was surprisingly easy when neither of us was trying to irritate the other.

Well. Almost.

I was halfway through my pasta when Caleb suddenly raised his phone.

"Caleb!"

He lowered it, looking far too pleased with himself.

"What?"

"Did you just take a picture of me eating?"

"Maybe."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because you're my girlfriend."

I gaped at him. "That is the dumbest excuse I've ever heard."

"People take pictures of their girlfriends."

"People also ask."

"It's a candid shot."

"It's an annoying shot."

He glanced at the screen and grinned. "You look fine."

"Delete it."

"No."

"Caleb."

"Chloe."

I narrowed my eyes.

He only laughed and slipped the phone into his pocket.

I turned back to my food. I refused to waste my afternoon fighting over one photograph. Besides, it wasn't as though he'd caught anything truly embarrassing.

By the time we left, more people had reacted to our posts. Some seemed genuinely stunned, others were already demanding details. It was working, at least on everyone except the two people we actually needed to convince.

I was tucking my phone away when it lit up.

A message from Ryan.

Ryan: Hey, Chloe.

My heart gave a small, treacherous jump.

I opened it.

Ryan: I'm glad you and Caleb are getting along these days.

I stared at the screen, unsure what to make of it.

Then another appeared.

Ryan: Though I have to admit, this is still a little hard to wrap my head around.

I read it twice.

He was happy for us, or he wanted me to think so. But beneath the kindness, I could hear it plainly. He wasn't convinced.

How was I supposed to explain something that even I struggled to believe? Caleb and I had spent months at each other's throats, and now we were supposed to look as though we had fallen for each other overnight.

We needed to do better. Much better.

Convincing the rest of the campus might be easy. Convincing Ryan and Olivia was going to be an entirely different battle.

And the worst part?

Ryan knew us well enough to see straight through the act.