Chapter 6: Nobody Would Believe Us

~~CHLOE'S POV~~

The drive home was unusually quiet.

Caleb hadn't said a word since we left the bonfire, and for once, I wasn't complaining. The silence was a mercy after a night of his irritating commentary. The car hummed beneath us, streetlights sliding across the windshield in slow amber stripes, and I pressed my forehead lightly against the cool glass.

It didn't help.

My mind kept dragging me back to the three girls who had cornered me earlier, their smiles sweet, their words poisoned.

They shouldn't have bothered me. I knew that.

But there was something uniquely cruel about hearing strangers speak of my mother as though they knew her. They didn't know about the double shifts, or the winters she wore the same coat so I could have new shoes. They didn't know what it cost her to raise a child in the shadow of the man who had walked out and never looked back.

And I had stood there, silent, my face burning, while they laughed.

I hated that more than anything.

My gaze drifted toward Caleb. He drove with one hand on the wheel, his jaw set, his expression unreadable in the dashboard glow. He looked almost thoughtful, which was unsettling on its own.

"Are you going to stare at me all night?" he asked, eyes fixed on the road.

I snapped my head back to the window.

"I wasn't staring."

"Of course you weren't."

"Don't flatter yourself."

A quiet laugh escaped him, low and brief.

I thought that would be the end of it. Then he spoke again, and his voice had lost its usual edge.

"You shouldn't let people talk to you like that."

I turned slowly.

"What?"

"Those girls at the bonfire." He shrugged, as though the words weighed nothing. "Whatever they said to you."

I hadn't expected him to bring it up. I certainly hadn't expected it to sound like concern, and the thought made my chest feel strangely tight.

"They were just being stupid," I said, hoping to close the subject.

"Obviously. They looked like they shared one functioning brain cell."

I almost smiled.

Almost.

"That's rich coming from you."

"Careful, Bennett. I was trying to be nice."

"Then stop. It's uncomfortable."

He shook his head, a faint smirk tugging at his mouth.

And there it was. The Caleb Walker I knew.

The brief flicker of decency had vanished as quickly as it came, and I was annoyed to find that I was relieved. This version of him I understood. This one I could fight.

I turned back to the window.

A few minutes later, his car rolled to a stop outside my apartment building. I grabbed my handbag and unfastened my seat belt.

"Thanks for the ride."

"Don't mention it."

I stepped out, shut the door and hitched my bag onto my shoulder. I was halfway to the entrance when his voice stopped me.

"Hey, Bennett."

I turned around, bracing myself.

"What now?"

He leaned toward the passenger window, wearing the expression of a man about to say something he wouldn't regret in the slightest.

"Try not to cry over another insult tomorrow. I don't want people thinking I'm dating someone who needs emotional support every five minutes."

My mouth fell open.

I stared at him, genuinely amazed. It had taken him less than ten minutes to ruin the only decent moment we had ever shared.

"You're actually unbelievable."

"And yet, you agreed to date me."

"*Fake* date you," I corrected through my teeth.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

I raised my middle finger.

Caleb burst out laughing, rolled up the window and pulled away from the curb. I stood on the pavement, watching his taillights shrink until the dark swallowed them whole.

Unbelievable.

Absolutely unbelievable.

I went inside, already regretting every decision that had led me to this ridiculous arrangement.

---

The following morning, my phone lit up before my alarm did.

**Caleb Walker:**

We need to discuss our relationship.

I stared at the screen, then checked the sender's name twice, hoping for a mistake.

There wasn't one.

**Me:**

Good morning to you too, Satan.

His reply landed almost instantly. The man clearly slept with his phone in his hand.

**Caleb Walker:**

You have a terrible attitude for someone's girlfriend.

**Me:**

And you have a terrible personality for someone's boyfriend.

**Caleb Walker:**

Seven years of bad luck for whoever ends up marrying you.

I rolled my eyes so hard it almost hurt.

**Me:**

What do you want?

**Caleb Walker:**

We need to stop looking like two people who would rather be arrested than spend time together.

I pushed myself upright against the pillows.

As much as it pained me to admit it, he had a point.

Not that I would ever tell him.

**Me:**

Maybe stop being so irritating, then.

**Caleb Walker:**

Impossible. Work with what you have.

I tossed the phone onto the blanket. How was I supposed to pretend to be in a relationship with someone who could irritate me before breakfast?

It buzzed again.

**Caleb Walker:**

Meet me outside the library at eleven. We need to figure this out before everyone starts asking questions.

I checked the time. A lecture at nine, another at ten.

**Me:**

Fine.

**Caleb Walker:**

And Bennett?

**Me:**

What?

**Caleb Walker:**

Try to look less miserable when you see me.

I dropped the phone and glared at the ceiling.

I was going to kill him.

---

By the time I reached the library, Caleb was already waiting outside.

He leaned against one of the stone pillars, scrolling through his phone in a grey T-shirt, dark jeans and sneakers, looking far too pleased with himself for someone I had agreed to tolerate under very specific conditions. A pair of girls passed him, and both of them glanced back. He didn't notice. Or pretended not to.

The moment he spotted me, the phone disappeared into his pocket.

"You're late."

I checked my wristwatch.

"I'm two minutes early."

"Late according to my schedule."

"Then your schedule needs medical attention."

A grin spread slowly across his face.

"Good morning to you too, sweetheart."

I stopped walking.

"Don't call me that."

"We're dating, remember?"

"Unfortunately."

He tilted his head.

"You're supposed to be happy to see me."

"I'd rather see a dead mosquito."

"That's hurtful."

"Good."

He laughed and pushed off the pillar.

"Come on. We have work to do."

Inside, the library smelled of old paper and stale coffee. We claimed an empty table near the back, tucked behind a shelf of dusty law journals. Caleb dropped into the chair opposite mine, stretched his legs beneath the table and pulled out his phone. I set my bag down and folded my arms.

"So, what's the plan?"

"First, we establish how we behave around people."

"Like normal human beings?"

"That would be difficult for you."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Do you ever get tired of hearing yourself talk?"

"Not really."

I sighed.

He began counting on his fingers.

"We spend time together. Sit together at lunch. Walk around campus together once in a while. Show up at the same places."

I stared at him.

"That sounds exhausting."

"You're the one who wants Whitmore to notice you."

My head snapped up.

"Keep your voice down!"

He glanced around the empty aisles, then back at me.

"Relax. Nobody cares."

"*I* care."

"Clearly."

I leaned across the table and dropped my voice to a whisper.

"And what about Olivia?"

Something shifted in his face. It was subtle, there and gone in a heartbeat, the kind of flicker you'd miss unless you were watching closely.

I was watching.

"We do the same thing," he said, a little too evenly. "Spend time together, make it look natural. Eventually, she starts seeing me differently."

I nodded slowly.

It sounded simple when he said it. But we weren't dealing with strangers. Ryan had known Caleb for years and would never believe he'd suddenly fallen for me. Olivia knew me better than anyone, and she knew I would sooner walk into traffic than willingly spend my free time with Caleb Walker.

"We have a problem."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Only one?"

"Ryan and Olivia aren't stupid. They know we can't stand each other."

"Then we give them a reason to question that."

"Such as?"

"By not acting like we hate each other every time they're around."

I stared at him.

"That's going to be difficult."

"Try your best, Bennett. I believe in you."

"Don't."

He chuckled.

"One more thing. We don't rush. We're not suddenly going to start kissing in the cafeteria. We take it gradually."

"Good. I'd rather swallow a stapler."

"You're very dramatic."

"And you're very annoying."

"Perfect." He leaned back, hands behind his head, utterly at ease. "We're off to a wonderful start."

I shook my head.

This was going to be a long arrangement.