LOGINRyder’s POV A laugh bursted out of me almost immediately, as I pointed at her. “Haa. You talked. You actually talked, I won the bet,” I ran a hand down my face, still feeling a lingering ounce of disbelief. “I actually won the bet.” Lila just gave me a bored look, which I found weird because the Lila I knew would have been glaring daggers at me right now, because she had lost. Unless…My smile faltered. “Doesn’t count because I’m already home, pretty boy.” She drawled, her words rooting me to the ground as I watched her walk behind a fence and into a small yard.The house itself was small but well-kept, its porch light already glowing against the darkening evening. “Maybe next time you’ll learn to keep to yourself and not challenge me.” There was a slight mocking lilt in her voice. I would’ve said something about her calling me “pretty boy” but I was too busy dwelling over my loss to her to even process any of that. She turned around, her gaze drifting over me. “Oh and just so y
Ryder’s POV When I placed the bet with Lila, I didn’t actually expect her to stand a chance. I didn’t expect her to be capable of winning. In my defense, she was Lila. The same girl who argued with me at least five times a day. The same girl who somehow found something wrong with everything I did, even when I was very much in the right. The same girl who could turn a simple “good morning” into a fucking debate. It was only natural for me to assume she’d crack within minutes. Well I was wrong. Very wrong in fact. Because a whole damn seven minutes had passed, and this girl hadn’t said a single word to me. No matter what I did, or said to her, she didn’t crack, she just stayed quiet, and I was slowly losing time.I glanced at her feeling slightly defeated, but she didn’t even bother to acknowledge my presence, or maybe tease me about it. I let out a low sigh. Well this was becoming a problem. I hated losing, let alone to someone like her. She would never let me live it down. I
Lila’s POV “I am not letting Ryder walk me home. I’m perfectly fine walking home myself.” I argued, folding my arms across my chest. “You certainly didn’t sound fine five seconds ago.” Ryder shoved his hands into his pockets. “Come on, you should even be grateful I’m offering this immense pleasure.” I stared at him in disbelief. “You’re sick out of your mind if you think I’m going to let you walk with me, you dumbass.” “Whoa.” “Lila.” Harper scolded. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Clint looking genuinely shocked. “What?” I asked. “Nothing,” Clint said carefully.I bit back a retort, tightening my hands around my chest like I could fold them any tighter. I wasn't okay, okay? I didn't want to be around this guy. I wanted to go home, crawl into bed, and stay as far away from Ryder Hayes as humanly possible. Not walk to my house with him by my side. Why was Harper putting me through this?“Relax, okay?” Harper said. “It's not that big of a deal. I promise I'll make it up t
Lila’s POV I can’t believe Harper did this to me. Or you know what? I can believe it. This was Harper we were talking about. The same Harper who had practically adopted Ryder the second he showed up in town. The same Harper who somehow found a way to defend him every single time I complained about him. Of course she was going to set me up. At this point, I should’ve seen the double-date ambush coming from a mile away. Yet somehow, the crazy animal still managed to catch me off guard.Traitor. Ugh. I pushed through the kitchen doors and immediately spotted the culprit, stacking cups near the sink, and the second our eyes met, she had the guts to smile. I glared, but her smile only widened, and the only thing I could think of doing was glaring harder. “Hi.” I didn’t say anything to her. “Still mad?” Not a word. “I’m taking that as a yes.” Jenny looked up from where she was wiping down a tray. Her gaze bounced between us, then back again. “I feel like I missed something.”“Ye
Ryder’s POV Harper was halfway through explaining her newly introduced idea that had just popped into her head when a flash of honey-blonde hair caught my attention.Immediately, my gaze drifted toward the kitchen doors, and there she was. Lila emerged from the back carrying a tray, her expression carefully neutral as she headed into the café.A grin immediately tugged at my lips. A few minutes ago, I had caught her staring. Like actually caught her. It was so bad she couldn’t even deny it. One second she'd been pretending to work behind the counter, and the next she'd been watching me and Clint's conversation like she didn't even realize she was doing it.Then she practically fled into the kitchen before I could tease her properly. I was so surprised when she did it, that I stared at doors for so long that Clint even called me out on it, asking if I was even listening to him. He then looked back at the door, saw no one, and kept his mouth shut. And his expression too, because I c
Lila’s POV Five minutes ago, I had been annoyed that Ryder was now in my place of work and now butting into what was supposed to be my away-from-him time. But what I didn’t think about was the fact that Clint was also here, and Harper being the loud mouth that she was, decided to introduce Ryder and Clint.To each other. Officially. And yes, what you’re thinking is very correct. This is in fact the moment where my life completely falls apart. Because my best friend's boyfriend, and my fake boyfriend were becoming acquainted, which meant that even after this nightmare ends, Ryder is still going to stick around. Why? Because Clint and Harper totally fuck with him. What a huge bonus for me. Unfortunately for me, I worked at the counter, and not inside like Harper, which meant I got a front-row seat to whatever strange friendship was currently developing between Ryder and Clint. “Come on,” Ryder leaned back in his seat, slinging an arm over the backrest. “You've gotta at least try o
Lila's Pov I didn’t slow down until I was halfway down the hall. My pulse was still kicking hard in my ears, and not because I’d just rushed out of class.Of all the ridiculous things Ryder could have said… his fake girlfriend?The nerve. The absolute nerve.I spotted Harper leaning against the lo
Ryder's Pov The next morning, I was no closer to figuring out how to make Lila say yes.I’d run through at least six different approaches in my head, be nice, be pushy, be charming, bribe her with coffee, play the pity card, even ask Coach to talk to her again, but every version ended the same. Sh
Ryder's Pov The first days of school always sucked.But this one was supposed to be different. This one was supposed to be my shot. My clean slate.No screw-ups. No fights. No running my mouth at the wrong time. Just good behavior, good grades, and good plays on the ice.The coach said if I played
Lila's Pov Monday morning rolled around faster than I wanted it to. I was still half-asleep when Mom called from the kitchen, her voice bright and too cheerful for seven a.m. “Lila! You’re going to be late if you don’t get up now!” I groaned into my pillow before forcing myself to sit up. The s







