No Deal

Ariana's POV

I stood outside the library doors, cold wind cutting straight through my sweater. My heart wouldn’t slow down. I watched Jace walk away, his broad shoulders tense, hands shoved deep in his pockets like he was trying to hold himself together. My fingers tightened on my bag strap until it hurt. That whole conversation kept replaying in my head; the way his voice had dropped, the way his hands had clasped so tight on the table, the way he had looked at me when he said “think about it.”

I started walking toward the dorm, my legs felt heavy. The quad was full of students laughing and talking, but it all felt far away. My mind wouldn’t stop thinking about it. Fake dating, three months, no feelings.The words tasted wrong.

By the time I pushed open the dorm room door, my chest felt tight. Becca was on her bed, legs crossed, scrolling on her phone. She looked up the second I walked in, her bright smile faded fast.

“Ari? You look like something happened, spill.”

I dropped my bag on the floor and sat heavily on my bed, elbows on my knees. My hands hung between my legs. “Jace Carter found me in the library. He sat down right across from me and asked me to fake date him. For three months, public stuff only, pictures, games, that kind of thing. He said it would help fix his image with his ex; Maya and he could get me team interviews for my journalism work.”

Becca’s eyes went wide. She put her phone down and scooted to the edge of her bed. “Wait… Jace Carter; the hockey captain asked you to be his fake girlfriend? Ari, that’s insane. Wait….. what did you say to him?”

I stood up and started pacing between the beds, short tight steps. My arms wrapped around my middle. “I didn’t really say yes or no. I just… sat there. He told me to think about it. I didn’t give him a clear answer.”

Becca watched me move, her messy brown hair falling over one shoulder. “Okay, slow down. You didn’t say no? That means you’re actually considering it right?”

I stopped near the window and gripped the sill. The cold glass felt good against my hot palms. “I don’t know. Part of me froze, Becca. I’m scared. This kind of thing never stays fake. At the end someone always ends up getting hurt.”

Becca patted the spot beside her. “Come sit. You’re pacing like you’re about to fall apart.”

I hesitated, then sat down hard. The bed creaked. My knee bounced until I pressed my heel into the floor to stop it.

Becca took my hand gently. “Look, I get why you’re scared. After Davian, you have every right to be careful. But think about it for a second. It’s fake and he said no feelings. You could get real benefits like team interviews. That’s huge for your portfolio. And honestly?...Jace doesn’t seem like the type to play games like Davian did.”

I pulled my hand back and stood up again. “That’s what scares me the most. It always starts like this.They make it sound simple and convenient. Then it gets complicated. I promised myself after Davian that I wouldn’t let anyone close again. Not even pretend.”

Becca leaned back against her pillows, watching me carefully. “I know, but you also promised yourself you’d do whatever it takes to secure your future. This could help with that. You don’t have to say yes forever. Just… think about it like he asked, what’s the worst that could happen?”

I let out a short breath and sat down again, closer this time. “The worst? I start feeling things I shouldn’t, people find out it’s fake and I look stupid. Or the scholarship board thinks I’m distracted. I can’t risk that, Becca. I worked too hard to get here.”

Becca nodded slowly. “I hear you, I really do. But you also look really shaken right now. Not just angry, like maybe part of you is curious.”

I stayed quiet for a long moment, and twisted my fingers together. The room felt too warm. “I don’t know, maybe? But I think I already know what I need to do.”

We talked for a while longer. Becca kept gently pushing, trying to get me to see the good side. I kept pushing back, explaining why it felt dangerous. The conversation went in circles, both of us getting more emotional as we spoke. She wanted me to live a little but I just wanted to protect myself.

Later that night, after Becca had gone to take a shower, I sat on my bed with my phone in my hands. The message thread with Jace stared back at me. My thumb hovered over the keyboard for what felt like forever. My chest felt tight again as I typed slowly.

Ariana: I thought about it. The answer is no. I’m not doing this so please don’t ask again.

I hit send before I could delete it. The message delivered. I locked my phone and threw it on the bed like it burned my fingers. Then I lay back, staring at the ceiling, heart still racing.

I had done the right thing, I had protected my independence. I had said no.

So why did it feel like something inside me was already regretting it?