Chapter 5: The Contract

FEYA

"Get out," Maya snapped, stepping between him and my corner of the room. Her combat boots clicked loudly against the floor. "She is having a severe sensory overload because of your stupid blog post, and you walking in here like a wrecking ball isn't helping."

Jaxson didn't look at her. His piercing blue eyes were fixed entirely on me. He took a slow, deliberate step around Maya and dropped to one knee, lowering his posture until he was at eye level with my curled-up form.

"Feya," he said. His voice was lower now, losing its usual arrogant edge, though it still had that raspy vibration that scratched at my ears. "Just…look at my chin or something. Come on.”

I forced my eyes open, shifting my gaze to the sharp line of his jaw. It was perfectly even. The bastard. I took calming breaths.

"The photographs…," I said, my voice cracking slightly.

"I know," Jaxson said, standing up and running a hand through his unruly black hair. He looked completely stressed, a sharp vein pulsing near his temple. "The whole campus is talking about it. My dad already saw it. He called me ten minutes ago, demanding to know why I’m wasting time with a 'liability' when the scouts are watching my every move."

"I cannot function under this level of public scrutiny, Jaxson."

"Then let's give them exactly what they want to see," Jaxson said, leaning back against the edge of my desk. "We don't deny the photos. We lean into them. We tell the school we're dating."

Maya let out a loud, incredulous scoff from the doorway. "Are you out of your mind, Rivers? You want to drag her further into your toxic hockey ecosystem? She’s neurodivergent, you idiot. She can't handle your fangirls."

"Think about it, Ghost," Jaxson argued, completely ignoring Maya. "If we say we're dating, the photos aren't a scandal anymore. The public gets bored of romance quickly. But more importantly... if you're my girlfriend, nobody touches you."

I frowned but remained silent and he went on, "My family practically finances the athletic department and the entire school," he explained, his eyes darkening with a desperate intensity. " If you're with me, the mean girls back off, the bloggers stop writing hit pieces, and the Dean won't dare touch your scholarship because my dad's foundation is currently funding everything."

I weighed what he was saying.

"And what do you receive from this arrangement?" I asked. "You are a prestigious athlete. I am a social ghost."

"I get your brain," he said bluntly. "I told you I need you to help me fix my game, Feya. I need you to try. I can't see the puck and I need you to find a way to make me functional on the ice without sending me to a team doctor who will report me to the NHL scouts."

"A mutual pact," I murmured. "Disguised as a romantic relationship."

"Exactly. A business contract. We lay out the terms coldly. No real feelings. No actual dates. Just optics when people are watching, and work when they aren't."

I looked down at the frayed hem of my oversized charcoal sweater. Five thousand dollars per session would pay off my father's lingering legal fees in a year or a little over it.

"Five thousand dollars per session?" I specified, looking back up to his chin.

"Yes," he said without a single second of hesitation.

"And you will explicitly inform your teammates that any verbal or physical interaction with me is strictly prohibited."

"If anyone even breathes in your direction wrong, I'll put them through the glass," he promised seriously.

"Very well," I said, finally standing up and smoothing my clothes with precise, clinical movements. "We have a contract, Mr. Rivers."

“Sweet.” He held his hand out for a handshake and I looked at it briefly then dismissed it, heading to my table and fetching a pen and paper.

“We need to get the specifics written down so we can have our official boundaries and expectations.”

Jaxson let his hand fall and rubbed the back of his neck. “Right.” He sidestepped Maya’s suspicious glare and sat on the chair I’d pointed to.

“F*e, are you sure of this?” She asked.

“Of course.” I said smoothly and glanced at the clock. “Don’t you have a class now?”

Maya followed my gaze and cursed, scrambling to grab her bag and jacket. She paused by the door and squinted at Jaxson. “I’m watching you, Rivers.” Then she made a cutting throat motion and left the room.

Jaxson turned to give me a ‘what the fuck’ look and I ignored it in favour of scribbling my stipulations and he sighed and gave up.

“Okay so. No acts of intimacy. No sexual relations. No disclosing of our agreement to any third party…well, aside from Maya. We will meet 3 times in a week where we will meet in a public space to showcase our relationship. And 5 times in a week for our Hail Mary attempts of fixing you. Afterwards, we will part ways where we will not interact till the next scheduled day. There will be no texting unless strictly necessary and in times of dire emergencies…what?”

Jaxson had an amused look on his face and he chuckled and shook his head when I threw the last word at him.

“Nothing. It’s just…do you really think anyone is going to believe we’re together if we don’t show signs of intimacy or touch each other?”

I chewed on that. “I will allow holding of hands. Endeavour to carry a pair of gloves, please and thanks.”

He shook his head. “No, I mean, we have to kiss. In public. I’ll hold your hands yes, hold your waist. You sit in my lap sometimes. I’ll pick you up. Bring you to my place, make the whole thing much more believable. No one believes anyone is dating just by holding hands.”

I must’ve looked green in the face cause he looked offended. “What’s wrong with doing all those things with me? I’ll have you know, many girls will scramble for a chance to be in a relationship with me. I’m a catch, you know.”

“‘Reality can be beaten with enough imagination’. Yann Martel.”

Silence. “What does that mean?”

I gave a heavy sigh and went back to scribbling and striking out.

This was going to be a very trying time.