All Chapters of BORROWED LOVE ON ICE : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

MELISSA'S POV “What?” I said, blinking hard like maybe I heard wrong. Do I need hearing aids? Am I hearing something else?Marco smiled again. Like he was pitching the next big N*****x deal.“I said… the company wants you two to fake date.”I laughed. Out loud. And it was not a pretty laugh.“You’re joking.”“I’m not.”“You’re insane.”“Also not.”I stood up immediately.“Nope. I’m not doing that.”“Melissa—”“Don’t ‘Melissa’ me.”Xavier hadn’t even reacted. He just sat there, elbow on the armrest, hand over his mouth, like he was trying to disappear into the chair.I pointed at him. “Say something. This is your mess too.”He shrugged, still too calm. “Don’t look at me. I just got dragged in here.”“Dragged? You looked very present during that shoot yesterday.”“Because it was work.”“This isn’t work, Xavier. This is madness.”Marco jumped in, hands up. “Okay, okay. I know it sounds wild—”“It is wild.”“But hear me out.”“I don’t want to.”“Melissa, please.”“I’m not fake dating my

KATRINA'S POV I called.It rang twice, then ended.No voicemail. No reply.I stared at her name on the screen, waiting for it to light up again. It didn’t. My fingers trembled slightly as I typed the message.You need to call me. Now.I had texted her ten minutes ago, and still nothing. A minute passed. Then another. Then four. The silence made my chest tight.I knew she saw it. Melissa was the type who always kept her phone nearby. She could ignore a call, sure—but not a message. She was reading it. Thinking. Choosing not to reply.And that hurt more than I wanted to admit.My thoughts wandered back to the cafeteria. Back to the moment everything shifted.Before that photo, it was just a regular break. I’d barely touched my salad. Kendra was ranting about a patient who tried to fake chest pain for free meds. Lisa kept showing us wedding photos of her cousin, and Tomi was locked in a debate over the most annoying kind of hospital call light.It was noisy. Typical. A welcome distractio

MELISSA'S POV I got the message just before I finished tying my shoelace.Marco: The audience is obsessed. You two are going on a public date tomorrow. Full exposure. Keep the energy up. Make it work.I stared at it for a full ten seconds.A date? I rolled my eyes and dropped my phone on the bed like it offended me. This wasn’t part of the original deal. We’d already done the promo shoot. The hand placement, the posing, the fake smiles. That was enough pretending for one week.Now a date?I picked up my phone again, typing fast.I’m not doing that. We signed up for a campaign, not The Bachelor.Marco replied almost instantly.The internet loves you two. Don’t kill the magic. A casual lunch or something quiet. Just give them more to chew on.I groaned, tossing the phone face down again. I could already picture it—Xavier showing up in something annoyingly cool, charming waiters for no reason, walking like the sidewalk owed him money. I wasn’t in the mood.But Marco was serious. And this

MELISSA'S POV My phone lit up again.This time, it wasn’t a message. It was a call from Xavier.I stared at his name flashing across the screen. Part of me wanted to ignore it, let it ring into nothing. But curiosity—or maybe frustration—won. I answered.“What?” I said flatly.“Well, that’s a warm welcome,” he replied.“I’m not in the mood for games, Xavier,so say what you want to say and let's end this conversation right now, I've got a lot of things to do and right now isn't the time for chitchat.”He chuckled. “Relax. I just wanted to say congrats again.”“Congrats for what exactly?” I leaned back on the couch, eyes rolling toward the ceiling. “The fake relationship? Or maybe the chaos that follows you everywhere you go? Or maybe you're relishing in the fake game and fame but just know it'll all crumble if the truth gets out.”“I’m being serious for once,” he said. “I just got off the phone with Coach. The Mexico team officially confirmed it. We’re flying out next month. It’s happ

XAVIER'S POV The shoot ended, but the buzz lingered in the air like static. Light stands were being folded down, camera lenses capped, and stylists whisking away designer pieces like precious gems. Clarisse gave me a firm nod as she packed her makeup brushes. I pulled off the crisp black jacket they'd styled me in and loosened the collar of my shirt, finally breathing freely. "Xavier!" Marco's voice boomed from across the venue. I turned just in time for him to clap a hand on my back like we were long-lost brothers. "You killed it today," he said, eyes bright. "I knew you had charisma, but this? You lit up that camera. The brand's already messaging—they're raving. Louis Vuitton is calling this campaign gold." I offered a smirk. "All in a day's work, right?" Marco grinned, slapping my back again. "That’s why you’re a star. Keep this up, and we’ll take over the industry one photo at a time." I gave him a lazy salute and turned toward the hallway that led to the exit. As I stepped