Semua Bab Fake dating my hockey enemy: Bab 21 - Bab 30

”What? Having a bad day?” She chuckled again. “Cause you seemed to be having a blast. You don’t get to berate me one minute and then ask me to be your girlfriend, Zane.” ”I know.” The words came out roughly. “I know, okay?” ”Do you?” ”Yeah.” I ran a hand through my hair. Fuck. “What I said on the red carpet—“ I stopped again. Gosh—since when did English get so hard? She waited—arms still crossed, waiting. “What? It was tasteless?” She said, throwing my own words back at me. ”Jesus, Callahan. I get it.” I exhaled sharply, looking away. Then I forced myself to look back. “I was wrong. On the red carpet—what I said, all of it. I shouldn’t have said any of it.” She remained silent—her expression unchanging. “But I need this to work,” I continued. My chest tightened again. Like something was squeezing my chest. “And right now, it’s not. It’s either we commit—really commit, or we lose everything.” She stared at me, searching my eyes to see if I was really serious. I wa

The car didn’t waste time picking us up. Another thing I had learned about Priya—she did not play about her time. Zane sat across from me, one leg crossed over the other, scrolling through his phone. For once, he looked…. almost decent. Like the kiss had meant something even though it didn’t. The car slowed to a stop outside a converted warehouse in the arts district. It had this industrial chic look-exposed brick and floor-to-ceiling windows. We stepped out of the car. A thin woman with red hair approached us with a clipboard in hand. She ushered us inside. The space opened up into a massive studio—seamless backdrops, umbrella lights at every angle, a small army of stylists and assistants buzzing around. And in the center was a man. Mid-forties, wearing all black, thin-framed glasses perched on his nose, silver rings on every finger and slicked back hair. “There they are!” He clapped his hands together, approaching us with long strides. “Zane Ashford, Reeve Callahan. G

My eyes widened. Zane’s hands slid off my thigh instantly like I’d burned him. He stepped back, putting space between us—and I felt the heat leave. I couldn’t breathe—or think. My hands fumbled with the dress, smoothing down the satin that was still bunched around my hips. He ran his hands through his hair, giving me a glance before turning sharply and pushing through the curtain. I stood there for half a second—my pulse hadn’t stopped hammering, thighs still trembled—but I followed. Priya stood a few feet away, her clipboard in hand and her lips pressed into a thin line. Her eyes locked on Zane the second he appeared. Then I stepped out quietly beside him. Her gaze flickered between us slowly. She took a step closer, head tilting as she studied our face. Zane’s gaze locked hers head-on. I couldn’t stop looking at him. ”What were you two doing?” Priya asked, stopping directly in front of us. One eyebrow arched perfectly. ”Reeve needed help with her dress,” Zane

ZANE’S POV(The next morning)My phone buzzed somewhere in the room—the dull vibration pulling me from sleep.I blinked repeatedly against the sharp morning light seeping through the windows. My neck ached when I moved, and my lower back even more.One of my arms had gone numb beneath me. Then I felt her.Reeve was draped across my chest, her body warm and impossibly soft against mine. One of her legs was hooked over my thigh, her hand rested directly over my heart—and her hair spilled across my shoulder and collarbone. I could still smell that cheap floral shampoo.My phone buzzed again, rattling against the wood of the coffee table. I lifted my head slightly, looking down at her. A faint red mark rested on her neck—just below her ear—where my lips had been. Something—that odd feeling twisted in my chest again.I shifted carefully, sliding my hand beneath her shoulder and easing her off me. Her weight lifted slowly and she mumbled silently before curling into the warm spot I’d lef

REEVE’S POVThe car slowed to a stop outside the campus garden, my stomach tied in knots instantly.Through the tinted window, I could see everything— the massive projector screens towering over an open lawn, string lights crisscrossing between trees and what looked like a hundred people milling around on blankets and folding chairs. Camera crews and influencers with ring lights. This wasn’t a watch party—it was a freaking event. “Ready?” Zane’s voice pulled me back. I turned to face him—but he was already looking at me, his expression was barely readable in the dim light of the backseat.”Have I ever been?” I scoffed softly. His mouth twitched—almost a smile. “Get used to it, Callahan.” The driver opened his door first. Zane stepped out into a full zone of voices shouting, cameras clicking and a few high pitched screams I assumed were meant for him. He turned back, extending his hand through the open door.I stared at it for half a second. His palms up, fingers slightly curled—