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lucas suttonThe neon sign of the 24-hour diner buzzed, casting a low, moody glow over the corner booth. Lucas slid into the vinyl seat, his jaw tight, a cold cup of coffee already waiting for him.
He and his "girlfriend" had a deal. It was simple, completely transactional, and strictly temporary. Fake dating to get his persistent ex off his back and her overprotective brothers out of her business. They had ground rules: clear communication, public appearances, and absolutely no real feelings.
But looking at his phone right now, Lucas was finding it incredibly hard to remember rule number three.
It was a picture sent by a mutual friend, captioned: тАЬThought she was with you tonight?тАЭ
In the photo, she was sitting at a corner table in the university library. She was laughingтАФthat genuine, head-back laugh she rarely showed himтАФand standing right next to her was Julian, a brilliant, effortlessly charming pre-med student. JulianтАЩs hand was resting casually on the back of her chair, leaning in close over a stack of textbooks.
Lucas locked his phone and tossed it onto the table. A bitter taste grew in his mouth. He told himself it was just about the reputation of their arrangement. If people saw her out with other guys, the lie would fall apart. It was logistics. Just logistics.
The bell above the diner door jingled. She walked in, shaking the rain from her umbrella. She looked exhausted, her hair slightly damp, but she offered him a soft smile as she slid into the booth across from him.
"Hey," she said, pulling her cardigan tighter around herself. "Sorry I'm late. The study session ran way over."
"Study session," Lucas repeated, his voice dangerously flat. He didn't smile back.
She blinked, sensing the shift in temperature. "Yeah. Organic chemistry. I told you I had a massive exam coming up."
"Right. You mentioned studying," Lucas said, leaning forward and resting his forearms on the table. He tapped his phone. "You just forgot to mention who you were studying with."
She frowned, her defensive walls instantly going up. "I was studying with a classmate. Why does it matter?"
"Because we have a deal," Lucas said, his voice dropping to a low, quiet edge. "The whole point of this is that people are supposed to believe youтАЩre with me. It doesnтАЩt look great when my 'girlfriend' is tucked away in a cozy library corner with another guy."
She let out a disbelieving laugh. "A cozy corner? Lucas, we were memorizing functional groups. Julian is just a friend who happens to be a genius at chemistry."
Julian. Hearing his name roll off her tongue so easily pricked a nerve Lucas didn't even know he had.
"He looked pretty comfortable," Lucas countered, his eyes narrowing. "His hand was on your chair. You were laughing. If someone else saw you, the whole story we built goes down the drain."
"Oh, so this is about your ego?" she snapped, her eyes flashing. "We are fake dating, Lucas. You don't own my schedule, and you don't get to dictate who helps me pass a class. I am allowed to have a life."
"I don't care about your life, I care about the deal," Lucas lied, the words tasting like ash. He was staring at her, but his mind kept flashing back to the pictureтАФthe way Julian looked at her, the way she looked completely at ease.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over their table.
"Hey! I thought that was your umbrella by the door."
Lucas looked up. Speak of the devil. Julian was standing right there, holding a takeout bag, a polite, easy-going smile on his face. He looked between the two of them, his eyes lingering on Lucas's tense posture.
"Hey, Julian," she said, her voice instantly softening, though she looked visibly panicked by the timing.
Julian looked directly at Lucas, extending a hand. "Hey. I don't think we've met. I'm Julian."
Lucas didn't stand up. He didn't take the hand. He just stared, his expression carved out of stone, letting the silence stretch long enough to become deeply uncomfortable. Julian slowly lowered his hand, his smile fading into a cautious, protective squint.
Julian looked back at her. "Everything okay here?"
Before she could answer, Lucas leaned back, draping an arm casually over the back of the boothтАФmimicking the exact posture Julian had used in the library. He looked Julian up and down, a dark, territorial smirk cutting across his face.
"Everything's fine," Lucas said, his tone dripping with ice. He reached across the table, wrapping his fingers firmly but gently around her hand, locking his eyes onto Julian's.
"Her boyfriend's just taking her home now."
The word boyfriend hit the air like a heavy weight. Her breath hitched, her fingers twitching against LucasтАЩs grip, but she didnтАЩt pull away.
JulianтАЩs eyes dropped to their joined hands. The atmosphere shifted instantly from awkward to charged. Julian nodded slowly, a look of quiet understanding passing over his face. "Right. Well. See you in class." He turned and walked out into the rain.
The silence in the booth was deafening.
She waited until the door clicked shut before she yanked her hand out of Lucas's grip. "What the hell was that?" she whispered fiercely. "You completely marked your territory! We agreed no drama!"
Lucas looked down at his empty hand, the warmth of her skin still lingering. The anger was gone, replaced by a sudden, jarring realization. He hadn't done that to protect their lie. He hadn't done it for his ego.
He had done it because the thought of anyone else being her boyfriend made him sick to his stomach.
"Lucas," she demanded, her voice softening, searching his face. "Why did you say it like that?"
Lucas finally looked up, meeting her gaze, the fake facade completely dropping. "Because," he said, his voice quiet and rough, "I realized I don't want to fake it anymore."
