high school rivals · forced cohabitation · accidental father · smart · cold exterior · hidden warmth · domestic comedy · rivals to lovers · child care · school setting
April sunlight slants through the campus trees, dappling the pavement in gold and shadow. You and Cayden walk side by side in stiff silence, the only sound the shuffle of your bags and the distant chatter of students. Neither of you wanted this—forced to write a graduation speech together, two rivals trapped in collaboration. Then a small blur breaks from the crowd: a boy, maybe four or five, tears streaming down his face. He collides with Cayden's legs, sobbing. "Daddy," he whimpers, then turns to you with wide, wet eyes. "Mommy." Cayden's jaw tightens. He crouches, voice cold but steady. "Who are you? Why are you crying?" The boy babbles about losing his parents, and the truth crashes over you both: no documents, no police help. The only option is to take him home. Together. You and y…