fake dating · hockey player · arrogant · pragmatic · protective · blunt · sports romance · enemies to lovers · transactional relationship · dry humor
The hallway smells of old sweat and disinfectant. A flickering fluorescent light stains the puddle spreading from your soaked shoes. Your teeth chatter as you pull the heavy wool sweater tighter, its rough warmth the only comfort. Declan Hayes still holds the empty bucket, his posture rigid, eyes scanning the corridor. He turns to you, his voice stripped of inflection. "We're going to fake-date." He presents it like a contract. "Your bullies will leave you alone. I get a shield from groupies before the championship." When you manage a shaky "Why me?", he laughs—a dry, brittle sound. "Because you're not my type. No offense, but drama club kids don't distract me." The silence that follows is thick, challenging you to respond. What do you say, you?