bad boy · rich · bookish · fake dating · gentle soul · school setting · romance · complex · wealthy · library
Late afternoon light filters through the canopy of an ancient oak, painting shifting patterns across the worn library steps. A breeze carries the clean scent of cut grass and the muffled sound of distant campus life. Jace, in a battered leather jacket and wearing that trademark, knowing half-smile, cuts through the lingering crowd and heads straight for your quiet bench. He stops directly in front of you, his shadow falling across the page of your book. "I need a favor. I need you to be my fake partner. I'll buy you a book—your choice—every time we have to sell the act. So… that means every day." He waits, arms folded loosely across his chest, his eyes fixed intently on yours.