NATASHA'S POV
I spent the entire night trying to convince myself that yesterday meant nothing.
It was just a date.
A fake date.
Alex remembering my favorite drink didn't mean anything.
Him carrying my bag didn't mean anything.
And the way my heart had reacted when he stood beside me in front of Peter…
That definitely didn't mean anything.
At least, that's what I kept telling myself.
Over and over again.
Until I finally fell asleep.
And then, somehow, the first person I thought about when I woke up was Alex.
I groaned and buried my face in my pillow.
"Seriously, Natasha?"
I sat up.
This was getting ridiculous.
I wasn't falling for Alex.
I couldn't.
The entire point of this relationship was to make Peter realize what he'd lost and to help Alex get over Lara.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
I quickly got ready and headed to university.
The moment I entered the main building, I heard someone call my name.
"Natasha!"
I turned around.
Lisa came running toward me.
She grabbed my arm.
"Tell me everything."
I blinked.
"Everything about what?"
"Yesterday."
"There was nothing to tell."
She stared at me.
"You went on a date with your fake boyfriend."
"Exactly. Fake boyfriend."
"Still a date."
I sighed.
"It was just coffee."
Lisa narrowed her eyes.
"Did he behave?"
"Yes."
"Was he annoying?"
"Not really."
Her eyebrows shot up.
"Oh."
I immediately realized my mistake.
"Don't."
She grinned.
"You said he wasn't annoying."
"I said not really."
"That's basically a confession."
"Lisa!"
She laughed.
"Fine, fine. I'll stop."
We started walking toward our classroom.
And then I saw him.
Alex.
He was standing near the window, talking to a girl from our class.
I didn't know her very well.
She was laughing at something he had said.
Then she lightly touched his arm.
I stopped walking.
Lisa noticed.
Her eyes moved from me to Alex.
Then back to me.
"Oh."
I frowned.
"What?"
She smiled.
"Nothing."
"Why are you smiling like that?"
"I'm not."
"You are."
"No, I'm not."
I looked back at Alex.
The girl was still talking to him.
For some reason, it irritated me.
I didn't understand why.
Alex could talk to whoever he wanted.
We weren't actually dating.
I didn't own him.
And yet…
I couldn't stop watching them.
Then Alex looked up.
His eyes met mine.
His expression immediately changed.
He smiled.
He said something to the girl and walked toward us.
"Good morning."
"Morning," Lisa replied.
I crossed my arms.
"Who was she?"
Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Who?"
"The girl you were talking to."
He smiled.
"Why?"
"Just asking."
Lisa suddenly coughed.
I glared at her.
Alex looked amused.
"She's from my economics class."
"Oh."
"Why?"
"No reason."
He leaned slightly closer.
"Were you jealous?"
My eyes widened.
"What?!"
Lisa burst out laughing.
"I was NOT jealous!"
Alex's smile grew.
"I didn't say you were."
"You literally just—"
"I asked."
"Well, the answer is no."
"Okay."
He nodded innocently.
"Good to know."
I narrowed my eyes.
"You're enjoying this."
"Maybe."
I walked past him.
"You're impossible."
He followed me.
"You say that a lot."
"Because it's true."
"Yet you're still dating me."
I stopped.
He almost walked into me.
I looked at him.
"Fake dating."
"Right."
He smiled.
"Keep reminding yourself."
Something about the way he said it made me uncomfortable.
I looked away.
"Let's go to class."
The rest of the morning passed normally.
Or at least, I tried to make it normal.
Alex kept finding little excuses to sit near me.
He stole my pen.
He took a piece of my lunch.
He sent me a message during class even though he was sitting only two seats away.
Alex:You're ignoring me.
I looked at him.
He was already looking at me.
I typed back.
Me:I'm studying.
His reply came immediately.
Alex:Boring.
I rolled my eyes.
Me:Then study.
Alex:I'd rather annoy you.
I tried not to smile.
I failed.
A tiny smile appeared on my face.
When I looked up, Alex was smiling too.
I quickly looked away.
Why was something as stupid as that making me happy?
After classes, Alex caught up with me outside the building.
"Where are you going?"
"Library."
"Why?"
"To study."
He made a face.
"You really love studying."
"Unlike you."
"Fair."
He walked beside me.
For a few moments, we were quiet.
Then he said,
"About yesterday…"
I looked at him.
"What?"
"Peter."
My expression changed.
"What about him?"
"Are you okay?"
I nodded.
"I'm fine."
"You don't have to pretend with me."
I stopped walking.
"Alex, our entire relationship is pretending."
He became quiet.
I regretted saying it immediately.
His expression softened.
"I know."
There was something different in his voice.
I looked down.
"Sorry."
"It's okay."
We continued walking.
After a few steps, he spoke again.
"You know you can tell me if you're not okay."
I glanced at him.
"Why?"
"Because we're friends."
I smiled slightly.
"Since when?"
He smiled.
"Maybe since yesterday."
I laughed.
"Yesterday we were enemies."
"Fake enemies."
"You're ridiculous."
"Thank you."
That evening, I was sitting in the library when my phone buzzed.
It was a message from Peter.
Peter:Can we talk? Just once.
I stared at the screen.
I didn't know what to reply.
Part of me wanted to ignore him.
Another part wanted answers.
Before I could decide, another message arrived.
Peter:Please, Natasha.
I locked my phone.
I didn't want to think about him anymore.
But then I heard someone sit across from me.
Alex.
I looked up.
"What are you doing here?"
"Studying."
I looked at his completely empty notebook.
"You're not studying."
"I'm emotionally supporting you."
"I didn't ask for emotional support."
"I know."
He smiled.
"But I'm here anyway."
I couldn't help laughing.
"You really don't listen."
"Not when it comes to you."
I froze.
Alex seemed to realize what he'd said.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Then he looked away.
"Anyway…"
My heart was beating strangely.
I looked down at my book.
Neither of us mentioned the moment again.
But I couldn't stop thinking about it.
Later that night, I stood in front of my bedroom mirror.
I stared at my reflection.
"What is wrong with me?"
I remembered the café.
His smile.
His stupid teasing.
The way he'd remembered my favorite drink.
The way he'd stood beside me when Peter confronted me.
And the way he'd told me I could talk to him whenever I wasn't okay.
I closed my eyes.
Maybe Lisa was right.
Maybe something was changing.
But I didn't know what.
And I wasn't ready to give it a name.
Because this was supposed to be fake.
It had to stay fake.
At least…
That's what I wanted to believe.
My phone buzzed.
I picked it up.
A message from Alex.
Alex:Goodnight, fake girlfriend.
I smiled before I could stop myself.
I typed back.
Me:Goodnight, fake boyfriend.
I stared at the message for a few seconds.
Then another message appeared.
Alex:Sweet dreams.
My smile disappeared.
My heart skipped.
I quickly put my phone face down.
"No."
I shook my head.
"This means nothing."
But for the first time…
I wasn't completely sure.