Just for show
1311 Words
(Jaxon)
I arrived at Kendall's house and waited for her outside. I’d been watching the GPS like a hawk the whole drive. My leg bounced as I sat behind the wheel, nerves hitting harder than I expected.
Then the door opened.
Kendall stepped out in a red dress that made me forget how to breathe. Her hair was done, her lips painted, and she was confident. I gripped the steering wheel tighter, forcing myself not to stare.
But I did.
“Hey,” she said, sliding into the passenger seat.
“Hey,” I replied, voice a little rougher than usual. “You look…”
“Don’t say nice." I didn’t go for nice.
I smirked. “I was gonna say dangerous.”
She smirked back. “Good answer.”
The ride to the restaurant was short, but the silence between us was tense. Every now and then, I glanced at her, and every time, she caught me. She didn’t look away. That alone made my chest tighten.
Once we got seated, she skipped the small talk.
“I want to fake date you,” she said, sipping her drink like she hadn’t just dropped a bomb.
I blinked. “You what?”
She leaned in, looking at me. “Fake date. You and me. We make it public, make it messy. Make Chase watch.”
“You want to use me to get back at him.” I said.
“I want to use us,” she corrected. “You get something too. You’ve been waiting for your shot at the NHL, right?”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah.”
“I have connections. I help you get seen. You help me make his life hell.”
I should’ve thought longer about it. I didn’t.
“Gladly.”
Kendall smiled like she’d won something. Maybe she had.
“I need you to commit to the act,” she said, lowering her voice. “Make it look real.”
“I won’t need to fake any of that.” I replied.
Her smile slipped for half a second.
This wasn’t just a game to me.
And I had a feeling deep down it wouldn’t stay one for her, either.
She looked away, then back. “We start tomorrow since you have a game, it will be the perfect opportunity. You okay with that?”
I nodded once. “More than okay.”
We both knew what we were getting into.
Or at least we thought we did.
Kendall leaned back in her chair, running a finger along the rim of her glass. “If this is going to work, we can’t half ass it. I mean it. No weird tension. No backing out halfway through.”
I nodded. “I’m in. Just tell me what you expect.”
She looked at me, serious now. “We act like a couple. That means showing up to parties together. Holding hands. Kissing, posting online sometimes. People have to believe it’s real.”
“And Chase?” I asked.
“He’ll see it,” she said. “He watches everything I do. He’s never said it out loud, but he regrets what happened. This will eat at him.”
I rested my arms on the table. “You’re sure you’re ready for that kind of attention again? People talking?”
“I don’t care what they say about me,” she said quickly. “Let them talk. They always have. I want him to feel what I felt. I want him to lose something that stings.”
I studied her. There was a fire in her, even when she wasn’t raising her voice. I liked that. Maybe a little too much.
“You’ll have to act like you like me,” I said, trying to keep it light.
She raised a brow. “I do like you. Enough to trust you with this.”
I didn’t expect that answer. It hit differently.
I cleared my throat. “Alright. What about rules?”
“Rules?”
“Yeah, like…are we exclusive?” I asked.
She tapped her nails on the table, thinking. “We don’t have to be exclusive unless people ask. But if we want this to look real, we probably should be, at least while it lasts.”
“For how long?” I asked.
“A few months, maybe more. Depends on how fast I get my revenge.”
“Fine,” I said. “I’m good with that.”
She took a sip of water, then added, “And yeah, we should do whatever feels natural.”
I grinned. “You’re giving me full access?”
She laughed. “Don’t get cocky. It’s just for show.”
“Right,” I said. “Just for show.”
But deep down, I knew it wouldn’t feel like that. Not with her.
“What about when we’re alone?” I asked.
Kendall paused. “What do you mean?”
“Do we drop the act or keep it going even then?”
She shrugged. “We don’t need to pretend when no one’s watching. Unless you want to.”
I leaned in a little. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to turn it off.”
Her eyes didn’t leave mine. “Then don’t.”
Something passed between us then. I knew she felt it too, because she looked away right after, like it was too much.
She picked at the corner of her napkin. “If this works, and people buy it, they’re going to ask questions. About how we met, how long we’ve been together. We need to be ready with answers.”
“Okay. Let’s make it simple. We reconnected recently. Started talking. Got close fast.”
She nodded. “And the first picture we post should be tomorrow. Something casual. You at my place or us getting coffee. Nothing flashy yet.”
“Got it. Want me to bring donuts?”
She smiled. “You’re already better at this than I thought.”
“I aim to impress.”
“You better,” she said, leaning back again. “Because once we go public, there’s no undoing it. No backing out. You’re stuck with me.”
I didn’t flinch. “I’ve had worse problems.”
She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
The waiter came and refilled our drinks. We both went quiet for a second. When he left, I looked at her again.
“You really want revenge that badly?”
She nodded. “I gave everything to the girls team. Everything. And they threw me aside when I needed them most. Chase was supposed to fight for me too. Instead, he joined them.”
I swallowed hard. “What happened to you, it wasn’t fair.”
“I don’t want pity. I want a win.” She snapped.
“You’ll get it,” I said. “I’ll make sure of it.”
She looked at me again, different this time. “Why are you so willing to do this?”
I didn’t answer right away. I could’ve said it was for the NHL. For the exposure. For the boost.
But that wasn’t it. Not really.
“I guess I’ve always wanted to be the guy who stood beside you,” I said finally. “Now I get to be.”
She stared at me for a long time, then looked down. “This might get messy.”
I reached across the table and brushed her hand with mine. “I don’t mind messy.”
She didn’t pull away.
“Okay,” she said. “Then let’s do it.”
I gave her a nod. “Starting tomorrow, we’re official.”
She looked up. “Starting tomorrow.”
And just like that, the game began. But it didn’t feel fake. Not to me. Not even a little.
- Writer
