My Rival Is My Roommate

For the cameras

POV LUCA

I tightened my grip on Maya's waist, felt her whole body go stiff against me.

"Don't you dare enjoy this, Callahan," she hissed through her fake, dazzling smile, her teeth barely parting.

"Who's enjoying anything?" I murmured back, dipping my head down till our foreheads almost touched. "It's just publicity, Bennett. Stay still."

Before she could spit out another insult, I pulled her in and covered her mouth with mine.

I had everything mapped out in my head like a power play. Two seconds. Three, max. Enough for the camera flash, then a clean escape But the second my lips hit hers, the clock in my head just stopped.

Maya froze for a bit , then let out a soft, shaky breath against my mouth. Her hand, which had been flat on my chest to push me away, curled into the fabric of my sweater instead. She tasted like peppermint and warm honey. through out the kiss I wasn't thinking about NHL scouts, or Coach's warnings, or the camera flashing in my face.

I was only thinking about her.

Maya shoved my shoulders hard, breaking the kiss with a sharp gasp. Her cheeks were bright pink, her eyes wide with anger.

"You.” she whispered furiously, stepping back and smoothing down her jacket. "You broke rule four.”

I cleared my throat, forced my signature easy smirk back onto my face before my hands could shake. "Relax, Bennett. The reporter wanted proof. You didn't exactly look like you were suffering out there."

"I was acting" she snapped, glaring holes into my chest. "And you suck at counting."

Before I could answer, a woman in a black blazer walked over with a champagne glass. Mrs. Gable. Wife of Titan Sports main regional sponsor.

"Oh, you two are absolute magic.” Mrs. Gable gushed, clasping her hands together. "We saw the photo earlier, but seeing you together in person. You can just feel the connection. How did you two meet."

I opened my mouth to run the rehearsed line, but Maya beat me to it without missing a beat.

"Honestly, Mrs. Gable, he nearly knocked me over with his gear bag outside the library freshman year," Maya said, letting out a sweet little laugh that sounded unbelievably genuine.

"He was so clumsy trying to apologize he dropped his stick right on my foot. I thought he was an i***t, but he wore me down eventually."

Mrs. Gable beamed. "Oh, that is just darling. A true college romance."

I stared at Maya, shocked. She lied so smoothly, so convincingly, that something cold knotted in my stomach. She was a film student. A director. She knew how to play a role. Watching her do it that easily bothered me way more than it should have, because I couldn't tell where the act ended and what she actually felt began.

---

An hour later I sat in the driver's seat of my truck, scrolling my phone. The photo of our kiss was already at the top of the university trend board, racking up thousands of likes. Comments spiraling into total excitement: ‘They're actually obsessed with each other. Look at his hand on her waist.

Total win. Clean image, trending for all the right reasons.

So why did it feel so wrong.

When I stepped into the arena hallway the next morning, Coach Vance flagged me down before I even reached the locker room door.

"Board loved the press last night, Callahan," Coach said, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. "Sponsors are happy, Media noise is turning into a positive story."

"Good," I said, nodding. "That was the goal."

Coach pointed a stern finger at my chest, his eyes dead serious. "Just keep your head straight. Publicity helps, but don't let the girl become the story. You are the story, Luca. Don't forget why you're here."

Ten minutes into our first passing drill, those words were still rattling around in my skull. Jace sent a simple, routine pass across the red line toward my stick. Easy pickup. I make that catch in my sleep.

Instead, my stick hit air. The puck slid past my blade and cracked off the boards.

Silence on the ice. Coach didn't yell. Just stood by the glass, blew his whistle once, and gave me a cold, disappointed stare that burned right through my jersey.

In the locker room after practice, Jace nearly fell off his bench laughing as he unlaced his skates.

"A blind monkey could've caught that tape to tape, Callahan.” Jace laughed, shaking his head. "What's wrong with you today. Got Bennett on the brain.”

"Shut up, Jace." I tossed my helmet into my locker. "I missed a pass. It happens."

"Doesn't happen to you," Jace said, leaning forward with a teasing grin. "You're soft, man. That fake relationship's turning your brain to mush."

"She doesn't mean anything to me," I blurted, the line coming out flat and way too fast. "It's a business arrangement. She's a means to an end. I don't care about her."

The words tasted sour the second they left my mouth.

I grabbed my gear bag, shoved through the heavy arena doors toward the parking lot, and froze dead in my tracks.

Maya was standing right there in the concrete hallway, leaning against the wall. Oversized denim jacket, arms crossed tight over her chest, jaw set in a hard, dangerous line.

She marched up to me, reached out, grabbed the front of my hoodie, and yanked me down to her eye level with more strength than I expected.

"We need to talk about that kiss," she said, her voice dropping into a whisper.