Chapter 7
1794 Words
_Lyra's POV_
I thought I understood Ryder Kane a little better after what happened at practice. But I was wrong.
The next morning, he was back to being the same cold and distant person I had met on my first day.
But something had changed. Before, he looked at me like I was a problem. Now, sometimes, it felt like he was watching me for another reason.
I sat in the Frostfang office. I was working on the new social media plan but my mind kept going back to the moment Ryder saved me. I remembered the fear in his eyes and the way he had moved without hesitation to protect me.
I shook my head and forced myself to focus. “Stop it, Lyra.”
I whispered the words quietly. Because I had been thinking about Ryder Kane way too much and that was dangerous. He was my fake boyfriend and nothing more. At least, that was what I kept reminding myself.
_________
“Lyra?”
I looked up and saw Jenna from the PR team standing near my desk.
“Yeah?”
She held out a folder. “Coach wants new content for the upcoming charity event. We need interviews with players and some behind-the-scenes videos.”
I took the folder. “Okay. Who am I interviewing?”
She looked at the list. “Ryder, obviously. And Asher Vale.”
I paused. “Asher?”
She nodded. “He is a popular player. The fans like him. It would be good for engagement.”
I sighed quietly. Of course, the one person who seemed to enjoy getting on Ryder’s nerves had to be part of this. Perfect.
________
The interview went smoothly at first. Asher was the complete opposite of Ryder. While Ryder was quiet and serious, Asher was easy to talk to. He smiled often, joked around and knew exactly how to make people comfortable. I understood why fans liked him.
“So,” Asher said while I adjusted the camera. “How long have you been dealing with Kane?”
I looked at him. “Dealing with?”
He smiled. “You know what I mean.”
I rolled my eyes. “He is not that bad.”
Asher raised an eyebrow. “That sounded painful to admit.”
I tried not to smile. “Ryder has his good qualities.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Name one.”
I thought for a second. “He is dedicated.”
Asher nodded. “That’s true.”
Then he leaned slightly closer. “And he is protective.”
I looked at him. “What?”
Asher smiled. “I saw what happened during practice.”
My face became warm. “It was just him stopping an accident.”
“Sure.”
I frowned. “What does that mean?”
Asher only laughed. “It means Ryder Kane is not the type of person who reacts for no reason.”
Before I could answer, someone called his name. Asher looked away. But something about his expression bothered me. It was as if he knew something I didn’t.
___________
I didn’t notice the photographer. That was my first mistake. The second mistake was trusting that people would not twist something innocent into something completely different.
By the afternoon, the internet exploded. My phone would not stop buzzing. At first, I thought it was about the charity event. Then I saw the headline.
FROSTFANG CAPTAIN’S GIRLFRIEND CAUGHT WITH RIVAL PLAYER?
My stomach dropped. I clicked the article and there it was. A picture of me and Asher. The angle made it look like he was standing close to me....like there was something between us. My heart sank.
“That is not even what happened.”
I whispered the words. But I already knew it did not matter. People did not care about the truth. They only cared about drama.
_________
The moment I entered the Frostfang Arena, I knew something had changed. People were whispering and looking at me. Some quickly looked away when I noticed them.
I hated that feeling. Like everyone knew something about me before I even had a chance to defend myself. I walked toward the PR office but before I reached the door, I stopped.
Because Ryder was standing there. His expression was cold. But I knew him enough now to notice that something was different. He was not calm. He was angry.
“Ryder.”
His eyes moved to me then to my phone. Then back to me.
“So.”
I frowned. “So?”
“You saw the article.”
It was not a question. I crossed my arms.
“Yes, I saw it.”
“And?”
I stared at him. “And it is not true.”
His jaw tightened. “I know what I saw.”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
His eyes became colder. “You were with him.”
I laughed once because I could not believe what I was hearing. “With him?”
“With Asher.”
“Ryder, it was an interview.”
“You were too close.”
I stared at him. For a second, I honestly thought I had misunderstood.
“Too close?”
“Yes.”
I looked around. Then back at him. “Are you serious right now?”
His expression did not change. That made me even more annoyed. Because this was not how someone reacted when they were worried about a fake relationship. This felt personal.
“You are angry because of a picture?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
Silence.
It was strange because Ryder Kane always had an answer.
He always knew what to say.
But now?
Nothing.
Before he could respond, a familiar voice interrupted us.
“Well, this is interesting.”
I turned. Asher Vale was walking toward us with a small smile on his face. Immediately, Ryder’s expression darkened.
“Asher.”
The warning in his voice was obvious. But Asher only smiled.
“Relax, Kane.”
He looked at me. “I didn’t know an interview could create this much trouble.”
I sighed. “Apparently, it can.”
Asher laughed softly. “People love stories.”
Then he looked at Ryder. “Especially when the story involves you.”
I watched Ryder closely. He did not say anything but I noticed the small changes in him. His jaw tightened and his hands curled into fists at his sides. He was trying to stay calm but it was obvious that he was angry.
And that confused me because this was supposed to be fake. Ryder was supposed to care about the rumors and his image. So why did he look like this was something personal?
Asher tilted his head. “Relax. I was only borrowing your fake girlfriend for an interview.”
The moment he said the word fake, something changed in Ryder’s face. The way he said it made me pause....like he knew something more than he was letting on. My eyes moved between him and Ryder.
Did Asher know the truth?
Did he know that Ryder and I were only pretending?
A strange feeling settled in my chest. Because if he knew, then why was he acting like he was trying to provoke Ryder?
And why did it feel like there was something between those two that I did not understand?
___________
Later, I found Ryder in the empty hallway near the locker rooms. I needed answers. I was tired of guessing what was happening inside his head.
“Ryder.”
He stopped walking but he did not turn around immediately. Finally, he faced me.
“What?”
I crossed my arms. “You need to stop acting like I actually did something wrong.”
His expression hardened. “You know what this situation looks like.”
“No, I know what a fake story looks like.”
I stepped closer. “What I don’t understand is why you are acting like it is real.”
“You agreed to play a role. Then play it properly.”
The words hurt more than I expected. I stared at him. “Is that all I am to you?”
His expression changed. “What?”
“A role?”
For a moment, he looked like he wanted to say something. But he stopped himself. That annoyed me even more. Because Ryder always stopped himself.
“You were supposed to be careful,” he said.
“Careful?”
“With him.”
I stared. “With Asher?”
“Yes.”
I almost laughed. “Why?”
His silence answered before his words did. “Because I didn’t like it.”
My heart skipped. I hated that it did. I looked at him.
“You didn’t like it?”
“No.”
The answer came too quickly. And for the first time, Ryder looked like he regretted saying it.
I lowered my voice. “Ryder.”
He looked away.
“This is fake.”
The words hung between us. I expected him to agree. Instead, he looked back at me. And his expression was almost unreadable.
“Do you believe that?”
I froze. “What?”
His voice became quieter. “You keep saying it is fake.”
He stepped closer. “But do you actually believe it?”
My heart started beating faster. Because suddenly, I did not know the answer.
For a moment, neither of us moved. Ryder was close enough that I could feel his presence. There was a strange feeling as if something about him was pulling at me. I looked away first.
“You are confusing me.”
His expression softened slightly. “You have no idea what happens when people get too close to me.”
I looked back at him. “Maybe, you should let someone decide that for themselves.”
His eyes stayed on mine. For a second, I thought he would say something. But he didn’t. He stepped back and the distance between us returned. I walked away before he could see how much his words affected me.
I tried to convince myself that Ryder Kane was just being difficult and that he was only protecting the fake relationship which we had created. His jealousy had to be about the image we were trying to build. That was the only explanation.
But deep down, I knew that something was wrong. The way he looked at me was not just anger. It was frustration. And the most frightening part was not that Ryder Kane was starting to act like this relationship was real.
It was that a small part of me was starting to wonder if I wanted it to be real too.
- Writer
