Three Hundred and Sixty Five What?? Hell No!!

I will not

ARIA.

“Are you out of your mind?” I spat, taking a step backward until the heels of my boots slammed against door. “I would rather get expelled and dragged through every court in this state than touch you, let alone date you!”

Kellan didn’t flinch. He remained standing close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off his broad chest, his eyes tracking every micro-expression on my face with a cool, unnerving calm.

“It’s a business arrangement, Aria,” Arthur Briggs interjected from behind him, stepping forward to adjust his gold cufflinks. “You ruined his public image. You fix it. In exchange, the university doesn't press charges, your scholarship remains intact, and we decline to ruin your future before it even starts.”

“It’s blackmail,” I whispered, my voice trembling with a mix of fury and disgust. I glared up at Kellan, my jaw locked tight. “You’re a monster. You think because you wear a captain’s letter on your sweater and play a sport that you can force people into whatever sick games you want?”

Kellan’s eyes darkened, a flash of genuine anger breaking through his controlled facade. He took one step closer, towering over me, his voice dropping to an icy whisper. “You spent a year anonymously tearing my life apart from the safety of your dark bedroom, Aria. You don't get to preach about morality to me.”

“Go to hell,” I hissed.

I shoved past him, my shoulder slamming against his arm. He didn't budge an inch, but he didn't try to grab me either. I yanked the door open, threw myself out into the corridor, and practically sprinted toward the glass double doors that led out of the Athletics Complex.

My heart was hammering against my ribs and my hands shook so violently that I could barely push the door bars open.

The bitter winter air hit my face, sharp and cold, but it did nothing to cool the wild fire burning beneath my skin. Fake-date Kellan Hayes? The man who had walked out on Lily? The man who had left her to die and then picked up his hockey stick like nothing had happened?

I would rather burn my life to the ground.

I marched down the steps, blinded by my own rage, heading toward the main plaza. I took five long strides and then stopped dead in my tracks.

Standing right at the bottom of the staircase, blocking the central fountain path, were Mason and Tessa.

They weren't just standing together; they were wrapped around each other. Tessa was wearing Mason’s oversized team sweater—the one she knew I used to borrow when we studied late and her fingers were laced tightly through his. Mason was laughing, his head tilted down toward her, his thumb idly stroking the back of her hand.

When the glass doors slammed shut behind me, both of them turned.

Tessa didn't flush with shame. She didn't let go of his hand. Instead, a slow smirk curled her red lips and she shifted slightly, leaning her shoulder intimately against Mason’s chest.

Mason just looked at me, a lazy, amused smile playing on his lips. There was no guilt in his eyes. No regret. Just the cold, cruel arrogance of a boy who knew he had broken something and felt entirely unbothered by the mess.

“Well, look who it is,” Tessa purred, her voice dripping with fake sympathy that made my stomach turn. “Are you following us now, Aria? I thought you’d still be in bed, crying over that pathetic little cake you dropped.”

My throat locked up. “Tessa—”

“Oh, don't look at me like I stole your toy,” Tessa interrupted, rolling her eyes as she took a step closer, dragging Mason with her. “Honestly, Aria, did you really think Mason was going to stay with you forever? You’ve been a depressed, ghost-chasing mess ever since your sister died. You were exhausting.”

The words hit me like a physical blow and the air rushed out of my lungs.

Mason chuckled, shaking his head as he pulled Tessa closer by the waist. “Tess, go easy on her. She’s fragile.”

“She’s not fragile, Mase, she’s delusional,” Tessa scoffed, looking me up and down with utter contempt. “You were a charity case, Aria and Mason was just waiting for the right time to drop you, and frankly, you were never good enough for him anyway.”

Something inside me snapped.

The grief that had weighed me down for a year, the exhaustion, the lingering sting of the chocolate cake smashed across the floor—it all evaporated, replaced by a sudden, blinding volcano of pure fury.

“You backstabbing, lying b***h!” I yelled, stepping off the bottom stair, my fists clenched so tight my nails bit into my palms. “I trusted you! I brought you into my life, I talked to you every single day, and you were sleeping with my boyfriend behind my back? How long, Tessa? How long were you playing me for a fool?!”

Tessa didn't back down. She chuckled, leaning into Mason’s side. “Long enough to know he never kissed you the way he kisses me.”

“You piece of trash!” I took another step forward, my whole body shaking, tears of hatred boiling in my eyes. “And you, Mason! You’re a coward! You couldn't even tell me to my face, you had to lock yourself in a room and laugh like a—”

A sudden warmth bloomed against my back.

Before I could finish my sentence, a massive hand reached around my waist, fingers firm and, pulling me backward against a solid wall of muscle. The scent of expensive cedarwood enveloped me instantly.

I gasped, spinning my head round, but before I could process what was happening, Kellan Hayes cupped the back of my neck with his other hand, tilted my chin up, and brought his mouth down on mine.

The world went dead quiet.

It wasn't a soft, hesitant kiss. It was deep, possessive, and public.

His lips were firm, warm, and demanding against mine, pressing me tight against his body until there was no space left between us. My hands instinctively flew up to his chest to shove him away, but my fingers ended up gripping the soft wool of his sweater as my brain completely short-circuited.

My lips tingled under his. A strange electricity surged straight down my spine, freezing the air in my throat.

Tessa gasped loudly and Mason’s smirk instantly vanished.

Kellan held the kiss for three seconds, making sure every single person walking across the busy quad had their eyes glued to us.

Then, with agonizing slowness, he pulled his mouth away, though his thumb remained resting against the side of my jaw, his eyes burning down into mine before he turned his head to look at the stunned couple in front of us.

Kellan didn't look flustered or look flurried. He kept one broad arm wrapped low and protective around my waist, pulling me tightly to his hip.

“Is there a problem here?” Kellan asked, his deep voice carrying effortlessly across the plaza.

Mason stared at him, his mouth slightly open, his face draining of color. “Hayes? What... what are you doing?”

Kellan tilted his head, his eyebrows rising in lazy disdain as he looked down his nose at Mason. “I’m standing with my girlfriend. What are you doing?”

Tessa’s jaw dropped. “Your... your what?”

“Aria’s my girlfriend,” Kellan repeated calmly, his grip on my waist tightening just enough to keep me anchored to his side while my mind reeled in absolute horror. “So if the two of you are finished making a scene outside my training facility, I suggest you move along. You’re annoying her.”

A bright click-flash rang out from the edge of the fountain.

I blinked, turning my head slightly to see a student holding up a phone, their eyes wide as they stared at the two of us. Within seconds, three more students pulled out their devices, snapping pictures of the university’s star hockey captain standing in the snow, holding me against his side like I was the most precious thing in the world.

Mason looked between Kellan and me, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock, anger, and a sudden, bruised humiliation. “Aria... you’ve got to be kidding me. You’re dating him?”

I couldn't speak or even breathe. My lips were still tingling from the press of Kellan’s mouth, my chest rising and falling rapidly against his side.

Kellan didn't give them a chance to say another word. He turned me around smoothly, keeping his arm around my shoulders, and began walking me away from the plaza, steering me toward the quiet side of the campus buildings before I could regain my voice and ruin everything.

***

By 9 AM the next morning, my phone was practically exploding.

Notifications flooded my screen in an endless waterfall. The Campus Gossip page had posted the photo as their lead story. The Hockey Daily blog had re-tweeted it. Group chats I hadn't opened in months were blowing up with my name.

"GOLDEN BOY OFF THE MARKET: Kellan Hayes spotted sharing a passionate public kiss with Aria Bennett!"

"HAS THE CAPTAIN SETTLED DOWN? Sources say Kellan and Aria are officially together!"

I stared at the glowing screen, sitting on the edge of my bed, my breathing shallow. The whole campus believed it. In less than six hours, I had gone from the grieving, invisible girl who got cheated on to the most talked-about girl in the university.

I slammed my phone screen-down on the mattress, pushed myself up, and marched straight out of my dorm.

Ten minutes later, I slammed the wooden door of Kellan’s private campus apartment shut behind me.

Kellan was standing by the kitchen island, wearing a plain gray t-shirt and sweatpants, holding a glass of water. He didn't look surprised to see me. He didn't even jump. He just set the glass down and watched me as I stormed across the floor toward him.

“You kissed me!” I screamed, my voice shaking violently with rage and with something intense that I refused to name. “You grabbed me in front of half the school and shoved your mouth onto mine without my permission!”

Kellan stayed still, his eyes tracking me with a suffocating intensity as I stopped a few feet from him, my chest heaving.

“You were drowning, Aria,” he said softly. “They were stepping on your neck, and you were letting them.”

“That gave you no right!” I yelled, tears of frustration pricking my eyes. “Now everyone thinks we’re together! My phone won't stop ringing! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!”

Kellan slowly walked around the island. He stopped right in front of me, and leaned down slightly, bringing his face down to my level, his eyes locked onto mine like a tractor beam.

“I gave you leverage,” Kellan whispered, “Look at your phone, Aria. Mason isn't laughing anymore. He’s losing his mind because the girl he threw away just got claimed by the captain of the team he couldn't even make.”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry, my heart beating so fast against my ribs.

Kellan tilted his head, his gaze searching my face, ruthless and unwavering. “You can use this to hurt Mason back. Or you can walk away and let him keep laughing at you. Your choice.”