Campus Romance: The contract girlfriend

Chapter title: Chapter 3; The rules break

I told myself it was just part of the contract.

Three days later and Damian was everywhere.

Morning coffee delivered to my class. "From your boyfriend."

Notes left on my desk. "Meet me at the library. -D"

And that night, he showed up at my hostel.

"You forgot rule 3," I said when I opened the door. "No coming to my place."

Damian leaned against the doorframe, holding two cups of coffee.

"And you forgot rule 2. No catching feelings."

He handed me a cup. His fingers brushed mine.

I pulled back fast.

"Why are you doing this?" I whispered. "The dinner was enough. People saw us."

"Because Linda told half the campus our relationship is fake," he said simply.

"And?"

"And I hate losing."

His eyes were so close. That arrogant mask was gone. For a second, he just looked... tired.

"Damian-"

"Don't," he cut me off. "Just drink your coffee, Ava."

We sat in silence on my tiny hostel steps. Campus was quiet at midnight.

"My dad set this up," he said suddenly. "The contract. He said if I can't keep a girlfriend for 3 months, he cuts me off."

My chest tightened. "So this is all business for you too."

"Was," he corrected. He looked at me. "Until you called me out in front of Linda."

My heart did something stupid.

Rule 1: No kissing.

Rule 2: No feelings.

Rule 3: No crossing the line.

Damian stood up. "I should go."

He got to the gate before he turned back.

"Ava. If this stops being fake... would that be so bad?"

He didn't wait for an answer.

I stood there holding cold coffee, with 3 rules broken and one dangerous thought in my head:

What if I wanted it to be real too?

To be continued...