CAMPUS HEARTS

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 6

I kissed Charles Martinez.

The moment my lips touched his, my brain seemed to shut down completely. For a second, I forgot where I was, forgot why I was there, and forgot that this whole relationship was supposed to be fake.

Charles seemed just as surprised as I was. Then I felt him smile slightly before returning the kiss.

It lasted only a moment, but it was enough to send a thousand butterflies fluttering through my stomach.

What had I just done?

Reality came crashing back. I quickly pulled away and stared at him in shock. Charles looked far less affected than I was.

In fact, he was smirking. Of course he was.

I cleared my throat and took a step backward. "I should go now."

"Sure," he replied easily. "But just so you know, my dad is here at the game. If we're going to convince him this relationship is real, you'll have to come to the locker room after the game."

I blinked. Right. The fake relationship. That was the entire reason we were doing this. I nodded, still too stunned to form a proper sentence. Without another word, I turned around and practically ran out of the hallway.

My heart was beating so loudly that I was convinced everyone could hear it.

A few moments later, I found Rebecca and Ruby and quickly slipped back into my seat beside them.

Ruby glanced at me immediately. "You took a while." She popped another chip into her mouth and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

My cheeks instantly warmed, I knew it would be really red right now. I coughed into my fist. "Yeah. My zipper got stuck."

The excuse was ridiculous. Even I knew it. Thankfully, Ruby didn't question it.

"Well, shhh!" Rebecca hissed suddenly. "The game is about to start." She immediately jumped to her feet and began waving enthusiastically.

Maxwell had just walked onto the court. The second he spotted her, he blew her a kiss. Rebecca looked ready to melt.

Ruby rolled her eyes so hard I was surprised they didn't fall out. Then Charles stepped onto the court.

Ruby shot up from her seat almost immediately. "I LOVE YOU CHARLES!"

Several people turned to stare at her. She didn't care though, Not even a little.

Charles looked in our direction. Then he winked. My stomach did an odd little flip. For one ridiculous second, I wondered if the wink had been meant for me.

That was impossible. Right?

"Oh my gosh!" Ruby squealed as she collapsed back into her seat. "He just winked at me." She placed a hand dramatically over her chest. "I think he's into me." She stared dreamily at the court.

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. If only she knew. The game started shortly afterward.

The crowd was loud. The players were energetic. And despite claiming she hated basketball, Ruby spent most of the game cheering whenever Charles touched the ball.

By the final quarter, Dake College was comfortably ahead.

When the final buzzer sounded, the crowd erupted into cheers. We had won. Rebecca immediately stood. "Come on," she said excitedly. "Let's go see Maxwell."

That was exactly the opportunity I needed. Trying to look casual, I followed her and Ruby toward the locker rooms.

The moment we stepped inside, Rebecca rushed straight into Maxwell's arms. Ruby stayed beside me. Well, physically beside me. Mentally, she was busy staring at all the basketball players.

I spotted Charles near the far end of the room. The second he saw me, he smiled and motioned for me to come over.

Taking a deep breath, I walked toward him. When I reached him, Before I was even able to say anything, his arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer.

The entire room went silent.

Every. Single. Person. Was staring at us.

"What are you doing?" I whispered.

Charles didn't answer. The smirk on his face only grew wider. I immediately knew I wasn't going to like whatever he was planning. A moment later, he leaned closer. My heart skipped a bit.

The room somehow became even quieter. Then Charles pressed a quick kiss against my lips. My eyes widened.

This was completely different. Before, we had been alone. Now we were standing in front of the entire basketball team. And my friends.

And probably anyone else who happened to be watching. When he finally pulled away, he casually pressed a kiss to my cheek. Like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Dude," one of the players finally said.

Charles looked over. "What?"

The guy stared at him. "You literally never told us you had a girl ? Is she your girlfriend ?"

Charles shrugged. "She's my girlfriend."

The room remained silent. Then Maxwell spoke. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

Another voice laughed. It was Henry. Of course it was Henry. "When did you guys meet?"

My heart immediately began racing. If anyone discovered the truth, this entire arrangement would fall apart. Because his dad would find out.

Thankfully, Charles looked completely relaxed. "We met about two months ago," he said smoothly. "I just asked her out this morning."

The lie came so naturally that it was honestly concerning. Henry raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Yes, Henry. Seriously," I replied before Charles could answer again. "We met two months ago. He just asked me out." I shot Charles a pointed look. He raised both hands innocently.

The team immediately moved on to other topics. Within seconds, everyone was laughing and arguing again. The attention shifted away from us. I finally exhaled.

"You don't feel bad about lying to your friends?" I asked quietly.

Charles shrugged. "I didn't lie."

I stared at him. "You absolutely did."

"No," he replied. "They simply believed what they wanted to believe."

I rolled my eyes. "You are impossible."

A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. Then he grabbed a towel. "I'll see you later, Jones." With that, he headed toward the showers.

I watched him leave before shaking my head. Impossible. Completely impossible.

I returned to where Ruby was waiting, Rebecca was heading out with Maxwell. A few minutes later, we left the locker room and headed toward my car.

The second we stepped outside, Ruby rounded on me. "You got the Charles Martinez?"

I blinked. "What?"

"The Charles Martinez I've been screaming about for the last two hours?" She pointed dramatically at herself. "I was literally cheering for your boyfriend." She looked horrified. "Oh my gosh."

I laughed. "It's not that serious."

"It is serious."

"No, it isn't."

"It absolutely is."

I laughed again. Ruby suddenly grabbed both my arms and started shaking me.

"Tell me everything."

"Ruby—"

"Everything."

"Ruby!"

"How did you meet? Who asked who out? When did this happen? Why didn't you tell us?"

The questions came so quickly I couldn't keep up. Thankfully, we reached the car before she could demand more answers.

The moment we got inside, my phone vibrated. I frowned and pulled it from my pocket. An email notification flashed across the screen.

My heart skipped. Rachel Forbes. I immediately opened it.

My eyes widened as I read. She wanted to meet with me. Tomorrow. For a moment, I couldn't breathe.

Then excitement exploded inside me.

I was meeting Rachel Forbes.

The Rachel Forbes.