After school, I went to the library.
I kept telling myself this was just for the competition.
Nothing else.
When I arrived, Ethan was already there — sitting at a table near the back, books neatly arranged in front of him.
Of course he was prepared.
I sat down across from him without speaking.
He looked up.
"You're on time."
"I'm not late," I replied.
A small silence followed.
Then he pushed a notebook toward me.
"We should decide how this fake relationship works."
My eyes widened slightly.
"Excuse me?"
"If we're pretending," he said calmly, "we need consistency. Otherwise people will notice."
I didn't like how logical he sounded.
"Fine. What do you suggest?"
He leaned back slightly.
"No excessive public arguments."
"That's impossible."
"Try."
I rolled my eyes.
"Anything else?"
He paused for a moment.
Then said, "If anyone asks, we say we started dating recently. No long history."
"Why?"
"Because it's easier to control the story."
His tone was serious now.
Not playful.
Not arrogant.
Just focused.
I studied him carefully.
For someone who acted careless in class… he was surprisingly strategic.
"Alright," I agreed. "But this ends after the competition."
Ethan nodded.
"Agreed."
Another silence settled between us.
This one felt different.
Less tense.
More… aware.
We began studying.
At first, it was awkward.
But slowly, it became easier.
Ethan explained difficult topics clearly.
When I got stuck, he didn't tease me.
He helped.
That surprised me.
At one point, my pen fell to the floor.
As I bent down to pick it up, I accidentally bumped my hand against his.
It was brief.
But my heart reacted instantly.
I quickly pulled back.
"Careful," I muttered.
He didn't move away immediately.
Instead, he looked at me for a second longer than usual.
"You get distracted easily," he said quietly.
"I don't."
"You do."
I frowned.
Before I could argue, the library door opened.
A group of students walked in.
They immediately noticed us sitting together.
Whispers started again.
Ethan noticed too.
Without warning, he moved his chair slightly closer to mine.
Not too much.
Just enough.
Then he lowered his voice.
"We should act natural."
Natural?
He was sitting closer now.
Too close for my comfort.
But I didn't move away.
Because the students were watching.
Ethan leaned slightly toward me and said softly,
"Smile."
"I am not smiling."
"Yes, you are."
And somehow…
I was.
The students outside seemed convinced.
After a few minutes, they left.
When the library became quiet again, I finally relaxed.
Ethan leaned back in his chair.
For a moment, he looked different.
Less confident.
More thoughtful.
Then he said something unexpected.
"Lena."
Hearing him say my name again made my chest tighten slightly.
"Yes?"
"If this becomes too uncomfortable for you, we can stop."
I blinked.
That wasn't what I expected him to say.
"It's fine," I replied quickly. "I agreed to this."
He nodded slowly.
But his eyes didn't leave mine for a second.
And for the first time…
I wondered if this fake relationship was affecting him too.
Not just me.
The silence between us felt heavier now.
Different.
And I didn't understand why my heart was beating faster than it should.
This was supposed to be fake.
So why did it feel like something real was starting to grow?