The following morning, Maya arrived at the library ten minutes early.
The sun had just begun to rise, casting a warm golden hue that filtered through the tall windows, contrasting with the cool autumn air outside.
Students occupied the various tables in the library, some buried in thick textbooks, others huddled together over group projects, the occasional rustle of paper and keystrokes blending into a relaxing symphony.
Being early was no longer a conscious effort for Maya; it had become second nature.
To her, being on time meant being early.
It meant giving herself enough time to prepare before the meeting started properly.
Whether it was for lectures, cheer practice, volunteering at the hospital, or tutoring one of the many students that had somehow convinced her to help them out despite their endless stream of annoying questions, she simply refused to be late.
As always, she claimed her usual corner table with a view of the campus courtyard outside the window.
Her backpack lay neatly on the floor beside her chair while three notebooks sat stacked atop one another on the table.
Maya’s planner lay open on the table’s surface, detailing her meticulously written schedule, every hour accounted for.
On the center of the table, a single sheet of paper with Maya’s handwriting
She picked up her pen and skimmed the paper one last time before giving herself a small smile of approval.
Perfect.
Several minutes passed before the peaceful silence was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps.
Carter Vance stopped right next to the table, taking in the scene before him.
His gaze shifted from the planner to the notebooks, and then to the sheet of paper that lay in the center of it all.
After a moment, he lifted his eyes to meet Maya’s, then glanced back at the paper.
For several long moments, he simply stared at it in bewilderment.
“…Please tell me that’s not what I think it is,” he finally said, dropping his backpack on the floor with a soft thud before chuckling to himself.
“Because if you actually wrote rules for our fake dating, I’m starting to have second thoughts about agreeing to this.”
Maya didn’t respond at first; instead, finishing highlighting the sentence she was currently reading before carefully setting the cap back on her pen.
When she finally lifted her gaze to meet Carter’s, there was no trace of embarrassment on her face.
“Sit,” she said simply, her voice calm and collected, holding an air of authority that suggested she expected him to comply.
Carter gave a dramatic gasp as he settled his hands on the back of the chair in front of Maya, staring at her as if she’d just done something unforgivable.
“First of all,” he said with a sigh as he pulled the chair away from the table, “most fake girlfriends wouldn’t have started with an order. I was expecting something along the lines of ‘good morning.'”
“I know,” Maya replied, folding her hands on top of the table.
“If I had greeted you first, we would’ve wasted the next fifteen minutes listening to your jokes before getting anything done.”
“I think you’re being unfair,” he said, shaking his head.
“My jokes are a gift to humanity.”
“They’re certainly something,” Maya deadpanned.
“…That wasn’t a compliment, was it?”
“No.”
Carter laughed.
“Every time I meet you, I become more certain that you enjoy insulting me.”
“I assure you,” Maya said as she slid the paper toward Carter, “there is nothing secret about it.”
His smile widened as he looked at the paper.
“I walked right into that one.”
“Yes.”
“I feel like you’re getting funnier.”
“I feel like you’re getting distracted.”
Carter takes up the paper.
On the top of the page, written in Maya’s neat cursive, were four simple words.
FAKE RELATIONSHIP RULES
He blinked once before looking back at Maya, then at the paper again….”You actually gave it a title .”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“You organized fake dating.”
“I organized expectations.”
“You color-coded it.”
“Of course.”
He stared at her for a moment longer before slowly settling back in his chair.
“Maya…”
“Yes?”
A smile ghosted across Maya’s lips before she quickly wiped it away, pretending as if she hadn’t just been caught.
“I’m prepared.”
“Those are the same thing.”
“They really aren’t.”
“They really are.”
Choosing to ignore that comment, Maya tapped the tip of her pen on the top of the page.
“Rule number one,” she began, her tone suddenly turning more professional, “when other people are present, we are to act like an actual couple. That means no contradicting each other, no reacting any differently when people ask about us, and no saying anything that could make people think our relationship isn’t real.”
Carter nodded as he skimmed the paper over.
“That actually makes sense,” he admitted.
“If we want to keep the rumor under control, people need to believe it.”
“Exactly. The rumor already exists, and we can’t take it back. The only thing we can do is control it and use it for our benefit.”
Carter leaned back, folding his arms over his chest with an innocent expression.
Maya sighed before continuing.
“Rule number two…While pretending to date each other, neither one of us will flirt with anyone else. Whether we like it or not, people will be watching us. If you’re seen flirting with another person, the rumors will end.”
Carter looked genuinely offended.
“Understandable.”
Maya’s lips twitched into a small smile before she quickly hid it behind her hand.
Carter was the one who noticed it.
“You smiled.”
“I did not.”
“You absolutely did.”
“It was involuntary.”
“So you admit it happened.”
“I admit nothing.”
His laughter echoed through the library, drawing disapproving stares from nearby students.
Maya merely shook her head.
Somehow, less than fifteen minutes into the meeting, Maya was already questioning whether five rules would be sufficient.