Maya waited until the sound of Carter’s laughter had finally died before taking the paper from him, she smoothed out the curled-up corner.
Carter leaned back in his chair, propping his head up with one hand as he watched her.
It was surprising, really.
She was doing her best to resist the urge to walk away and abandon the rules right then and there.
Finally, she let out a slow breath and shook her head.
“Rule number three,” she said.
“Neither one of us makes decisions regarding this relationship before consulting the other.”
Carter tilted his head at that, “Decisions?”
She gave him a look like he was the one who was being absurd.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Maya said dryly as she crossed her arms across her chest.
“Walking across the courtyard, wrapping an arm around me, calling me babe in front of half of the university, and telling off an entire student body?” Her pause was tight.
“When you list it out like that, doesn’t sound like much of a decision”
“When you list it all out like that it sounds a little impulsive,” Carter muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
“A little?” Carter shrugged
“Okay, very impulsive”
“It was reckless.”
“It worked.”
“It caused three separate problems”
“But it solved one.”
“Three problems.” Carter shook his head.
Instead of arguing she merely leaned back in her chair, her fingers brushing against the edge of the table.
She watched the ceiling for a long moment before finally speaking again.
“I still think Ryan would’ve asked you out” said Carter
“Come on.”
“No, hear me out.”
“I’ve heard enough”
“I don’t think you have”
She set her pen down against the table before looking back at him “What exactly makes you so sure Ryan likes me?”
It took a moment for the question to really settle, and the look on Carter’s face was equal parts surprise and something else that Maya couldn’t name.
When he finally answered, the words fell out in a steady stream, but what struck her most was how casual he was about it.
“Because I am a guy.”
“…That’s your evidence?”
“It’s excellent evidence”
“It really isn’t.”
He chuckled and finally slid the front legs of his chair back under him before settling more fully in his seat
“Maya, guys don’t spend extra time with girls they don’t want to spend extra time with,” said Carter, his tone suddenly quieter than before.
“And guys don’t text girls after that extra time just to make sure they’re still available”
“He texted me because of the fundraiser”
“He texted you because he thought you had a boyfriend”
“He was polite”
“He was checking.”
“You don’t have any idea what he was doing”
” I do?”
“How?”
“Because..” Carter shrugged just as easily as before, but this time he followed it with a slow, confident grin.
“I’ve been a guy my whole life
Maya blinked.
She was having trouble deciding whether to laugh or not; the sheer amount of faith he had in himself was alarming.
“You have an unbelievable amount of faith in your own logic.”
She looked at him for a long moment.
Finally she shook her head with a small smile.
“I can’t decide whether you’re incredibly confident or unbelievably delusional.”
“I like to think I’m somewhere in the middle.”
“I don’t.” Said Maya
Carter’s smile remained bright and unwavering.
“You’re smiling again.” said Maya
“I’m not.”
“The corners of your mouth literally moved.”
“They twitched.”
“That’s smiling.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
She tapped the side of his shoulder with her notebook.
“Focus.”
He laughed, holding up both hands.
“Fine. Fine.”
Satisfied that he had finally stopped, Maya looked back down at the paper.
“Rule number four.”
“I’m almost scared to ask.”
He groaned dramatically.
“This fake dating thing is starting to sound more and more like military training.”
“It may yet improve your grades he smirked.
“I walked right into that.”
“Rule number four,” she said, tapping the page with her pen.
“You will continue attending every tutoring session unless there is an emergency.”
“That’s fair,” He said immediately.
“You will do every assignment I give you.”
“…Mostly fair.”
“You will review the material for each lesson before each session.”
“I’m offended,” he said dramatically.
“Now you’re asking too much.”
She raised an eyebrow.”Carter.”
“I’m kidding.”
“Were you?”
“…Maybe a little.”
She wasn’t surprised.
“I’ll study.”
“You will actually study,” she frowned.
“You will actually study.” She continued, tapping her pen absently against the table.
“You will stop pretending to study.”
“I’ve never pretended.” She just looked at him and he stopped, lasting only about three seconds before averting his gaze.
“…Fine.”
“Thank you.”
“Yea but what does this have to do with the fake dating?” Carter asked.
“Don’t worry it just do”
There was a comfortable silence.
Around them, the library continued on with its usual steady pace.
Students drifted through the building, browsing the shelves before pulling books from their places.
Librarians pushed carts of novels back onto the shelves.
Somewhere in the building, someone sneezed loudly enough to get a few irritated looks from passersby.
It was all very normal.
All very mundane.
But somehow, sitting in the middle of it all, pretending to be in a relationship with someone was even more surreal than it had been before.
It just didn’t seem right somehow.
That they were in a place like this, talking about something like this.
Neither one of them had imagined their semester would go like this
Finally, it was Carter who tapped the last blank space on the page
“So…” He leaned forward, resting both forearms on the table.
“What about the final rule?”
Maya hesitated for the first time that morning.
Her usual confidence was suddenly tempered with something else entirely, something that made her fingers curl uncertainly around the pen in her hand.
She tapped against the page, debating before finally sliding the paper back over to him.
“The last rule is yours
Carter blinked.
“Seriously?”
“Yes.
“You trust me enough to make one?”
“I trust that if I don’t let you contribute something, you’ll complain about it for the next three months.” She waited another beat before adding, “…So?”
He leaned back in his chair, his grin softening as he regarded her again.
Unlike Maya, Carter had never been a planner.
For most of his life things had happened to him, and when they did he reacted.
Hockey practices, hockey games, and his family’s expectations had all but dictated what he’d done for most of his life.
It was nice, for once, to do something different
Maya glanced up at the library windows, watching students file past the building, before looking back at him.
“I’ve got one,” he said finally.
She only waited for him to continue.
“You have to live a little.”
Her eyebrows shot up.
“…Excuse me?”
“My rule.”
“I heard it.”
“Good.”
She crossed her arms.
“No.”
“I have a pretty good idea,”
“I don’t think you do.”
He leaned forward again, the smile leaving his face entirely.
“You spend your every waking hour scheduled to the minute.”
“Because I have lots of responsibilities.”
“I know
He paused, taking in the look on her face before speaking again.
“Maya, I think you’re one of the hardest-working people
“I am. And?” she admitted dryly.
“And I think it’s fantastic,”
Maya blinked at him, surprised at the sincerity in his voice.
“You really mean that.”
“I’m not lying,” He shrugged.
“You’re probably the hardest worker I’ve ever known.
Maya said nothing, but she looked surprised.
“But…” He paused, tilting his head thoughtfully.
“I’ve never seen you do something because you wanted to do it
She frowned “I enjoy studying”
“I know you do”
“I enjoy volunteering”
“I know”
“I enjoy cheerleading”
“I know”
Her silence must have been answer enough for him, because his expression softened.
“But all those things are things you need to do”
Maya continued to stare at him.
“When was the last time you did something pointless? Something not for the benefit of your résumé, your grades, or someone else’s grades, or even your future?” Carter asked gently.
“When was the last time you did something just because you enjoyed it?”
She thought long and hard about that before answering.
There really wasn’t an easy response, and Carter knew it.
“Exactly.”
Maya studied Carter’s face for a few long moments.
When she finally looked back at the paper, she made a small mark next to the final rule she had written.
“…One rule,” she muttered.
He nodded in agreement.
“One rule,” she repeated, taking the pen in her hand and slowly beginning to write.
Five: Maya has to live a little.
She looked at it for a few seconds before shaking her head.
“I already regret agreeing to this.”
A slow smile crossed Carter’s face as he watched her.
“You haven’t even started living yet.”
“You’ve seen my schedule.”
“I’ll make sure you don’t,” he replied.
She looked back up at him.
“That sentence somehow made me regret it even more.”
Carter chuckled.
“I’ll take that as progress.”
Before Maya could say another word, the steady clapping of hands suddenly rang out from somewhere behind them, cutting through the conversation like a knife.
Both of them turned their heads at the same time, eyes widening as they took in the sight of a young man standing at the end of their table.
Tall and dressed in a black university media jacket, the stranger had a professional camera hanging around his neck, and a tablet rested easily in his hands.
He wore the confident smile of someone who knew their reputation preceded them, and he looked rather pleased with himself.
“I have to admit,” the stranger said, adjusting the strap of his camera as he looked at the two of them, “that was a far more interesting conversation than the economics assignment I came here to finish.” The last part seemed to carry more weight than it should have, causing Maya’s stomach to twist uncomfortably.
“Oh no,” she whispered.
Carter turned back to look at the stranger.
“Do you know him?”
Maya exhaled slowly.
“Unfortunately.”
The stranger grinned, extending a hand toward Carter.
“Kingsly Cmore.”
He spoke his name with ease, as if it were music to his ears.
“Captain of the Newspaper Club… editor of the university media page… and the reason that rumors tend to travel across this campus faster than the flu itself.”
Carter stared at him for a long moment before taking the offered hand.
“…I feel like I’ve been warned.”
Kingsly laughed at that, giving the table another once-over before settling himself down in a chair across from them.
“It usually is,” he admitted.
He looked between the two of them, his grin widening impossibly.
“So…,” he tapped the edge of the tablet in his hands, “should I congratulate the university’s newest couple?”