"Knox has a what now?!" the blonde guy almost yelled, staring at me like I had just grown a second head.
"Jake, did you drop the pepperoni?" another voice called out from deep inside the house. "Because if you ruin the pizza, I am making you run bleacher stairs at 5 AM."
A second guy walked into the grand, messy entryway. He was just as tall as Jake but leaner, with sharp dark hair and a backwards Briar University cap. He looked down at the pizza on the floor, then up at me. His eyes widened as they landed on me.
"No way," the dark-haired guy said as a slow, disbelieving grin spread across his face. "Isn’t this the girl from the video? The puck-sniper?"
"She says she’s Knox’s girlfriend, Theo," Jake said, pointing a finger at me while still mourning his pizza.
"Girlfriend? Knox?"
"Future impossible tense, right?"
"Well... she’s cute though," Theo said, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms. "But, uh... if you’re looking for the captain, he’s in his room. And he’s kind of busy."
A girl’s high-pitched giggle echoed down the stairs, followed by the low rumble of Knox’s voice.
My jaw tightened.
I had spent the last two hours taking crowded buses and walking in the cold after Knox left me stranded at the country club.
I wasn’t about to turn around and leave now just because the captain was ’busy’ with whatever he’s busy with.
"I don’t care if he’s hosting a press conference," I replied, stepping right past Jake, ignoring the pizza on the floor, and marching into the entryway. "Which way is his room?"
Jake and Theo exchanged a glance of pure amusement.
"Uhmmm..." Jake started, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
"It’s either you tell me or I search every single room till I locate him," I cut him off.
"Second floor, end of the hall to the right," Theo said, gesturing toward the grand wooden staircase. "Good luck, not-stripper."
I gripped the strap of my tote bag and marched up the stairs. The house was even worse from the inside; empty cans, hockey pads smelling of sweat, and loud music vibrated through the floorboards.
I reached the end of the hall on the second floor and stopped in front of the heavy oak door.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked firmly.
No response.
I knocked again, louder this time.
From inside, Knox’s muffled voice came through the door. "What do you want, Jake? I said I’m busy. Go away."
My jaw clenched. I gripped the brass handle, twisted it, and shoved the door open... only for me to freeze in the doorway.
My breath hitched.
Knox was sitting on the edge of his unmade bed. He was shirtless, his broad chest and dark tattoos on full display, and a petite brunette in a tight cropped top was sitting on his lap.
Their lips were locked, his hands resting on her waist.
When the door banged against the wall, they both snapped their heads toward me.
The brunette gasped, her cheeks turning bright red, while Knox’s eyes narrowed.
He looked from the door to me, a slow, smug look of realization spreading across his face. He didn’t look flustered at all; in fact, he looked entirely pleased with himself.
"Bennett," Knox murmured in a low, gravelly voice. "You’re early."
"And you’re busy," I hissed, crossing my arms. "Put some clothes on, Sheridan."
The brunette looked between us, her eyes darting to my green dress and then to Knox. "Knox? Who is this?"
"Go wait for me downstairs in the living room, sexy," Knox said casually as he gently lifted her off his lap. "The intruder and I have some... business to discuss."
The petite brunette gave me a venomous look, smoothing down her skirt as she marched past me, intentionally clipping my shoulder on her way out. I ignored her and stepped into the room, leaving the door open.
I wasn’t going to...
"Close the door, Bennett," Knox said flatly.
"I’m not shutting myself in a room with you when you’re half-naked, Sheridan," I replied, crossing my arms. "I value my reputation. And my health."
Knox’s smirk widened as he leaned back on his elbows, his eyes dragging over me. "Unless you want my fifty plus partiers outside listening to the details of our fake relationship, I suggest you shut it. Besides, if you’re offering to continue where Chloe left off, we’ll need the privacy."
"I’d rather eat glass," I retorted with disgust in my voice. "You are a walking STD, Sheridan. I’ll rather become celibate than offer myself to you."
Knox chuckled hard in response. "You’re not my type anyway, Bookworm," he said still laughing. "You can leave your virtue at the door."
I glared at him, but reached back and slammed the heavy oak door shut with a sharp click.
When I turned back, Knox was still sitting on the edge of the bed, completely unbothered by his shirtless state, a cocky smirk playing on his lips.
"Put a shirt on before my eyes burn out."
"You’re in my room, remember? You don’t get to dictate the dress code," he muttered, though he stood up, reached for a grey Briar hoodie on the back of a chair, and pulled it over his head anyway.
Leaving his hood up, he walked over to his nightstand, picking up a pen and two folded sheets of paper. "I assume you brought the terms."
"Of course I did," I said, pulling my sheet from my bag.
We sat down at his desk; the air in the room was thick with the scent of his cologne and cedar. The proximity between us felt overwhelming. Every time he leaned in to read my handwriting, I could feel the heat radiating off him.
Knox scanned my terms silently.
Nora’s Terms:
No touching in private. Public only, and only when absolutely necessary. Tutoring sessions are non-negotiable. You show up on time, and you actually try. Weekly tutoring rate doubled, paid every Friday. You arrange the bank penalty fee payment for my mother’s bakery. Up front. No other girls in my presence. If you’re my "boyfriend," you act like it in public. You do not make any decisions that affect me without telling me first.
His jaw tightened slightly when he reached the fifth rule, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he slid his own sheet over to me.
Knox’s Terms:
Nobody finds out this is fake. Not your roommate. Nobody. You are convincing. In public, you act like you want to be there. You attend the Boosters Gala with me in four weeks. You do not interfere with my life outside of study sessions. You do not fall for me.
I pointed to the first one immediately. "Uhmmm... Priya already knows. I kinda already told her. But she won’t talk."
Knox grumbled, tapping his fingers against the desk. "Fine. But if she does..."
"She won’t," I cut in.
Then, my eyes drifted to the fifth rule, and a dry, incredulous laugh escaped my throat. "You cannot be serious with this."
Knox leaned back with a smug smirk. "Consider it a precautionary measure, Bennett. I know how I affect girls."
"The only thing you affect in me is my blood pressure," I retorted with a scoff. "And the only thing I feel for you is extreme irritation."
"Good," he said, reaching out to take the paper back. "Keep it that way. It’ll make the performance easier."
Before he could pull it away, I grabbed the pen and added one final line in bold, aggressive handwriting at the bottom of his list.
Neither of us falls for the other.
I handed the paper back. Knox read the addition, and for a fraction of a second, his smirk faltered. A sharp, unreadable look crossed his eyes before he quickly smoothed it away.
"Deal," he muttered.
He signed the bottom of his sheet. I signed the bottom of mine. We swapped, signed the duplicates, and folded them.
Right as I tucked my copy into my tote bag, Knox’s phone buzzed on the desk. He picked it up, swiped the screen, and then turned it toward me with a smug look.
"Check your bank account, Bookworm."
I pulled out my phone, unlocking it with trembling fingers. My banking app loaded, and my breath caught in my throat.
Direct Deposit: $5,000.00.
Narration: Bank Penalty
The funds were sitting right there in my checking account. With a single tap, I could transfer the money to my mother’s mortgage account to cover the penalty. Her shop was safe.
The crushing weight that had been sitting on my chest for weeks vanished in an instant... but then, a cold realization hit me.
I looked up at Knox. "How did you... how did you even get my account details? Or know the exact amount of the penalty?"
Knox’s smirk was slow and effortless. "My father’s lawyers don’t do half-measures when they dig into someone. The dossier he had on you was very thorough. Getting your bank details and looking up the bakery’s mortgage penalty was the easy part."
The fact that they had access to my private life so easily sent a shiver down my spine, but the relief of the paid debt made my defensive walls wobble anyway.
"Thank you," I muttered quietly.
Knox studied my face, his expression softening for a split second before his usual cocky facade slid back into place.
He leaned in, his face entirely too close to mine as his dark eyes locked onto mine with intense focus.
"Strictly business, Bennett," Knox murmured. "Which brings us to our first public appearance. The pre-game campus bonfire tomorrow night."
I blinked. "The bonfire?"
"The whole school will be there. We need to debut the happy couple." Knox stood up, walking me to the door. He opened it, leaning against the frame with a wicked smirk. "Wear something that doesn’t say ’I live in the library,’ and try to look like you actually like me."
I stepped past him, and met his gaze. "I’ll do my best, Sheridan. But you might want to practice looking like a guy who has actually read a book."