Chapter 5 Deal

The next day felt like a nightmare. I couldn't shake off what happened last night-especially after everything that had gone down with Luke. His rejection still echoed in my mind, cutting deeper than I wanted to admit. It felt like I was walking through a fog, but the fog wasn't going anywhere.

I stepped onto campus, already feeling like everyone knew what had happened. He was... well, Luke. The one everyone talked about.

"Amari!" Krystal's voice rang out, and I couldn't pretend I didn't hear her. She was making her way toward me, that usual mischievous grin plastered on her face. I immediately wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

"What's up?" I muttered, trying to keep my distance, but she was practically bouncing with excitement. I should've known it was coming.

Krystal's eyes widened. "Oh my God, girl! You and Luke?!"

I felt my stomach flip. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Don't play coy with me!" she said, lowering her voice dramatically, even though we were in the middle of the campus. "I saw you leave with him last night. Everyone's talking about it. Did you-did you give up your virginity to him?"

My face went hot, a mix of embarrassment and anger bubbling up. I quickly glanced around, hoping no one was eavesdropping. "Krystal, are you serious? Can you not?" I hissed, trying to push past her.

But she wasn't having it. She grabbed my arm, pulling me to a stop. "Come on! I need to know! Did you kiss him? Was it amazing? What happened?"

I tried to ignore the heat crawling up my neck, the last thing I wanted was for her to know how much it bothered me. "Nothing happened, okay? We just...h-hung out. That's it."

Krystal raised both eyebrows, clearly not buying it. "Hung out? Amari, you don't just hang out with Luke. What did he do to you? Did he touch you? Did he-"

I shoved my hand in front of her face to cut her off. "Krystal, I'm not talking about it. Just drop it, okay?"

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, and she leaned in closer. "Did you give him your first kiss then? Or maybe... I don't know... did he take it from you?"

I rolled my eyes, feeling my frustration bubble over. "I said no, Krystal. Just leave me alone."

She didn't take the hint. "Oh come on! You've got to tell me. What was it like? Was it all hot and steamy? What's Luke's deal? Did he make a move on you?"

"Enough, Krystal!" I snapped, my voice sharp. "Nothing happened! Can we just please stop talking about it?"

She stared at me, sensing something deeper was going on, but she sighed instead of pushing further. "Fine, fine. But don't think I'm letting you off the hook that easily. You have to spill later."

I didn't answer. I couldn't. I just wanted to escape, to hide away from all the questions, from everything that had happened.

I walked into the library, hoping to lose myself in some quiet, but as I rounded the corner, I froze.

Luke.

Of course, he'd be here. Of course, I'd run into him.

I couldn't stop the immediate flush of heat spreading across my face. He was leaning against one of the bookshelves, casually flipping through a textbook, but when he saw me, his eyes locked on mine. That cocky, confident look settled back on his face, and I felt my heart drop straight into my stomach.

Don't look at him. Don't look at him, Amari. I tried to convince myself, but my gaze betrayed me. His smirk widened.

"Amari," he said, his voice like a magnet pulling me in.

I tried to force my face into an expression of indifference, but my voice came out shaky. "What do you want, Luke?"

He pushed himself off the bookshelf and took a step closer.

"Angry, Miss Attorney?"

My stomach did an involuntary flip, but I forced myself to hold it together.

"Funny," I said, trying to step around him. I didn't want to deal with him. I didn't want to feel this anymore.

But Luke wasn't letting me go that easily. He reached out and gently grabbed my arm, pulling me back toward him with that damn smirk still on his face.

"Not so fast," he said, his voice low and playful. "You know, I was thinking..." He took another step closer, making sure there was no room for escape. "I don't think you've got a reason to be mad at me anymore."

I frowned, confused. "I'm not."

Luke's eyes gleamed as he cocked his head to the side.

"No. You're pissed at me, yeah? But here's the thing-I didn't make you drink that much. And last night? I didn't reject you. I just wanted to make sure you weren't doing something you'd regret when your head was clearer. But I can tell you're still into me." His grin turned wicked. "So let's make a deal."

"A deal?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, trying to hide how flustered I was. "My comment last night was just a joke-"

Luke stepped closer, if that was even possible, and his hand lightly brushed against mine.

"Yeah, I'm serious though," he said, his tone now more serious but still dripping with confidence.

"I have to study..."

"You're not mad at me anymore, are you? If you're still interested-if you're not going to hold a grudge-let's make this real. Let's go on a date."

My heart skipped a beat. Was this really happening?

I stared at him, unsure whether to feel relieved or confused. "You're serious?"

Luke leaned in slightly, his voice hushed but dripping with cocky confidence.

"Dead serious, Amari. If you want to keep this going, we can do it on my terms. My family heard I brought a woman in my apartment. They thought you were my girlfriend."

"You could have denied it!" I nervously chuckled.

"My father wants to meet you though. He heard you are a pre-law student so he's quite interested to meet you."

What? What the...actual fuck?

"You know, I don't have that good relationship with my father so you could help me on this and..."

He then pointed somewhere and when I turned, I saw girls looking at us.

"Shit..." I whispered.

"Shit, yeah. You have bashers now, mind you. So, if you want, we can date-officially. If you're not mad at me, that is. If you are... well, I guess I'll just have to let you go."

"Let me go?" I repeated, almost laughing, though I could feel the heat in my cheeks. "You really think you have that power over me?"

Luke smirked, taking a step back and crossing his arms. "Oh, I know I do. But I don't mind if you're the one to decide how this goes. You just have to be honest with yourself. Everyone's gossiping about us too. "

I hated how much his words affected me. It felt like he was daring me to make a choice, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to back down.

"I'm not some conquest for you, Luke," I said, trying to sound firm. "You don't just get to call the shots."

He took a step closer again, the distance between us so small I could feel the heat from his body.

"Oh, but I do," he said, his smirk never fading. "Because here's the deal: if you're not angry with me, then let's date. I beg you. And we'll see where this goes. Simple."

I was torn. Part of me wanted to walk away. But the other part? The part that had been wanting this from the very beginning? It was hard to resist.

"So... what's the deal?" I asked, my voice softer than I intended. "We just... date? No strings attached?"

Luke's eyes sparkled with mischief. "No strings attached. Just be my fake girlfriend. And after, we'll stop..."

God, why did I feel like I wanted to say yes?

"Deal," I said, my voice almost a whisper.

Luke's grin widened, and he leaned in closer.

"Deal?" he repeated, like he needed to hear it again.

I glared at him, trying to mask my nervousness. "What do I even get out of this?"

"You get me," he said, that wicked smirk back on his face.

I rolled my eyes. "That doesn't sound like much of an advantage."

"Oh, it is," he replied, his tone playful but sure of himself. "I know you like me, Miss Attorney."

I opened my mouth to argue, but no words came out. He wasn't wrong.

"You're crazy," I muttered, shaking my head.

"And enough to make your heart go crazy too," he shot back, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

I hated the way my heart raced at his touch. But at the same time, I couldn't deny that part of me liked it.

"So... deal?" he whispered again, his voice soft but insistent.

I hesitated for a moment, then let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"Deal," I said, my voice barely audible.

Luke's grin turned triumphant, and for a split second, I wondered if I had just made the biggest mistake of my life.

"Good, Miss Attorney..."