Would You Rather: A College Romance (Campus Games Book 3)

Do we have a deal?

“Well, you two are just the cutest couple,” Sarah, the interviewer, gushes.

Lucas smiles at her, making me glance up at him. I was scared it would be awkward between Lucas and me once we got here and had to see each other again, but as soon as I saw him, we went back to teasing each other like that almost kiss never happened.

My stomach dropped with disappointment at how easy it seemed for him to forget about it when it was all I could think of. Did he not care? Did he… not want to kiss me? Maybe I was just reading into the whole thing, and my feelings were one-sided.

“Thank you,” he says.

She turns to the crowd, flicking her blonde hair behind her shoulder as she does. “Aren’t they just the cutest?” she asks them. A wave of cheers comes from the audience before Sarah turns back to face us. “Seriously, I mean, you guys make a beautiful couple.”

Lucas’ knees knock against mine, making my eyes lift to his. There’s not much room on the white plush couch we’re sitting on, and every so often, he reaches out to touch me in some way.

Necessary, I tell myself. We’re supposed to be affectionate. We’re dating, after all. Or at least that’s what the rest of the world thinks.

His eyes meet mine as he gives me a smile I feel all the way down to my toes. “That’s all her,” he says. A collective ‘aww’ resonates through the audience. His eyes remain on mine, and my heart swells with warmth as I feel a flutter in my stomach.

His hand reaches out and he places it on my thigh, rubbing his thumb back and forth over my leg. I’m wearing pants, but I still feel the burn of his touch through my clothes. “She’s without a doubt the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.”

Sarah smiles at us. “That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard,” she says. “So, how did you guys meet? How did a normal college girl end up dating the Lucas Silva?”

I let out a laugh, trying to hide my discomfort. How did I end up dating him? Well, the thing is… we’re not. It’s all fake, and you’re all being lied to. I clear my throat and paste on a smile. “We met in a blackout, actually.”

“Oh?” Her eyebrows raise. “That sounds interesting. Tell me more.”

I glance at Lucas for a second, and I can tell he doesn’t know where I’m going with this. “Well, it was just us in the elevator when it broke down,” I admit. “We were stuck in there with no lights, no form of contact, so we got to talking and…” I smile up at him, “The rest is history.”

His brows bunch together as he looks at me. “I was completely hypnotized,” he says, his eyes never leaving mine. “I knew I couldn’t let her go without asking for her number.” It’s not even close to what actually happened between us, and I don’t know which version of the story I prefer.

“Talk about a meet-cute,” Sarah says, smiling at us. “I mean, we all see the way you look at her. I’ll tell you, it’s been a long time since someone has looked at me like that. And that photoshoot?” She blows out a breath, waving a hand in her face. “It was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

I think back to that photoshoot. It seems like just yesterday, but so much has happened since then. I still remember it, his breath hitting my skin, his hand on my cheek. I don’t think I’ll ever stop remembering it.

“Was that the first time you had done any modeling?” she asks me.

I nod. “I was terrified at first.” I let out a nervous laugh. “But Lucas calmed me down and made me feel comfortable.” And the thing is, I don’t even have to lie. It’s the truth.

“Well, you’re a natural,” Sarah says. “Lucas taught you well.”

“I didn’t need to do much teaching. The camera loves her,” he says, glancing down at me with a smirk.

“You are right about that,” Sarah says before turning her attention back to me. “So this is your first celebrity relationship. How does that feel?” she asks. “It must be nerve-wracking having paparazzi around you guys all the time.”

“A little,” I admit. “Sometimes they appear out of nowhere, and it’s surprising for sure. Especially when we just want to go out like any other couple, but I guess we can’t really do that.” Especially because we’re not a couple at all. I bite back the truth as Sarah nods sympathetically.

“That’s got to be tough, but if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have known about you guys. And we love you so much.” The crowd cheers again.

“I like that I don’t have to hide her from the world anymore,” Lucas says. “I want everyone to know how amazing she is.”

God, he knows all of the right things to say. I’m even starting to believe him.

“So, how did you know she was the one?” she asks Lucas. “After all, we’ve all seen the pictures of the various different girls throughout the years.”

Sarah laughs, and the crowd follows, but Lucas stiffens, his touch stopping abruptly on my leg. “Yeah,” he says, laughing a little, which I can tell is fake. “I guess it did take me a while to want to settle down.” He removes his hand completely from my leg, and I feel the emptiness soon after.

“So what was it about Madeline that made you change your mind?” she asks.

We didn’t know what questions they were going to ask, so while we came prepared, making up a story on the spot was a little harder to do. I turn my head to find Lucas already looking at me. The look in his eyes is intense, making my stomach swirl with nerves.

He doesn’t take his eyes off me as he says, “Every other girl stopped existing the minute she came into my life.”

“Well done,” Ana says when we walk backstage. “That went better than I expected.” She hands me a cup of coffee and I gladly take it.

I drop down on the white couch they have in the room backstage and blow out a breath. It went way better than I thought, but I’m so glad that’s over. I take a sip of the coffee and hum, my eyes closing at the warm, sweet flavor on my tongue.

“The comments are amazing,” she says, looking down at her phone. “Everyone is loving this relationship. You guys are great.” She grins, focusing her attention on me. “Especially you, Madeline. I knew you wanted to be an actress, and the audition tapes I have seen were great, but I don’t think I realized how talented you are until I saw that performance out there.”

My cheeks start to heat as I smile at her. “Thank you.”

“I’ll tell you what,” she says. “I know somebody in the movie business. Monica Harrington, you know her?” My eyes widen. Do I know her? She’s only one of my favorite directors ever. She must be able to tell from my expression because she laughs. “I can’t promise anything, but I can try and see if I can get you an audition.”

That’s the best news I’ve heard yet.

“Really?” I ask her.

“Of course. I told you this would be beneficial to you, and I plan on keeping my word. You’re getting so much recognition already. We might as well see if we can get you something out of it.”

My lips part and I struggle for words. “I’m… thank you,” I say, unable to think of anything else. An audition. I might actually get an audition with Monica Harrington.

“Don’t mention it. Just enjoy it, and speaking of…” She glances down at her phone. “Next week, you guys are attending a gala together as a couple, obviously.”

“What’s this gala for?” Lucas asks.

“It’s the Starlight’s Dream charity gala. It helps underprivileged children. It will be great publicity having both of you attending for such a good cause.”

“And, of course, to help the children,” Lucas says.

She waves a hand. “That too, of course. It’s at the Celestial Manor Hotel I’ve booked you guys a room, and everything is already set. Just make sure you show up and do what you guys do best.”

A knock hits the door. “Ana, we have an issue over here.” She sighs and walks out of the room.

When the door closes, it’s just Lucas and I in the room. “Congrats,” he says with a smile as he sits beside me on the couch.

“Don’t jinx it,” I tell him. “Nothing has happened yet.”

“But it will,” he says, sounding hopeful, more hopeful than even I am. It’s Monica Harrington. The woman is a genius. “I see how talented you are, Mads.” There he goes with that nickname again. It doesn’t ease my stomach. It makes it flutter even more. What the hell is that? “I just know that when that Monica girl sees your audition, she won’t be able to turn you away. You even fooled me back there.”

I bunch my eyebrows. “I did?”

He nods, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I was even starting to believe you actually liked me.”

I roll my eyes teasingly, afraid he’ll see that it wasn’t an act. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

He chuckles. “Too late. After all, don’t you think you owe me a thank you?”

I blink at him. “For what?”

He shrugs. “This whole thing. If I didn’t save your ass in that elevator that day, we wouldn’t be here.”

I shake my head. “In that case, you owe me a thank you.”

“For?” he asks with furrowed brows.

I grin. “Saving your ass,” I mock back to him. “If it wasn’t for me, your career would have tanked, isn’t that what you told me?”

He chuckles, shaking his head. “You want to see if that’s true?”

“How?” I ask reluctantly.

“We’ll see who people like more,” he says with a shrug. “We make a little contest. Whoever can get the most likes on a post wins.”

I frown. “That’s not even close to being a fair deal. You’re famous.”

“Hardly.” I glare at him, and he laughs at my expression. “Ok, yeah, so people know me. But you’re getting up there. And after all, they like you, not me, right? So what are you afraid of.”

“I didn’t say that specifically.”

“Semantics,” he says, lifting a shoulder. “What do you say?”

I blow out a breath. “You have an advantage. I’m not going to take on a deal I know is rigged.”

“You’re afraid to lose,” he says with a shake of his head. “I can’t believe it.”

He’s teasing me, I know that, but just hearing the word lose makes me twitch. “I am not going to lose,” I assure him.

He grins, knowing he’s got me right where he wants me. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

Leaning closer to him, I narrow my eyes. “I’ll win. I’ll make sure of it.”

“And when I win?” he asks, tipping his body forward. “What do I get?”

“Bragging rights.”

He shakes his head, letting out a tut. “That’s not good enough for me.”

“Then what do you want?” I ask him, my brows knitting together.

His eyes immediately drop to my lips, the air between us getting thicker the more time that goes on. My lips part on impulse, and his eyes seem to darken as he blows out a breath. “I can’t ask for what I want.”

My heart starts to race right out of my chest. “Why not?”

His eyes snap back to mine. “Because you won’t want it.”

I swallow, my throat feeling tight. “You don’t know that,” I tell him, my heart beating even faster now. “Besides, it’s your choice. I’ll have to go through with it.”

I feel the heat of his gaze as our eyes connect, and then they fall again to the curve of my mouth. Only for a second before he sighs, closes his eyes, and runs a hand through his hair. “No, it’s too risky.”

“Then pick something else,” I tell him, my voice thicker than normal.

He grins, turning back to face me. “I want a day,” he says.

My brows tug in confusion. “A day?”

He nods. “One day, when you ditch that meticulously organized planner of yours, and I’m in control.”

“Of me?” I ask, my eyes widening.

“That’s right,” he says with a grin.

“What do you have against my planner?” I ask with a huff.

He glares. “Madeline, you’re attached to the hip to that thing. I bet you even brought it here with you.”

I clutch my bag closer to me, knowing he’s right. I did bring it with me. “Fine,” I relent. “But if I win, you become my personal assistant.”

He laughs, his face dropping when he sees I’m serious. “You want me to what?” he asks.

I smirk, crossing my legs as I turn to face him. “You want to control me for a day, then I control you.”

His eyes sparkle as he grins. “You want me to wait on you hand and foot?” he asks. “Do whatever you want at any given moment?”

I don’t know why that just sounded dirty as hell, but I nod, swallowing. “That’s right.”

He chuckles, rubbing his bottom lip with his thumb. “Fine, I accept.” He grins, leaning closer to me. “I can’t wait to win.”

“Well, then you’ll be waiting a long time because I won’t lose.”

He turns his body to face mine and leans closer. “Do we have a deal?” he asks.

I take hold of his extended hand and shake it. His thumb rubs over my knuckles just for a second, but the feel of his hand lingers, tingles spreading over my skin.

He leans in even closer this time. So close I can hear his breathing, hear his pulse knocking against his chest. “It’s Wednesday,” he whispers.

My breath halts as I stare up into his eyes. “So?”

His eyes drop to my lips for a second before they lift to my hair. “You usually wear your hair curly on Wednesdays.”

My whole body freezes. How does he know that? But I don’t have time to think before a flash happens. I blink, turning my head to see his phone in his other hand.

He just took a picture of us.

He grins, pulling back, and stares down at his phone screen. “Make sure you clear a day for me, princesa.”