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

Endings and Beginnings

“Tell me you didn’t.”

As soon as we walk into her office, Ana shoots us a glare that could melt ice.

Lucas arches an eyebrow at her. “Good morning to you, too.”

Her frown deepens. “Lucas,” she says, void of any amusement, “tell me you’re here to change your mind.”

Lucas saunters over to the coffee cart, grabbing our drinks before he hands one over to me. “I’m not,” he says, taking a sip of his coffee.

Ana lets out a sigh, closing her eyes. “You can’t just quit.”

“I’m not quitting,” he deadpans. “I’m just not modeling anymore.”

“So, you’re quitting,” she insists, with a shake of her head.

I quietly slide into the seat beside him, remembering the first time we were here. Back then, I scooted the chair so far away from him that a small car could have parked between us. But now, even with our hands interlinked, it still isn’t close enough.

“I just want to do something better with my life,” he explains with a nonchalant shrug. “I want to do something for me for a change, something I love.”

She shakes her head in disbelief. “And you couldn’t have done that while modeling?”

I sneak a glance at Lucas. It’s the same question I threw at him when he told me he wanted to stop modeling. Leila’s been juggling both college and being a plus-size model for years, so I thought he could do the same. But in her case, it’s her passion. Lucas, however, has made it clear that he doesn’t love it, even if he does have the body, face, and hands for it.

His eyes lock onto mine as he says, “I want to focus on more important things.”

My heart knocks against my chest as his lips curl into a smile. If only I knew he’d be the love of my life all those months ago when we met.

Ana shakes her head, pressing her fingers to her forehead before shifting her gaze to me. “This is your fault, isn’t it?”

A smirk plays on my lips as I lift a shoulder. “It might be.”

“She pushed me to follow my dreams, sure,” he admits. “But the idea to quit was mine, so don’t go blaming any of this on her.

Ana shifts her gaze to me. “And what about you?” she asks. “Are you still interested in acting?”

I open my mouth to reply, but before I can get a word out, Lucas tightens his grip on my hand and leans in, fixing a narrowed gaze on his agent. “Speaking of,” he says, “I might not need an agent anymore.” His eyes lock on mine, and he shoots a playful smirk my way. “But she will.”

My eyes widen in surprise, and I turn to Ana who’s smiling. “What? No, that’s not happening.” I shake my head.

“Of course it is,” Lucas says. “I want to make your dreams come true.”

“Lucas.” I shoot him a pointed glare, but he just flashes a grin.

“Madeline.” He arches an eyebrow. “Let me take care of you the way I want to, okay?”

I let out a sigh, knowing he won’t let this go.

“Alright then,” Ana chimes in. “I guess we have a lot of work to do, considering you two have been holed up all week,” she adds, making my cheeks burn. Lucas, on the other hand, smirks, completely unabashed by the insinuation.

“What about the leak?” I ask.

A few days after the news hit, the media exposed the recording Connor had warned me about. It was just a little snippet, but you can clearly hear me talking about a contract. While I never said Lucas’ name or mentioned the fake relationship, people still caught on.

“Well, the post helped,” Ana says, glancing at Lucas. A few days ago, Lucas shared a picture of us on his social media, with a story on how we met through mutual friends and quickly started dating. It wasn’t a complete lie since we’re both friends with Leila, but only the people closest to us know the real story. “But we still need to keep your relationship strong, prove that it isn’t fake.” She looks at our joined hands and chuckles. “Which won’t be as big of a problem as it was when this started.”

“So, Lucas will still have to go on dates, interviews, and stuff?” I ask, furrowing my brows. He quit to get away from this, and now, with me in the public eye, he won’t be.

“If he wants to,” she responds. “As always, you do what you’re comfortable with.”

I turn to Lucas, finding a smile on his face. “It’s not even a question, Mads. I’ll do it.”

“Are you sure?” I ask Lucas, a frown tugging at my lips. “I know you want—”

“I want you to have what you want. I want you to be happy and successful. So yeah, I’ll do whatever you need to help you reach your goals.” His thumb glides over mine, and I let out a content sigh. “Besides, it’s not like I can be completely out of the public anyway,” he says with a smirk. “People will get bored of me eventually when they realize I’m not modeling anymore.”

I shoot him a look. “There’s nothing boring about you.”

He smiles, his eyes softening. “I love you.”

“This is…” Ana gestures between us, “Beautiful, really, but we should get back to business.”

The tension in Lucas’ shoulders is visible when he releases a heavy breath and tightens his hold on my hand “What about Connor?” he asks. “Can we do something about him?”

Luckily, Ana didn’t make Lucas pay the fine for the NDA once she found out it was Connor who exposed us. But we still see Connor since he still attends Redfield. He keeps his distance and doesn’t try to approach me anymore, which is good since I don’t want anything to do with him. But Lucas doesn’t like that. He wants him to pay for what he did.

Ana shakes her head. “Even if we were to sue him for defamation, the voice recording he posted would be enough to discredit that.”

“Even if we’re dating now?” I ask.

And nods. “Unfortunately so,” she says. “What Connor posted was enough for everyone to believe it’s true. We’ll just have to continue to prove them the opposite.”

Lucas curses under his breath, running a hand roughly through his hair. “So we just have to see him every day around campus?”

“Lucas, it’s ok,” I say, attempting to calm him. I know how much Connor affects him, and I know a big part of it is my previous crush on him. But whatever I saw in Connor was a blip compared to my feelings for Lucas.

“No, it’s not, Mads,” he says, shaking his head. His beautiful brown eyes lock on mine, and he swallows. “That asshole won’t stop until he gets you, I know it.”

I turn my chair slightly to look at him and tighten my hold on his hand. “He won’t be a problem, Lucas,” I promise him. “I love you, not him.”

His shoulders drop as he lets out a breath of relief. “I love you, princesa,” he says, leaning in to brush his lips against mine. “So much.”

Ana clears her throat, and we pull away from each other, our attention pivoting toward her. “Ok. Great. Now that we’ve discussed that, I think it’s time to talk about your audition.”

I frown. “What about it?”

A smirk plays on her lips. “We got a call from Monica herself,” she says, sending a jolt to my chest. “She personally apologized for the rejection and has made it clear that the job is yours if you want it.”

“She did?” I ask in disbelief.

She nods, smiling. “She said she’d love to work with someone as talented and work-driven as you.”

“Holy shit,” Lucas says. “That’s huge.”

“Yeah,” I murmur, glancing to my side. I’ve wanted this moment for so long, and now it’s here. It’s within my grasp. All I need to do is reach out and grab it.

“What do you say, Mads?” he asks. “Are you going to take it?”

His question echoes in my head, making my heart pound. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and yet… “No.”

He furrows his brows. “No?”

“I don’t want it.”

“What?” Ana says, her eyes widening. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime. It’s what you’ve been working toward.”

“I know,” I agree, with a nod, before I look at Lucas. “But I can’t accept this role when I’d always be wondering whether the only reason I did was because of you.”

“Mads,” he says, his brows knitting together. “That’s not—”

“You had to call them,” I remind him. “You had to personally reach out to even pique their interest in my audition tapes. And when the news broke…” I shake my head. “All I got was a brief paragraph letting me know they were going in another direction. And suddenly, when you’ve cleared it up, the job is miraculously back on the table?”

Lucas settles into a sigh, knowing I’m right. “Are you sure?” he asks. “She’s one of your favorite directors.”

“I’m sure. If they genuinely wanted me for my talent, then the news about our fake relationship wouldn’t have swung their decision. I want to know I earned the part because of my skill, not because of favors or connections. I refuse to start my acting career with a handout.”

Ana releases a sigh, her shoulders slumping. “You guys are making my life complicated.” She shakes her head. “But if that’s what you want, then I’ll let her know.”

A smile spreads across my face, relieved by my decision. “Thank you.”

She nods. “We’ll be in touch.”

Lucas and I stand up and head out of Ana’s office, and as soon as the door closes, Lucas gently turns me around, his hands cupping my face. “How are you feeling?” he asks, his touch bringing me comfort.

I let out a breath, savoring the warmth of his hands. “Good,” I assure him.

“Yeah?” he asks, studying my expression. “That would have been a huge opportunity.”

“I know,” I agree. “It’s why I agreed to this fake dating deal in the first place. But I don’t want it looming over my head,” I tell him. “Years to come, when I’m a famous actress, I want to know I got there because I genuinely deserved it.”

Lucas grins, his thumb gently caressing my cheek. “I’m so proud of you, princesa,” he says. “I can’t wait to see you walk down the red carpet at your premiere.”

I let myself envision it, and my chest swells with hope. “You really think it’ll happen?”

He scoffs. “I know it will. I wasn’t lying when I said you were talented, Mads, and I can’t wait for the world to see it.”

His eyes burn into mine, and I smile up at him, taking a sip of my coffee before I end up crying in this hallway. A groan escapes me when the coffee hits my tongue, and I shake my head. “She deserves an award for being able to make my coffee just the way I like it.” Lucas’s cheeks turn pink, and I blink. “What?” I ask, curious about his expression.

He lets out a sigh. “Do you remember that first meeting we had with Ana?” I nod. “I brought two coffees that day, and I noticed you eyeing it, probably thinking one was for you. I felt like shit for not bringing you one, so before the photoshoot, I asked Leila what you liked to drink, so I could bring you a coffee.”

“You did?” I ask him.

He nods, letting out a chuckle. “You hated me back then, and I just wanted to make you happy.”

I shake my head, shocked by his confession. I misunderstood him for so long, thinking he couldn’t stand being around me, completely oblivious to the subtle gestures he did for me. “Wow,” I breathe out, a playful smirk on my lips. “So you’re telling me you had a crush on me even back then?”

His eyes narrow. “That’s not at all what I said.”

I tut, shaking my head. “That’s what I heard,” I tease.

A laugh escapes him. “Fine,” he says, his smile warming my body. “You win.”

“I win?” I ask.

“Yeah, baby.” His hand curls at the back of my neck, and he leans down until his lips hover just an inch away from mine. “You win. I liked you, I wanted you, and I wanted to kiss you so badly. Even back then, even with your rules firmly in place, even when you hated me.”

My lips part, and I stare up into his eyes, my tongue darting out to lick my bottom lip. “You can kiss me now,” I whisper, not caring that anyone could walk by at any minute. I need his lips on mine. I need him.

His smirk causes a jolt of lust to flash through me. “You want my lips on yours?” he asks. I nod, tilting on my tip-toes and leaning a little closer to him. He hums, brushing his thumb over my parted lips. “How much?” he asks.

“Lucas,” I whine, impatient for him.

His chuckle burns deep in my stomach. “I love how needy you get for me,” he says, leaning down to finally brush his lips against mine. Once, twice, so softly that my eyes flutter closed every time. “I love you.”

Our lips brush together again, but this time, it’s deeper, harder, everything I need. My arms wrap around his neck, and I deepen the kiss, letting myself get lost in him, just feel, taste, consume him. “I love you too,” I whisper against his lips.

He smiles, pressing one more kiss to my lips before he pulls back. “Good,” he says, staring into my eyes with a mischievous grin. “Because there’s still something you need to do.”