Page 48 of The Romance Rivalry

“Hey,” Aiden calls to me. He jackknifes up from the bed and leans himself against his desk to face me. “If you’re worried about the trolls and how that impacts your brand,well, then let’s shut them down.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve got the joint Live coming up. Let’s approach it as a team. You and me against any haters, boundary crossers, and corporate marketing people who pay too close attention to shit that doesn’t matter,” he says.

I laugh as his face gets more animated. But I still don’t get what he’s suggesting.

“Um, what do you have going on up there in that very scary head of yours?” I ask.

“Irene, you always think the worst of me, and all I’ve tried to do is prove you wrong.”

Ouch. That’s not true, is it? I wonder if maybe I’ve been just a wee bit too hard on Aiden. I cut off this thought, because I already know the answer.

He reaches out and puts his hands on my shoulders, looking me straight in the eye. “I have a plan, a pretty good one, if I do say so myself. A plan that will get us control of our narratives back from those who have been trying to take it. A plan to shut everyone up and let us have fun in our online space again. A plan that requires the both of us to do what we do best.”

“And what’s that?” I ask, trying to sound more encouraging than skeptical.

Aiden slowly lifts one eyebrow as his cocky grin makes an appearance. “Be experts on romance, on tropes specifically.”

Well, now he’s got my attention. This I can do.

“You with me?” he asks.

I have no idea what it is we’re doing, but the thought of jumping off this deep end with Aiden doesn’t scare me one bit.

Go figure.

“Most definitely,” I say, and I lift my hand to meet his in a high-five, sealing the deal, sealing our fate.

Epigraph

I will never say no to fake dating. Give me every fake-dating book ever written and I will grabby hands it and say thank you and be happy. Because when the two catch feelings and finally realize that it’s happened? Oof, *chef’s kiss*.

—@irene.loves.love.books

Here’s my theory: Though the author never explicitly says it, I really believe Jamison always knew he wanted Summer. The fake dating was just a ploy to get her to realize she wanted him back. And my hot take is that every fake-dating story ever told runs on this unspoken premise: Someone has already fallen before the fake dating even starts.

—@aidentheguyreadsromance

Eleven

fake dating

Okay, so maybe I should have gotten some more details on Aiden’s plan before blindly agreeing to jump into it with him last night.

Because when he shows up outside my dorm today to walk me to our 8 a.m. class, I’m flustered.

When he offers to carry my backpack, I’m caught off guard.

When he takes my hand and tucks it into the crook of his elbow as we walk, I’m taken aback.

And when he leans down and whispers in my ear that I look pretty today, I comethis closeto passing out.

I stop just outside the English building, stepping back and pulling my arm out of Aiden’s. I need space.

“C’mon, we don’t wanna be late,” he says.

“I think maybe I very much am willing to be late in orderto find out what the heck it is you’re up to.”

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