Page 23 of Faking It With My Pucking Protector
I grin. “Yeah, but I’ll catch you.”
She doesn’t agree, but she doesn’t say no, either.
As she walks beside me toward the locker hallway, her steps sound lighter than they were this morning.
We reach the edge of the hallway where players split off. Locker rooms one way, visitor tunnel the other. I pause, motioning toward a bench nearby.
“Give me fifteen to change and rinse off?” I ask.
Ava nods and takes a seat. She tucks one leg under her and rests her hands in her lap, fingers absently playing with the hem of her sleeve.
I hesitate for a moment.
“Actually, there’s something I’ve been thinking about.”
Her brow furrows slightly, waiting for me to continue.
“Just an idea,” I add. “What if we were to consider… fake dating?”
She blinks, caught off guard.
“Sorry. What?”
I sit on the bench next to her.
“Not for real. Just public enough to keep Brad from pulling something like this again.”
She stares at me, clearly confused.
“You want to pretend we’re together?”
I shrug, trying to keep it casual. “It might help. If he thinks you’ve moved on, it could make him back off.”
Ava studies me like she’s waiting for the punchline. But there isn’t one.
I stand, keeping my tone light.
“I thought it could be an option to consider.”
She shakes her head, her breath catching.
“Jackson… you’ve already done so much. I can’t ask you to pretend to be my boyfriend on top of everything else.”
I nod, understanding. “Fair enough. Just say the word if you change your mind.”
But as I walk to the locker room, one thought keeps circling.
We used to pretend all kinds of things when we were kids: spies, superheroes, secret agents.
Back then, it was just a game. Me looking out for her because it made her laugh, because it felt right.
Now?
I’d do it in a heartbeat.
Chapter Seven
AVA
