Ariel hadn't realized how exhausting pretending could be.
Every smile, every laugh, every careful word weighed on her like a mask made of stone. The cameras didn't blink, the fans didn't forgive, and the media never rested.
She had learned to survive the noise—but surviving Jaxon was harder.
It started subtly.
He lingered too long in the kitchen while she poured tea.
He adjusted her collar when she passed him in the hallway.
He watched her during interviews in a way that wasn't professional.
And every time he did, her heart betrayed her.
That evening, after a long press event, Ariel retreated to her room, exhaustion pressing against her chest. The city outside hummed like a warning.
A soft knock sounded.
"Come in," she called.
Jaxon entered, holding two cups of tea.
"Can't sleep?" he asked.
"Not really," she admitted. "I keep hearing them."
"The fans?"
"No… the whispers. The threats. The doubt. Even mine."
He set a cup beside her. "You're not alone in this," he said quietly.
She looked up at him. His expression was calm, but his eyes held the weight of someone who carried far too much.
"I keep thinking," she said softly, "that if I leave, everything will go back to normal. For you. For me. For everyone."
Jaxon sat down across from her, close enough that she could feel his presence, but careful not to crowd her.
"You can't leave," he said simply.
She blinked. "Why not?"
"Because pretending isn't enough anymore. Not for me. Not for you."
Her stomach tightened. She didn't understand exactly what he meant, but she felt it—the shift. The quiet intensity in the air between them.
They sat in silence, neither daring to speak for long, until he reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face.
Ariel froze.
"This… this isn't part of the contract," she whispered.
"No," he admitted. "It isn't."
Their eyes met. The noise of the city, the cameras, the world outside—all of it—faded.
She could feel him, more real than any headline.
And for a heartbeat, she almost forgot who she was supposed to be.
A sudden buzz from her phone shattered the moment.
Another fan account, another comment:
She's getting too close. Watch out, Jaxon. She's not safe.
Ariel's hands shook as she set it down.
Jaxon noticed. He took her hand in his—careful, protective, but unmistakably intimate.
"Let them watch," he said. "They'll never see this."
Ariel looked at him, her chest tight.
This was dangerous.
They both knew it.
And yet…
She didn't pull away.
Because for the first time since she signed the contract, she didn't want to.