Chapter 1: A Risky Proposition
The bell above the coffee shop door jingled violently as Jackie burst in, nearly colliding with a barista balancing a tray of dirty mugs. Sunlight streamed through the smudged windows, momentarily blinding her as she blinked away the glare. She scanned the room—a sea of exhausted grad students hunched over laptops, textbooks splayed open like wounded birds—until she spotted him.
Cody sat slumped in the corner, his usual over-ear headphones swallowing his skull, fingers tapping mindlessly on his keyboard. A half-empty coffee cup sat beside him, long gone cold. His dark circles had dark circles.
Jackie wove through the maze of tables, her overstuffed bag knocking into chairs and eliciting annoyed glances. "Cody!" she called out, too loud, too desperate. He didn’t flinch. She reached his table and waved a hand in front of his face. "Cody. Hello?"
He startled, blinking up at her like she’d woken him from a coma. Slowly, he peeled off one headphone. "Jackie?" His voice was rough, like he hadn’t spoken in hours. "What’s up?"
She exhaled sharply, gripping the back of the empty chair across from him. "I’m so screwed," she blurted, already breathless. "Professor Davies is going to fail me, and I need to pass this class, and—"
"Whoa." Cody held up a hand, cutting her off. He took a slow sip of his coffee, grimacing when he realized it was cold. "Breathe. What happened?"
Jackie collapsed into the chair, her bag thudding to the floor. "I bombed the midterm. Like, spectacularly bombed it. And the paper? I turned it in two days late because I swear the deadline changed—"
Cody rubbed his temples. "It didn’t."
"I know that now," she groaned, dragging her hands down her face. "But Davies said if I don’t pull off a miracle on the final project, I’m toast. And you’re the only one who aced his last assignment, so—"
Cody exhaled, long and slow, like he was physically bracing himself. "Jackie, I’m drowning. I’ve got work at seven tomorrow, two papers due Friday, and I’m pretty sure my roommate’s cat is plotting my murder."
She leaned forward, gripping the edge of the table. "I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t desperate. Please. I’ll do anything."
The words hung between them. Cody stilled, his fingers pausing mid-air. Something flickered in his tired eyes—something sharp, calculating. He tilted his head.
"Anything?" he repeated, voice dropping low.
Jackie swallowed. "Yes. Anything."
Cody leaned back, studying her. A slow, dangerous smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "Alright," he said, drumming his fingers on the table. "Here’s the deal."
The coffee shop noise faded into white noise. The air between them crackled.
"You help me with one thing," he said, holding up a finger, "and I’ll save your grade."
Jackie’s pulse spiked. "What thing?"
Cody’s grin widened. "I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend."
Silence.
Jackie blinked. "What?"
"Just for one dinner," he clarified, shrugging like it was nothing. "My ex is coming to town, and she’s bringing her new finance bro boyfriend to rub it in my face. So." He spread his hands. "I need you to be devastatingly in love with me for two hours."
Jackie gaped. "You’re blackmailing me into fake dating you?"
Cody smirked. "I prefer the term mutually beneficial arrangement."
She opened her mouth, closed it, then groaned, dropping her forehead to the table. "You’re evil."
"Desperate times," he said lightly, nudging her coffee toward her. "Do we have a deal?"
Jackie lifted her head, glaring. "Fine. One dinner."
Cody’s smile turned triumphant. "Perfect." He pulled out his phone, typing rapidly. "Oh, and Jackie?"
She narrowed her eyes. "What?"
He grinned. "Wear somethin
' nice. Maybe that tight black dress you wore to the department mixer last semester." His eyes raked over her in a way that made her skin prickle. "I know you still have it."
Jackie's mouth went dry. The coffee shop noise faded to a dull roar as blood pounded in her ears. "You've been watching me?"
"Not watching." Cody took a slow sip of his coffee, tongue darting out to catch a drop on his lip. "Appreciating."
She should've walked out right then. Should've told him to go to hell. But the specter of failing Davies' class loomed large, and desperation tasted bitter on her tongue. "One dinner," she forced out through clenched teeth.
Cody's smile turned wolfish. "And everything that comes after."
The implication hung between them, thick and suffocating. Jackie's fingers trembled where they gripped her coffee cup - cold now, just like the pit forming in her stomach.
"I'm not sleeping with you."
"Sure you are." Cody leaned forward, close enough that she caught the faint scent of his cologne - something dark and expensive that didn't match his ratty grad student persona. "You want this bad enough to fake being my girl. How much further are you really willing to go?"
The bell above the door jingled as another student entered, laughing with their friend. The normalcy of it felt surreal. Jackie swallowed hard.
"You're disgusting."
"But helpful." Cody tapped his temple. "Think about it. One night with me versus another semester of Davies' bullshit." His knee brushed hers under the table. "I'll even write your damn paper for you."
Jackie recoiled like she'd been burned. The chair legs screeched against the floor as she stood abruptly, drawing stares from nearby tables. Her bag slipped from her shoulder, spilling notebooks across the stained tile.
"I'll let you know," she spat, snatching up her things with shaking hands.
Cody just watched her scramble, that infuriating smirk still in place. "Friday, Jackie." He raised his coffee cup in a mock toast. "Don't keep me waiting."
The door slammed behind her with satisfying force. Outside, the afternoon sun glared mercilessly, matching the heat in her cheeks. Jackie took off at a near-run, heels clicking angrily against pavement as Cody's words echoed in her skull.
One night.
One grade.
How much was her dignity really worth?
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