Chapter 26 All For The Show
Mia's POV
"Are you okay?" I asked softly, glancing at Josh.
He sighed heavily beside me, his shoulders tense. He ran a hand through his hair before finally looking at me. "Honestly? No. Not really."
I stayed quiet and gave him space.
Josh took a breath. "I just found out my father had some of his bodyguards watching me. He thought he was being discreet." He let out a dry laugh. "He does not believe this relationship is real. He thinks I am hiding something."
I blinked, stunned. "Even after everything that happened last weekend?"
He shook his head. "What we showed them on the yacht was not enough. The smiles, the conversations, the matching outfits. He said it all looked staged. Too perfect." His jaw tightened. "So even though they are not in this city anymore, he still has people keeping an eye on me."
I looked at him, the weight of his words settling between us.
Josh leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I think it is time we make this public. Not just when they are around. I mean truly public."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I need to start picking you up from school. Walk you out, hold your hand, maybe kiss your cheek. Things real couples do." His voice softened, his eyes searching mine. "It will make everything look real, especially if his people are watching."
I opened my mouth to speak, but he kept going.
"My car arrived this morning. One of our drivers brought it, courtesy of my mom." A small, surprised smile crossed his face. "She said she was happy to meet my girlfriend and thought I should look the part."
I looked down, biting the inside of my cheek.
I already had enough to deal with at the academy. The whispers. My grades. Walking through hallways where I once belonged and now barely survived. The thought of pretending in front of everyone felt exhausting.
And then, without warning, Liam's face slipped into my thoughts. The way he sometimes looked at me, like he wanted to say something but never did. The quiet glances. The silence. And now, I was about to step into this act all over again.
But when I looked at Josh, my heart softened. He was not just asking me for a favor. He was asking me to protect something much more fragile.
I knew his secret. Josh could not tell his father that he was not interested in girls. That he preferred dating boys. Everything about this relationship was a shield, something he used to protect himself, his dignity, and his peace. He had trusted me with that truth in a moment that still ached in my memory.
And now, he needed me again.
"I know it is a lot," Josh said, his voice quieter, almost shaking. "But we are already in this. I know it started as a favor, a cover. But it means something now. At least it does to me."
His eyes held mine, steady and vulnerable, quietly pleading.
"You are the only part of this mess that feels real, Mia. Please do not make me go through the rest of it pretending alone."
I let out a slow breath and looked down at our hands, resting just inches apart. Josh was not just a friend anymore. He was my best friend. The one who stayed. The one who trusted me with a truth he could not tell anyone else.
And I would not let him face this alone.
The moment we arrived at the Academy's parking lot the following morning, my heart started racing, but I forced myself to stay calm for Josh's sake. He stepped out of the car and opened the door for me, and I almost laughed. He looked so handsome. So confident. If I did not know the truth about him, no one would ever guess he was gay.
He looked effortlessly charming, the kind that turned heads without trying.
"Okay," I said softly, lifting my eyes to his. A small, genuine smile touched my lips. "Let us do this.”
Josh's face lit up instantly, and before I could react, he pulled me into a hug, holding me tight, full of relief and joy. I laughed, and then could not stop as he spun me in a quick, clumsy circle.
It was not romantic. But it was safe and warm. And for a brief moment, it felt like the kind of happiness we had both been missing for a long time.
His hand rested at the small of my back as he leaned in, his voice low, his breath warm against my ear.
"Thank you for letting me do this," he murmured, his voice sincere but strained. "You know my dad's men probably called him the moment they saw us. Front row seats and all."
From the outside, we looked like a real couple. Almost too real. The kind that made people whisper. Josh, with his easy smile and quiet possessiveness. Me, guarded, but softening in ways only he could draw out.
I was the only one who knew how terrified he was of his father ever finding out the truth.
In Josh's world, being gay was not just frowned upon. It was unforgivable. A disgrace his father would destroy without hesitation. So Josh smiled, charmed, flirted. And now, he held on to me as his shield.
We were putting on a performance. But to me, it was not just acting. It was helping. It was protecting the boy who once cried in my arms, shaking with fear, whispering how broken he felt for simply being himself.
"You do not have to thank me," I whispered, my voice unsteady but honest. "I would not have made it this far without you. And I will keep doing this for as long as you need."
I took a breath. "I love you, Josh. You know that." I whispered.
Not the way everyone assumed. But with the kind of love that lets someone be exactly who they are. The kind that stands between them and a world that would tear them apart for it.
Josh's eyes softened. For a moment, it was not about hiding or fear. It was about trust.
"I love you so much," he said, loud enough for the people near the parking lot to hear. The words rang out, clear and bold, like a challenge to every staring eye and whispered judgment.
He leaned in and kissed my cheek, soft and gentle. The kind of kiss people would replay and overanalyze all morning.
"I will pick you up after class," he said, sliding back into the driver's seat of his sleek black car, as if nothing about the moment had broken me inside.
I stood still for a second. Then the engine started, and just like that, the moment was over.
I adjusted my backpack and walked across the school grounds with my head held high, even though my heart felt bruised.
The whispers started before I reached the hallway.
Louder and meaner than usual, full of envy and cruelty.
"Oh look, she finally caught a rich one."
"She has been playing the long game."
"From flirty nobody to gold digger. I wonder how much she charges."
My jaw tightened, but I kept my eyes forward. I would not give them the satisfaction. Then Chloe's voice cut through the noise. Loud and cruel, as always.
"Well, at least she upgraded. Daddy issues plus tuition problems, classic social climber move." She laughed. "She probably schedules kisses like dentist appointments."
More laughter followed. The kind that burned under my skin. I said nothing and kept walking, my nails digging into my palms.
I reached my classroom, trying to breathe, trying not to scream. I pushed the door open and froze.
My seat, the one by the window in the last row, was already taken. Liam sat there, his arm resting on the back of the chair beside him.
He did not look surprised to see me. His expression was hard to read. Our eyes met. Not cold. Not warm. Just heavy, like he knew what had happened that morning but did not know how to feel about it.
"Hey," he said casually, as if nothing had changed. But everything had.
My stomach twisted. My heart pounded in my ears. I could not tell if he was judging me like everyone else or trying not to care as much as he did.
The seat beside him was empty. But to me, it felt like walking into a battle. And I did not know what would hurt more. What waited outside the classroom. Or what waited in Liam's eyes.