Jane pushed open the door to the hostel room, her bag sliding off her shoulder and landing with a soft thud on the floor.
The room was dim, just the glow of Mia's laptop screen casting light across her face as she sat cross-legged on her bed, fingers flying over the keyboard.
She glanced up. "Hey. You're back late."
"Yeah." Jane's voice came out flat, distant.
Mia's fingers paused. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You okay?"
"Fine."
"Jane."
"I'm fine, Mia."
But even as she said it, Jane moved toward her bed like she was carrying weight she couldn't name.
Her shoulders were tight. Her movements stiff.
Mia watched her for a moment, then closed her laptop slowly. "Uh-huh. That's the third 'fine' in ten seconds. Try again."
Jane didn't respond. She just grabbed her towel and headed for the bathroom. "I'm gonna shower."
The door closed behind her.
Mia sat there, staring at the spot Jane had been standing, her expression shifting from curious to concerned.
Something was definitely wrong.
Twenty minutes later, Jane emerged, hair damp, dressed in an oversized hoodie and sweatpants.
She looked cleaner, but not better.
Mia was still sitting on her bed, now scrolling through her phone, but her attention snapped back to Jane the second she walked in.
"Feel better?"
"Yeah."
"Liar."
Jane sighed, sitting down on her own bed and pulling her knees up to her chest. "I'm just tired, okay?"
"You're not just tired." Mia set her phone down, turning fully toward Jane. "You look like someone just told you the café is closing forever."
Jane's lips twitched, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "It's not that."
"Then what is it?"
"Nothing."
"Jane."
"Mia, drop it."
"Not a chance." Mia shifted, leaning forward. "You've been weird since you got back. And don't think I didn't notice you were late. You're never late like this."
Jane didn't answer. She just stared at her hands, fingers twisting together.
Mia's voice softened. "Hey. Talk to me. What happened?"
For a long moment, Jane was silent.
Then, quietly: "I did something stupid."
Mia blinked. "Okay. How stupid are we talking? Like 'forgot to lock the café' stupid or 'accidentally joined a cult' stupid?"
Jane almost laughed. Almost. "Somewhere in between."
"Now I'm worried."
Jane exhaled slowly, then looked up, meeting Mia's eyes. "I agreed to be someone's fake girlfriend."
Mia froze.
Then her eyes widened. "What?"
"I know."
"Wait, wait, wait." Mia held up her hands, her brain clearly scrambling to process. "Fake girlfriend? Like... pretend dating? That's a real thing people do?"
"Apparently."
"Who—" Mia stopped mid-sentence, her expression shifting as realization dawned. "Oh my God Don't Tell Me... Is it Dr. Fancy Car?"
Jane's face flushed. "Don't call her that."
"It IS her!" Mia's voice jumped an octave, half shock, half excitement. "Jane! Are you serious right now?"
"Mia—"
"Wait, no, back up. Start from the beginning. How did this even happen?" Mia scooted to the edge of her bed, eyes wide and locked on Jane like she was watching the season finale of her favorite show.
Jane groaned, burying her face in her hands. "It's a long story."
"I've got time."
Jane sighed, then slowly, reluctantly, began to explain.
The hospital. The coffee delivery. Sophia's stepmother showing up. The lie. The panic. The moment Sophia grabbed her arm and said—
"My girlfriend," Mia repeated, eyes sparkling. "She called you her girlfriend."
"To get her stepmother off her back. It's not real, Mia."
"But she chose YOU."
"Because I was there."
"Or," Mia said, leaning forward with a grin, "because she's been thinking about you this whole time and panicked and you were the first person who came to mind."
Jane shook her head. "That's not—"
"Jane." Mia's tone was serious now, but her eyes were still bright. "I've been saying this since the night she almost hit you with her car. There's something there."
"There's nothing."
"You don't believe that."
Jane looked away.
Mia's voice softened. "You like her."
Jane's chest tightened. "It doesn't matter."
"It does if you're about to pretend to date her."
"It's just one dinner. Maybe two. Then it's over."
"And you think you can just... walk away after that?"
Jane didn't answer.
Mia watched her for a long moment, then sighed, her excitement dimming into something more careful. "Jane. I love that you're helping her. I do. And honestly? I've been shipping you two since day one."
Jane looked up, surprised. "You have?"
"Are you kidding? The way she looked at you at the café? The way you couldn't stop talking about her after she took you in that night?" Mia shook her head. "I saw it coming a mile away."
Jane's throat felt tight. "Then why do you look worried?"
Mia hesitated, then reached over, resting a hand on Jane's knee. "Because this is pretend for her. But it's not pretend for you."
The words hit like a stone dropping into still water.
Jane's breath caught.
"I just—" Mia's voice was gentle now, almost sad. "I don't want you to get hurt. You have a good heart, Jane. You help people even when it costs you. But this?" She squeezed Jane's knee. "This could cost you more than you think."
Jane swallowed hard, her eyes stinging. "I know."
"Then why are you doing it?"
"Because..." Jane's voice wavered. "Because she looked like she was drowning. And I couldn't just walk away."
Mia's expression softened completely. "You really do like her, don't you?"
Jane nodded, barely.
"Does she know?"
"No. And she can't."
Mia sighed, pulling her hand back. "This is going to end badly, isn't it?"
"Probably."
They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of the conversation settling between them.
Then Mia spoke, quieter now. "For what it's worth? I think she'd be lucky to have you. For real."
Jane smiled, but it was fragile. "Thanks, Mia."
"Just... promise me you'll be careful. Protect your heart, okay?"
"I'll try."
Mia gave her a long look, then flopped back onto her bed with a dramatic sigh. "Well, at least if this goes south, we'll have one hell of a story."
Jane laughed softly, the sound shaky but real. "Yeah. I guess we will."
She lay down on her own bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Her phone buzzed.
She picked it up.
**Sophia.**
*"Thank you. For today. I owe you more than an explanation."*
Jane stared at the message for a long time.
Then, slowly, she typed back:
*"You're welcome. We'll figure it out."*
She hit send.
Then set the phone down and closed her eyes.
Mia's voice drifted over from the other bed, softer now. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Jane whispered.
But she wasn't sure if that was true.