Clara's POV
The walk from the field to the boutique was quiet.
Caleb walked beside me, his hands in his pockets, eyes fixed ahead like he was thinking hard about something.
I wanted to ask him again what Fabian had said earlier, but I didn't.
He'd already brushed it off with a quick lie, and I didn't want to sound desperate.
My chest still ached from the argument with Trisha.
Her voice kept echoing in my head, the way she'd laughed when she called me a slut.
I hated that her words still had power over me.
The boutique sat at the corner of the street, a small place with a pink signboard that had lost some color from the sun.
The glass door chimed softly when we stepped in. The smell of new fabric mixed with air freshener filled the room.
Caleb moved around like he'd been there before.
I stood near a rack of skirts, touching the material without really seeing it.
My mind was still running wild about Fabian, about what Caleb refused to talk about, and about how everyone in that school seemed to be playing a game I didn't understand.
"You should try this," Caleb said suddenly, pulling out a cream-colored top. "It'll look good on you."
I stared at it for a moment before taking it. "You think so?"
He nodded. "You need to stop hiding behind those big hoodies. You're allowed to shine, Clara."
Something in his tone made me look up.
His eyes were soft, not teasing, not pitying, just… real. I turned away quickly and went into the small fitting room.
When I looked in the mirror, I froze.
The top fit perfectly, hugging me in all the right places. It was simple but elegant, and for the first time, I didn't feel like the invisible girl everyone ignored. I felt… seen.
I stepped out slowly. Caleb was scrolling through his phone but looked up when he heard me. His eyes widened just a little, and he gave a low whistle.
"You look beautiful but try the others."
I tried other dresses, Caleb kept rejecting.
Finally he handed me a bikini. I had never thought of how I'd look in a bikini.
I collected it and went straight to the fitting room.
I tried it on, it looked good. My mind went to Fabian instantly. This is what he loved to see.
I couldn't fix the upper hook. I peeped outside the door, I didn't see the attendant.
Only Caleb sat, his eyes fixed on his phone.
"Caleb could you help me," I whispered
Caleb came into the fitting room. The room became smaller. I felt something different.
Caleb stared at me through the mirror.
His lips parted... I could see from his eyes that he was short of words.
He came closer and help me with the hook, but his fingers brushed my waist. I felt something like an electric move in my body.
It almost seemed intentional.
We stared at each through the mirror.
The door bell rang and Caleb left the fitting room.
Finally, I could breathe. It felt like I had held my breath all the while he was there.
I wore my old clothes and stepped out of the fitting room.
I saw Fabian standing opposite Caleb. They stared at each other like they had seen a ghost.
I stood there confused, then Fabian's eyes fell me. He leaned forward toward Caleb and whispered something inaudible.
He looked at me again and smirked before turning to leave the boutique.
I turned to Caleb. "What did he say?"
Caleb stared at him as he walked out.
His eyes finally fell on me.
"Nothing, you don't need to bother about it." He picked up the clothes I had tried on, "Is this all," He said trying to divert my attention
"Yes," I replied, "we can go now.
The rest of the evening, that moment replayed in my head over and over. Fabian's eyes, the look in Caleb's eyes, the lie that slipped out and Trisha's confrontation.
The next morning, I stood in front of the mirror again.
This time, I wasn't hiding. I'd paired the cream top with a short black skirt and white sneakers.
I let my hair fall freely over my shoulders. My heart pounded, not from fear, but something close to excitement.
Caleb was waiting for me outside. When he saw me, he smiled, that same quiet smile that always seemed to calm me down.
"You ready?" he asked.
"As I'll ever be," I said.
We walked into the school together.
Everywhere we passed, heads turned. Whispers followed. Some people stared openly; others pretended not to.
I could feel their eyes on me, but for once, I didn't care.
Caleb's hand brushed mine. Then, without saying anything, he took it.
My stomach flipped. We walked through the hallway hand in hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.
When I glanced ahead, I saw Fabian. He was standing by his locker with Trisha beside him.
His mouth actually dropped when he saw us. Trisha's smile faltered.
For a second, I felt powerful. Then Fabian's eyes darkened, and I looked away.
At lunch, we went to the school diner. We slid into a seat by the window.
"This feels weird," I said, laughing nervously.
He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because everyone's probably watching."
He leaned closer, his voice low. "Good. Let them watch."
My heart skipped. I knew what he meant, this was part of the act, the fake dating plan.
But the way he looked at me didn't feel fake at all.
We just talked, about school, football, random things that didn't matter.
He made me laugh. I didn't even realize how relaxed I'd become until I looked up and saw Fabian sitting a few tables away with Trisha.
Trisha had her arm looped around his. She was talking, but Fabian wasn't listening. His eyes were on me.
Caleb noticed. He gave a slow smile, then turned to me.
"You know, if we're going to make this believable…"
Before I could ask what he meant, he leaned across the table and kissed me.
My breath caught.
It wasn't a long kiss; soft, warm, and unexpected. But it felt real. Too real.
For a moment, the noise around us disappeared. It was just him and me.
When he pulled back, he smiled like it was nothing. "That should do it," he said lightly.
I tried to laugh, but my chest felt tight.
Because for me, it hadn't been part of the act. Not completely.
We talked a little longer, though the words didn't flow as easily anymore.
My mind kept replaying that kiss, the way he'd looked at me right before it happened.
Then his phone buzzed on the table.
It was instinct, I glanced at it before I could stop myself.
The message preview flashed for just a second.
From Fabian: I know your secret from your former school…
My eyes widened.
Before I could read the rest, Caleb picked up the phone quickly. His face changed.
"I have to take this," he said, standing up.
"Caleb, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, just give me a second."
He walked out before I could say more.
I sat there, my mind racing. Your secret from your former school.
What did Fabian know? What secret?
My heart pounded as I looked toward Fabian's table. He wasn't pretending anymore.
His eyes met mine, cold and steady.
Then he dropped his phone on the table, pulled Trisha closer, and kissed her.
Right there.
I froze.
Everything around me blurred. The music, the chatter, even the smell of fries and milkshake.
It all disappeared under the weight of one thought.
Caleb was hiding something.
And Fabian knew exactly what it was.