Faking It With The Hockey Star

Harper’s POV

I leaned back against the couch, tapping my finger against the edge of my phone while Justin stared at the screen like it was a personal threat. The color-coded study schedule I had put together was practically glowing against the dim lighting of his living room, but he was doing everything he could to avoid looking directly at it.

"You have exams coming up," I reminded him.

"So do you," he grumbled.

"I have one."

He groaned dramatically, dropping his head back against the cushion. "Of course you do."

"You have several."

"Don’t remind me."

"You still have practice," I added gently.

"I know."

"And media obligations."

"I know."

"And whatever else Coach decides to throw at you."

He let out a long sigh, turning his head to give me a dry look. "You’re enjoying this."

"Maybe," I grinned, turning the phone toward him. "So whether you like it or not, you’re going to be seeing a lot of me."

He looked at the detailed timetable on the screen, then up at me. "I don’t think that’s a punishment."

"Good."

He smiled warmly. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome."

He picked up his phone from the counter. "I’m going to call Coach back."

"Okay."

He stood up, carrying his phone with him, but before he walked away, he leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to my forehead. "Thank you."

I smiled up at him. "Go."

He disappeared into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. I stayed at the table for a moment, watching the hallway. Everything had changed so quickly. A few days ago, Justin had been worried about hockey, scouts, and his athletic future. Now he was trying to figure out what his life even looked like without his father in it.

And yet, he was still here: still studying, still playing hockey, still making plans, and still loving me. That mattered more than anything.

When he returned, we spent the next hour sitting on the couch together, talking through everything we had been avoiding: graduation, exams, hockey, the documentary, and the future.

Justin leaned back against the cushions, resting one arm across the backrest behind me. "So... how are you feeling about the documentary?"

I smiled immediately. "Almost done."

"Almost?"

"Almost."

"You’ve been saying that for days."

"Because I’m a perfectionist."

"You’re terrifying."

"I’m serious!"

"I know," he chuckled, taking my hand in his. "I’m serious too. You haven’t even seen the final cut."

"I don’t need to," he said, interlacing his fingers with mine. "I’ve watched you work on this thing for months. I’ve watched you stay up late editing. I’ve watched you redo entire sequences because one transition wasn’t right."

I laughed softly. "It was a terrible transition."

"It was three seconds."

"It was three important seconds!"

He shook his head, smiling fondness into my eyes. "Exactly."

I smiled, resting my hand in his. "So what are you going to do after graduation?"

He became thoughtful, his gaze drifting toward the window. "Hockey."

I laughed gently. "Obviously."

"No, seriously," he looked back at me, his thumb stroking the back of my hand. "I don’t know exactly what happens next. I have scouts interested, and there’s a lot happening."

"That’s good."

"Yeah," he paused, his expression growing quieter. "But everything feels different now."

I knew what he meant without him having to spell it out. His father, the company, his mother’s legacy, and the heavy weight of the past weeks were all waiting for him.

"You don’t have to figure it all out today," I reminded him softly.

"I know." He looked at me intently. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Your internship offers."

I sighed, leaning back against his arm. "I haven’t chosen one yet."

"Why?"

"Because I want to think about it properly."

"When?"

"This weekend."

He nodded firmly. "Good."

"Why?"

"Because whatever you choose," he squeezed my hand tightly, "I want it to be something you actually want."

I stared at him, touched by the utter sincerity in his eyes. He didn’t mean something that made sense financially, or something that looked impressive on paper, or something that made other people happy. He meant something I truly wanted for myself.

I smiled up at him. "You’re getting very wise."

"Don’t tell Mason."

"Why?"

"He’ll ruin my reputation."

I laughed out loud.

He leaned in closer, his gaze softening. "And after graduation?"

I looked into his eyes. "After graduation..."

I didn’t know the answer, and neither did he. For the first time, there was no neat plan, no fake relationship agreement, no semester deadline, no documentary requirement, and no hockey season dictating our every move. There were just two people standing at the edge of something completely new.

Justin pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me. "We’ll figure it out."

I rested my head comfortably against his shoulder. "Together?"

"Together."

Justin’s fingers moved slowly over mine. "I don’t know what happens with my father now." His voice was quieter than before. "I haven’t really thought about it. And honestly..." He paused, staring down at our joined hands. "I’m not even sure I want to talk to him right now."

I didn’t interrupt, letting him speak at his own pace.

"I just want to stay away from him," he continued, exhaling slowly. "From that house, from everything that has to do with my mom’s company, and all the mess surrounding it. I don’t even want to bother myself with any of it right now."

I squeezed his hand tightly. "Okay."

He looked up, meeting my eyes. "I’m telling you this now because if something comes up later, I don’t want you feeling like you have to tell me to talk to him. Or try to fix things between us."

"I won’t."

"I mean it, Harper."

"I know."

"I just..." He rubbed his thumb gently across my knuckles. "I need that part of my life to stay shut for a while. At least until I graduate. I have enough going on right now."

I nodded without hesitation. "Then that’s what we’ll do. I respect your wishes."

His shoulders relaxed slightly, the tension leaving his body. "Thank you."

We sat quietly for a long moment, enjoying the peace between us. Then he looked at me again, his expression shifting.

"And even though we haven’t heard anything from your department yet about whether they accepted your submission..." He smiled faintly. "I just want you to know something."

"What?"

"I am so so proud of you. You’ve also been my rock through all of this."

My heart tightened with warmth. "Justin..."

"I don’t know what I would’ve done without you," he said, turning fully toward me. "I’m serious. You stayed when everything became ugly. You didn’t run when you saw the worst parts of my life. You were there when I was angry, when I was scared, and when I didn’t know what to do. And you still carried your own personla life issues while still staying by my side"

His eyes softened completely. "I love you, Harper."

I smiled through the heat rising in my chest, feeling tears gather in my eyes. "I love you too."

He pulled me into his arms, wrapping his warmth completely around me. I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady, comforting rhythm of his heartbeat.

For the first time in days, neither of us talked about what could go wrong. We didn’t talk about his father, we didn’t talk about the company, and we didn’t talk about the uncertain future. We just held each other, and for tonight, that was more than enough.

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