Chapter Four: A Proposal (and a Laugh)

Leo couldn't shake the conversation with Adrian. A fake dating scheme? It sounded ridiculous, but the more he thought about it, the more it made an annoying kind of sense. If anyone could get under Kai's skin, it was Adrian. And if Kai was distracted, maybe Leo could finally spend more time with Ethan without feeling like he was being watched by a hawk.

But that didn't mean it would be easy.

When he found Adrian in the art room the next afternoon, the other boy was perched on a stool, sketching lazily on a large canvas. He didn't look up when Leo walked in.

"Back so soon, new kid?" Adrian said, his voice laced with amusement.

Leo ignored the nickname. "I've been thinking about your… proposal."

Adrian paused mid-sketch, then set his pencil down and turned to face Leo, his trademark smirk firmly in place. "Oh? And?"

Leo crossed his arms. "I'll do it."

Adrian raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying himself. "Really? That didn't take long. Desperate to get closer to Ethan, huh?"

"It's not about being desperate," Leo shot back. "I just think you might be right. If this gets Kai to back off, it's worth a shot."

Adrian chuckled, leaning back against the table. "Well, well. I didn't think you'd actually agree. This is going to be fun."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Can you stop making this sound like some kind of game? If we're doing this, we have to make it convincing."

Adrian tilted his head, pretending to consider it. "Fine. We'll make it convincing. But first, you've got to answer one question."

"What question?"

Adrian's green eyes sparkled mischievously. "How far are you willing to go to sell this? Hand-holding? Flirting? Kissing?"

Leo's face flushed. "What?!"

"You heard me." Adrian grinned, clearly enjoying Leo's discomfort. "If we're fake dating, we have to look the part. Otherwise, Kai's not going to buy it."

Leo groaned. He hadn't thought this far ahead. "I don't know. Let's just… take it one step at a time, okay?"

Adrian laughed, the sound low and rich. "Relax, new kid. I'm just messing with you. Mostly."

Leo glared at him. "Can you be serious for five seconds?"

Adrian straightened, though his smirk didn't disappear entirely. "Alright, alright. Here's how it works: we hang out in public, make sure people see us together, and drop a few hints that we're… involved."

"Involved," Leo repeated flatly.

"You know, like dating," Adrian said, as if it were obvious. "Kai's not an idiot. If he doesn't believe it, this whole thing falls apart."

"Fine," Leo said reluctantly. "But no over-the-top stuff. We keep it simple."

Adrian shrugged. "Whatever you say, boyfriend."

Leo groaned again. This was going to be a nightmare.

The next day, the plan went into motion.

It started small: Leo and Adrian walked into the cafeteria together, laughing over some joke Adrian had made. (Okay, fine, Leo had actually laughed—it wasn't his fault Adrian was funny in a sarcastic, ridiculous kind of way.)

Ethan waved them over to the usual table, but the moment they sat down, Kai's eyes zeroed in on Adrian like a laser.

"What's he doing here?" Kai asked, his voice icy.

"Relax, Kai," Adrian said smoothly. "I'm not here to steal your lunch."

Kai's gaze flicked to Leo, narrowing. "Is this your idea?"

Leo met his glare head-on, determined not to falter. "Adrian and I were hanging out. Is that a problem?"

Kai didn't answer, but the tension between him and Adrian crackled like a live wire. Ethan, oblivious as ever, broke the silence with a cheerful smile.

"That's great! Adrian doesn't usually hang out with anyone after school. You must be rubbing off on him, Leo."

Adrian chuckled. "He's got a certain charm, doesn't he?"

Leo shot him a warning look, but Adrian ignored it, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied expression.

Kai's jaw tightened. "Whatever this is, it won't last."

Adrian raised an eyebrow, his smirk deepening. "Care to place a bet on that?"

"Kai," Ethan said, frowning, "don't be rude."

Kai didn't respond, but the look he gave Leo spoke volumes: I'm watching you.

By the end of the day, word had spread through the school: Leo and Adrian were officially a "thing."

Leo found out when a girl in his history class leaned over and whispered, "You and Adrian, huh? Never would've guessed."

He groaned inwardly. This was happening faster than he'd expected.

After school, he cornered Adrian by the lockers.

"This is getting out of hand," Leo said.

Adrian looked up from his sketchbook, unbothered. "What did you expect? Westwood loves gossip. You and me? We're prime material."

Leo sighed. "Just… don't overdo it, okay?"

Adrian grinned. "Relax, boyfriend. I've got this under control."

Leo wasn't so sure, but it was too late to back out now.

As Adrian walked away, a part of Leo couldn't help but wonder if he'd just unleashed something far more dangerous than Kai's overprotective nature: Adrian's chaotic energy.

And, strangely, he wasn't entirely mad about it.