Veiled Intentions    

A deep sigh escaped him. 

A normal life, he pondered. Staring into Seraphina's eyes, he knew that his life would never be the same again.

Despite acknowledging the truth in Seraphina's words, Xin couldn't shake off the lingering doubts clouding his mind. 

Why couldn't she just say they were friends? Why did it have to be framed as an intimate relationship? Was it to ensure the others backed off completely, or was there something more to it that he couldn't grasp?

The confusion gnawed at him, but Seraphina had already made her declaration to the entire school, and Xin found himself entangled in the web of her lie. 

Reluctantly, he realized that his best course of action was to go along with it. She was doing this for him, after all.

"Besides," Seraphina said, her gaze piercing his soul, "both of us are single . . . or is there someone that you're interested in right now?"