I flopped onto the bed, covering my face with my hands. How could I let this happen? How could I let him get under my skin like that? I should’ve kept it strictly professional. I knew this wasn’t real—he was just playing a role, and I had gone and turned it into something more in my mind.

The next morning, I woke up to a buzzing sound. My phone was vibrating incessantly on the bedside table. Groaning, I reached for it, only to find a barrage of messages from my mom and sister.

My heart sank as I unlocked the screen. There were pictures. So many pictures. My sister couldn’t believe it, texting me over and over, “Is this real??” And my mom? She was over the moon, raving about how perfect Carter seemed, how proud she was of me. It was like a dream come true for her.

I sat up, running a hand through my hair as I tried to calm them both down. I texted my sister with vague reassurances, and to my mom, I told her not to get too excited just yet. But it wasn’t enough to stop the flood of messages. They were convinced that this was it—that Carter was “the one.”

Once I finally managed to settle them down, I took a deep breath and did what I’d been putting off. I went online to see the pictures for myself.

The moment I opened the article, I froze.

There we were—Carter and me—dressed to the nines, looking like the perfect couple. I couldn’t deny it. The pictures were breathtaking. We looked amazing together, as if we were truly lost in the moment, completely smitten with each other.

But something was off. The kiss. The one moment that had sparked everything... wasn’t there.

I stared at the screen, my heart racing. The world was witnessing a romantic fairy tale, not the complicated mess it truly was. Yet, even knowing it was all a facade, I couldn’t shake the guilt that suddenly overwhelmed me. The harsh words I’d hurled at Carter echoed in my mind. I’d accused him of using me, but the images of the kiss were nowhere to be found. 

I needed to apologize; I had thrown wild accusations at Carter that never materialized. I sank back into the pillows, the weight of everything crashing down on me. What had I done? And more importantly... how was I going to make this right.