Page 9 of Movers and Fakers

I shrug. “Pretty much. I certainly won’t have to worry about anything for the rest of the semester. And if I help him pass … I mean, I’m set up to be debt-free right out of college.”

My roommate’s expression turns dreamy. “What a life. I wish I were in tech, so I could tutor him. Almost every doctor I’ve talked to during my internship says that they still haven’t paid off med school. I think only the really old ones have.”

I laugh a little at the last part of her sentence.

“Though I think I’d tutor him for free just to stare at him,” Saylor adds with a smirk.

I shake my head. “You haven’t spent any time around him. You’d change your mind real fast. I’m not even sure if a hundred thousand is enough. I probably should have asked for more.”

Saylor laughs. “From what I hear, all he does is flirt with you. I’m here eating peanut butter out of the jar because I can’t even get a guy to go out with me. I think I’d take the risk of being annoyed.”

My lips twitch. “Fair enough. But trust me, you don’t want anything to do with him. He doesn’t have a responsible bone in his body.”

Saylor has said on more than one occasion that stability is one of her top priorities in a husband. Her dad left her when she was young, so she wants to make sure to avoid anyone flighty.

“True,” she concedes. “But he’s very pretty.”

A laugh escapes me. Most guys would hate being called pretty, but I have a feeling Hayes wouldn’t mind. He eats up attention like it’s his favorite food.

“I should go to bed,” Saylor sighs into her jar. “I’m going to regret this tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I should go shower.” I get up off the couch with a soft groan as my muscles protest the movement.

“Hey, Aurora?” Saylor calls out as I get close to my bedroom door. I glance over my shoulder. “Thanks. I needed that chat.”

I try to think of a not-awkward response and settle on “No problem.”

Then I head into my room before she can say anything else. As soon as I’m inside, I grab my laptop off the end of my bed and open it. There’s no sense in putting it off. If I do, I might change my mind, and while staying away from Hayes is good for my sanity, it’s not good for my bank account.

After one last read-through of the simple contract, I sign my name at the bottom and hit submit with my heart in my throat. Seconds later, my phone buzzes.

Prince Charming: How was rehearsal?

I eye the text thread warily. This feels like a trap.

Aurora: Fine.

Prince Charming: You aren’t going to ask me how my day was?

Aurora: Why would I do that?

Prince Charming: Because it’s polite. And here I thought princesses were trained to be well-mannered.

I roll my eyes before typing a reply.

Aurora: What do you want, Hayes? I signed your contract. I’ll look over your schedule tomorrow and pick a date to meet.

Hayes: If I said I want you, would you void our contract?

Aurora: Probably.

Hayes: The fact that you didn’t answer with a definite is all too tempting, but I’m holding back just in case.

“Ridiculous,” I mutter, even though I can feel my lips trying to turn up in a smile.

As I’m deciding whether to reply or not, he sends another message.

Hayes: Gotta go win a fight. See you soon, Princess.