A Morning of Mixed Signals

The morning light filtered through the large windows of the house, casting a warm glow over everything. Grace blinked against the brightness, her body stiff from how she had curled up in bed last night, overthinking everything.

Jax's words from the previous night still echoed in her head. She had been crying—God, she hated that she had cried in front of him—and he had tried to comfort her, though in his usual cocky and slightly irritated way. But there was one thing he had said that kept repeating in her mind.

"You signed up for this. So stop overthinking it."

It wasn't even what he had said, but how he had said it. As if he wasn't just talking about the deal. As if he had been talking about them.

She groaned and buried her face in the pillow. She was not going to overthink it.

A knock on the door made her jolt upright.

"Are you alive in there?" Jax's voice, slightly amused, came from the other side.

Grace rolled her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened the door. Jax stood there, looking effortlessly put together in a black T-shirt and sweatpants, his hair a perfect mess. It was unfair how good he looked this early in the morning.

"You take forever to wake up," he commented, walking past her into the room without waiting for an invitation.

"Excuse me?" she huffed. "You just knocked."

He flopped onto the edge of her bed, stretching like he owned the place. "Victoria's coming over in an hour. She wants to go over some things for our 'relationship.'" He made air quotes with his fingers, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

Grace crossed her arms. "Like what?"

"Like making sure you don't look at me like you want to strangle me every time I speak," Jax smirked.

Grace scoffed. "That won't be easy."

Jax smirked, but then his gaze flickered over her—her messy hair, her oversized sleep shirt, the way she was standing with her arms crossed. For just a second, something in his expression changed. It was subtle, almost unreadable.

Heat rushed to Grace's cheeks. She turned away, pretending to fix the blanket on the bed. "I should get ready."

"Yeah," Jax said slowly, standing up. He stretched again, muscles flexing under his shirt. "Better hurry. We wouldn't want Victoria thinking we hate each other."

With that, he left, leaving Grace standing there, feeling more confused than ever.

By the time Victoria arrived, Grace was showered, dressed, and mostly mentally prepared. But of course, nothing could truly prepare her for sitting next to Jax on the couch while Victoria analyzed their every move.

"You guys need to act natural around each other," Victoria said, pacing the living room. "Right now, it still feels... staged."

Grace shot a look at Jax. He was lounging on the couch like he couldn't care less, scrolling through his phone. He didn't even glance at Victoria.

"I wonder why," Grace muttered sarcastically.

Jax smirked. "I heard that."

Victoria sighed. "You need to at least try to look like a couple. So, let's start with something simple. Grace, put your hand on Jax's arm."

Grace hesitated, then reached out, resting her hand lightly on his forearm.

"Like you mean it," Victoria instructed.

Jax lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah, babe, like you mean it."

Grace glared at him but curled her fingers slightly, feeling the warmth of his skin under her touch. It was such a small thing, but it felt strangely... intimate.

Victoria clapped her hands. "Better. Now, I want you to spend the rest of the day out together. Somewhere public."

Jax groaned. "Seriously?"

"Yes," Victoria said firmly. "You need to be seen together. Go grab coffee or something. Act like a couple. And do not mess this up."

She turned to Grace. "And don't let him push you around."

Jax smirked. "She already does that on her own."

Grace punched his arm.

Victoria sighed. "God help me."

Half an hour later, Grace and Jax were walking through the city, side by side. The sun was bright, the streets were crowded, and Grace was very aware of how not normal this was.

People were looking at them. Some whispering, some staring, some taking photos. The attention made her stomach twist.

Jax, of course, didn't seem to care.

"Relax," he murmured, barely moving his lips. "The more you act like you belong here, the less they'll bother you."

"That's easy for you to say," Grace muttered back. "You do belong here."

Jax didn't respond right away. Instead, he took her hand—just casually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Grace stiffened but didn't pull away.

And then—because of course, nothing could ever go smoothly—someone called out from behind them.

"Jax! Hey, Jax!"

Grace turned just as three guys rushed toward them. But these weren't paparazzi. They looked like fans—excited, practically buzzing with energy.

One of them shoved a phone in Jax's face. "Dude, is it true? Are you dating her?"

Grace felt her stomach drop. Jax barely flinched.

"Yeah," he said smoothly, tightening his grip on Grace's hand. "This is my girlfriend. I hope you guys can respect that and, you know, let us enjoy our coffee."

The guys freaked out—laughing, taking photos, already typing on their phones.

Grace leaned in slightly. "Did you really have to say that?" she whispered.

Jax smirked down at her. "What? Isn't that the whole point of this?"

She wanted to argue, but before she could, someone else stepped closer.

It wasn't a fan.

It was a woman. Mid-thirties. Dressed in professional but casual clothes, like she worked for a magazine. She wasn't smiling.

"Grace, right?" the woman said, eyes sharp. "How long have you and Jax really been together?"

Grace tensed. "Uh—"

Jax pulled her in closer, his arm slipping around her waist. "We're not doing interviews today," he said coolly.

The woman wasn't fazed. "People are saying you two just met. That this whole thing feels... convenient."

Jax's grip on her tightened. "If you're gonna spread rumors, at least make them interesting."

The woman smirked, pulling out her phone. "Don't worry. We will."

And just like that, she walked away.

Grace swallowed hard. "That was bad, right?"

Jax exhaled through his nose. "That was very bad."

For the first time, he actually looked concerned. And somehow, that scared Grace more than anything else.