A Heartbeat Out Of Contract

Chapter 1: The Boy I Would Rather Push Into Traffic

Isabella Reyes had a clear plan for college: keep her grades high, keep her circle small, and stay at least a hundred miles away from Noah Bennett.

Noah was the kind of guy who could stroll into a lecture ten minutes late, smile at the professor, and somehow get thanked for showing up. He was charming in the deeply inconvenient way that made people forgive him before he had even done anything. Isabella, who believed preparation was a personality trait, found him unbearable.

Their rivalry might have stayed harmless if the campus rumour mill hadn't decided they were secretly dating.

It started with one blurry photo from a crowded party. Isabella was reaching past Noah for a glass of water, he was laughing, and someone posted it with a caption that made it look like a confession. By Monday morning, half their year had decided they were the new campus couple.

"Tell them it isn't true," Isabella said, cornering Noah outside the student café.

"I could," he replied, far too pleased with himself. "But you look like you're about to declare war, and honestly, this is more entertaining."

"I will personally make sure you regret every breath you've taken near me."

"See? Chemistry."

They should have corrected the rumour. Instead, when a classmate asked if they were together, Noah looked at Isabella with an innocent smile and said, "We're figuring things out."

Isabella stared at him. He mouthed, Trust me.

She absolutely did not.

Later, he found her sitting on the library steps, arms crossed and expression lethal. He offered a deal: pretend to date for three weeks, let the rumour fade naturally, and neither of them would have to explain the photo to every curious person on campus.

"No," she said immediately.

"Then let's make it interesting. Whoever catches feelings first loses."

Isabella laughed once. "You think I'd fall for you?"

"I think you hate losing more than you hate me."

That was the problem. He was right.

She agreed to the bet, with rules: no real jealousy, no unnecessary touching, no lying to each other, and absolutely no catching feelings.

Noah promised to follow every rule.

His grin suggested he had already found a loophole.