Chapter 6 Chapter 6

Summer POV:

A loud, insistent knocking rattled against the front door, jolting me awake.

I blinked, trying to focus in the dim morning light, and fumbled for my phone on the nightstand. The clock read 6:15 AM.

“Who the hell is banging on the door like that?” I muttered, my voice rough with sleep.

I hauled myself out of bed, still sore and heavy from yesterday’s emotional mess—and shuffled downstairs in my faded gray sweatpants and oversize sweatshirt. My hair was a complete disaster, so I grabbed my thick black-rimmed glasses on the way so I could at least see.

Who the hell knocks at someone else's door at 6? Don't they have a house? What sort of jobless fool is this I kicked my feet angrily in the air.

Before I even reached the bottom of the stairs, the front door opened. My mom stood there in her floral bathrobe, coffee mug in hand, frozen in place as she stared out onto the porch.

“Summer?” she called, sounding equal parts confused and stunned. She glanced up at me. “Sweetie… There's a very large young handsome man on our porch. He’s asking for you.”

My stomach dropped. What man? I don't know any guy except Brooks and…..

No. No way. It’s six in the morning.

The realisation kicked in.

I hurried down the rest of the stairs and pushed past her, leaning around the doorframe. My breath caught.

Ace Hunters was standing on our porch like he owned the place.

He leaned casually against the railing with a silver travel mug in one hand, looking ridiculously put-together in a dark green varsity hockey jacket, black jeans, and a backward baseball cap. A few strands of dark hair fell across his forehead. He looked awake, alert, and annoyingly hot.

Hot? Get yourself together, Summer!

The second his cool gray eyes met mine, a slow smirk spread across his face.

“Morning, sunshine,” he said, voice low and gravelly.

Face burning, I lunged forward, grabbed his arm, and dragged him off the porch and down the steps before my mom could say anything else.

“Are you out of your mind?!” I hissed, keeping my voice low. “Why are you here? It’s six o’clock! And how do you even know where I live?”

I said, immediately we were outside.

Ace didn’t seem bothered at all. He just looked me over—messy hair, oversized sweatshirt, baggy sweatpants—and let out a low whistle, his smirk turning into a full grin.

Then he smiled, a long smile that brought out his cheeks.

“Damn. Looks like you got caught in a hurricane,” he teased, eyes sparkling with amusement. “Nice glasses, though. Very studious.” He paused his lips, trying not to make it obvious that he wanted to laugh.

I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt and crossed my arms. “I look like this because normal people are still asleep right now, Hunters. Answer the question, why are you here? ”

“I’m here because of our deal,” he said, leaning back against his matte-black Jeep. “You said yes yesterday, so today’s day one. I wanted to start it right.”

“By nearly giving my mom a heart attack and showing up before coffee?” I let out a sharp laugh. “This was a huge mistake. Massive mistake. What have I gotten myself into? Oh my god.” I hit my left palm on my temple, pausing my lips in anger.

“Relax,” Ace chuckled. He stepped closer, into my space, and the clean scent of his cologne hit me. He put a warm hand on my shoulder. “If we’re going to sell this to my brother and the whole campus, we’ve got to actually act like a couple. That means I pick my girlfriend up for class.”

I looked up at him, my throat suddenly dry. He was so close it made my brain short-circuit a little.

“But look at me, Ace,” I whispered, gesturing at my rumpled state. “If anyone sees me like this with the varsity captain, they’ll think you’re doing charity work. Taylor’s going to love it. Let's just skip this part, please”

His expression softened. “Taylor doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” He dropped his hand. “But yeah, we should make an entrance today. Go shower and put on something decent. I brought you a hot vanilla latte—it’s in the Jeep.”

I blinked. “You got me coffee?”

“I’m your fake boyfriend, Summer, not a complete jerk,” he smirked. “Go get ready. We leave in twenty.”

I stared at him for another second, then turned and headed back inside, grabbing the latte on the way. As I climbed the stairs to my room, a tiny smile slipped onto my face despite myself.

This was completely insane.

But for the first time since Brooks shattered everything, I didn’t feel invisible.

I felt a little dangerous.

Maybe, this wasn't actually a bad idea. Right?

The leather interior of Ace’s matte-black Jeep smelled like expensive cologne and fresh coffee. I sat stiffly in the plush leather seat, my fingers tightly gripping the warm cardboard of the vanilla latte he had bought me.

I had actually taken his advice. After dragging myself upstairs, I had showered in record time and thrown on a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans and a soft, cream-colored knit sweater that actually fit my frame instead of drowning it. I’d left my thick reading glasses in my bag, opting for my contacts, and let my hair fall around my shoulders in loose, damp waves. I still felt entirely out of my depth, but at least I didn't look like a walking natural disaster anymore.

“You look good, sweetheart,” Ace murmured, his gray eyes quickly darting over to me before refocusing on the morning traffic. He spun the steering wheel effortlessly with one hand, his thick wrist exposed where his varsity jacket sleeve was pushed up. “Told you a little effort goes a long way.”

“Don't get used to it,” I muttered, taking a defensive sip of my latte. “This is a business transaction, remember? I’m not dressing up for you.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” he smirked, a low chuckle vibrating in his chest.

Before I could fire back another sarcastic retort, the sharp, aggressive blare of my phone’s ringtone shattered the quiet cabin.

I dug into my purse, pulling out the screen to see ALI flashing in bright letters.

I quickly hit accept and pressed the phone to my ear.

“Hey, Ali, I’m actually in the….”

“Summer! What the actual, flying hell is going on?!” Ali’s voice exploded so loudly I had to physically pull the phone an inch away from my ear. She didn't even give me a chance to breathe. “I just saw your text message. You and Ace Hunters are a thing now? As in, dating?!”

My heart stopped. I shot a panicked, wide-eyed look at Ace. He didn't even blink, his eyes fixed on the road, but the sudden twitch in his jaw told me he could hear every single word piercing through the quiet car.

“Ali, calm down,” I hissed, dropping my voice to a harsh, desperate whisper. “It’s... it’s true. We’re dating.”