(it gets less cringe I promise) Him: Determined to save the face of his band as they face stipulation and at the behest of his team, he hires her to act out songs with him during his concerts. He hates speculation and wants to remain anonymous. If someone digs beneath the mask, they will only see the broken shards of a man. An empty hole, is her laughter and soft heart enough to make him face his demons? Her: He took me in when I needed help the most, I'm determined to do this one thing right. In between balancing my medical residency rotations and struggling to afford money for my younger sister's medical bills, what other choice do I have? It doesn't help that he's the only man I ever wished to meet. But the man I dreamed of is much different than the jaded man who not only covers himself physically but emotionally. What will it take to break through his mask?

Ten years ago, Eleanor Ghahremani and Declan Blake only shared one thing in common: mutual irritation. Trapped together in high school Chinese class, their days were filled with sharp banter, dirty jokes she pretended not to laugh at, and a rivalry that felt a little too personal. He was everything she hated-loud, reckless, a hockey player who smelled like trouble. She was everything he couldn't read-brilliant, guarded, unimpressed. Then life happened. Ten years later, Emilia is building a serious career far from the rink. Declan's hockey dreams didn't turn out the way he planned. When they collide again, it's like nothing changed-except the stakes, the scars, and the feelings neither of them ever named. They still hate each other. They still know exactly how to push each other's buttons. And this time, walking away might be harder than falling. (All characters/names/references are fictional)