Milan Ren Vaughn and Kairo Benton have spent months turning their apartment hallway into a silent warzone. She's convinced he's loud, messy, and allergic to respecting her peace, while he swears she was born to complain about anything he does. Their neighbors know the tension. Management knows the tension. And Christmas is the only thing keeping the building from falling apart. So when the manager assigns them to co-run the annual Christmas charity event, neither of them takes it well. Still, the holidays won't wait, the toy drive needs saving, and someone has to hang the lights - even if it means working side by side with the one person they can't stand. But as the season settles in, something unexpected begins slipping through the cracks. Late nights of planning feel calmer than they should. Their banter softens. The glow of the holiday lights makes everything seem a little less harsh, and a little more... possible. Moments that should've meant nothing start to feel like something they can't explain. They promised their truce would end after Christmas. But the holidays have a funny way of revealing gifts you never knew you needed - especially when they're wrapped in the person living right next door.

Completed • First Draft - not edited. || "You gonna sit there all night?" Luka glances at me, smirking. I glare back. "I was enjoying the last few seconds of peace before having to spend an evening pretending to like you." "That's funny," he says, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Why?" I snap. "Because I was thinking the same thing." || The rules? Easy enough. 1. Pretend to be the perfect couple. 2. Keep it professional. 3. And whatever you do, don't. catch. feelings. Simple, right? Sofia Calloway never planned on going viral for throwing a drink in Luka Mikhaylov's face. But one video, one pissed-off hockey star, and one furious university later... she's suddenly stuck in a fake relationship with the guy she can't stand. He needs to clean up his image before the NHL draft. She needs the free tuition that comes with the deal. All they have to do is smile for the cameras, hold hands at the games, and act like they don't want to strangle each other. Then come the late-night arguments that last too long. The stolen glances that feel too dangerous. The moment where "pretend" starts looking way too real. Because when you break the rules, someone's bound to lose. And this time, it might be both of them.

𝙇𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 4 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣', 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 '𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚.

Before Kelsey, before Paris. The Carter boys were following in the foot steps of their dad. Making a come up for themselves they planned to exceed their fathers reputation in the streets. Building an Empire from scratch.