'If we pretend to be a couple, I might make you mine for real.' When sweet Samantha fakes a relationship with her sarcastic roommate, she never suspects that he might not be pretending at all. 21-year-old Samantha is a broke influencer struggling with insecure thoughts. No one knows that behind her bubbly smile, she numbs her self-doubts with substance abuse and online likes. But a steamy encounter with a witty bartender starts a chemistry too strong to ignore. And when circumstances force them to live under the same roof, resisting each other is painfully impossible. The only way out? Fake an online relationship and make more money to get the hell out. The only problem? While she promises herself not to fall in love, he does everything to change her mind.

Zach Westbrook was my best friend-and the boy I'd secretly loved since forever. Until he said the one thing I was never supposed to hear. So I did what any heartbroken, humiliated girl would do. I ghosted him. Ditched the university we both planned to attend. And left without looking back. Our friendship ended the day I left town. Or so I thought. Three years later, I'm back. Not because I want to be, but because family comes first-and unfortunately, that means transferring to Ridgewater University. The same school Zach owns like a second skin. Still hot. Still cocky. Still the campus golden boy with a hockey stick. And still the last person I want to deal with. But I'm not the shy, awkward girl he used to know. I've changed. I've moved on. I'm no longer the girl who used to follow him around like a lost puppy. This time, I'm not the one getting benched.