Chapter 6
By the end of the weekend, Sabrina understood two things very clearly.
First, the internet had completely lost its mind.
Second, fake dating Lucas Cooper was going to be far more exhausting than she originally thought.
Everywhere she looked, there were photos of them.
Leaving the restaurant.
Getting into the SUV.
Lucas's hand against her back.
Her laughing at something he'd said outside the entrance.
The edits somehow got worse too.
People online had started calling them "Labrina," which sounded less like a celebrity couple name and more like a prescription medication.
Even Chloe was invested now.
"You guys looked disgustingly attractive together," she announced Monday morning while making coffee in their tiny kitchen. "Like old money and unresolved emotional trauma."
Sabrina stared at her.
"You need help."
"I need chapter updates. Did he touch your waist again?"
"It was for the cameras."
"Mhm."
Sabrina grabbed a banana off the counter before Chloe could continue.
The restaurant dinner had gone better than expected, mostly because Lucas had done exactly what Adrian wanted.
He'd looked attentive.
Interested.
Protective.
Every headline Monday morning reflected it.
LUCAS COOPER ALL SMILES WITH NEW MYSTERY GIRL
HAS HOLLYWOOD'S FAVORITE HEARTbrEAKER FINALLY SETTLED DOWN?
WHO IS SAbrINA SANDERS?
That last one was particularly terrifying.
Because people had apparently decided Sabrina's entire life was public property now.
Someone online had found her college photography page from two years ago. Another account reposted photos from her Instagram alongside captions analyzing her outfits like she was suddenly a fashion influencer instead of a woman barely affording groceries three weeks ago.
It felt surreal. And invasive.
Mostly invasive.
Her phone buzzed against the counter.
Lucas.
Just his name popping up unexpectedly somehow made her stand straighter.
Annoying.
"What?" she answered.
"You answer calls aggressively."
"You call without warning."
"I texted first."
Sabrina checked her phone.
Three minutes earlier:
Lucas: Adrian scheduled something Wednesday.
"...That barely counts as a warning."
"It counted enough."
She could practically hear the faint amusement in his voice.
A dangerous development.
Sabrina leaned against the kitchen counter. "What's Wednesday?"
"A charity event."
"Another one?"
"That's usually how this works."
She rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see it. "You really know how to make fake dating sound romantic."
"I'm not trying to sound romantic."
Right.
Because Lucas Cooper approached emotions like they were active crime scenes.
"What's the event?"
"Children's hospital fundraiser."
A pause.
Then:
"You don't have to stay long if you're uncomfortable."
The comment surprised her slightly.
"You think I hate children?"
"I think you hate cameras."
"...Fair."
Another small silence settled between them.
Not awkward exactly.
Just unfamiliar.
Sabrina realized suddenly that this was the first time they'd spoken without Adrian involved or paparazzi nearby.
And somehow, without all the noise around him, Lucas sounded different again.
Softer, maybe.
Or just less guarded.
"You're quieter on the phone," she said before thinking.
"And you talk too much."
"There he is."
His low laugh crackled briefly through the speaker before disappearing.
Again, it caught her off guard.
Lucas laughing felt strangely rare. Like seeing sunlight during a thunderstorm.
"You're working today?" he asked.
"Unfortunately."
"What time do you finish?"
Sabrina frowned slightly. "Why?"
"I need to pick you up Wednesday. Adrian wants us arriving together."
"You could've just asked for my schedule like a normal person."
"I'm working on my people skills."
"I can tell. Tremendous progress."
Another quiet laugh.
This one lasted slightly longer.
Sabrina smiled before she could stop herself.
Which was exactly the moment Chloe walked back into the kitchen and saw her face.
"Oh my God," Chloe mouthed dramatically.
Sabrina immediately wiped the expression away.
"No, six," she answered quickly into the phone. "I finish at six."
"Okay."
There was a pause like he almost said something else.
Then:
"Don't read Twitter today."
The warning immediately made her nervous.
"Why?"
"Just trust me."
"Lucas."
Too late.
The line disconnected.
Sabrina stared at her phone suspiciously.
Chloe leaned across the counter instantly. "You smiled."
"I did not."
"You literally looked soft."
"I looked tired."
"You like him."
Sabrina grabbed her bag aggressively. "I'm leaving."
Unfortunately, Lucas's warning made sense approximately forty minutes later.
Because halfway through her shift at the hotel, Chloe came sprinting into the kitchen looking horrified.
"Sabrina."
That tone never meant anything good.
"What now?"
Chloe shoved her phone toward her.
Sabrina nearly dropped the tray she was holding.
A paparazzi photo filled the screen.
Lucas leaving a nightclub at two in the morning beside a tall brunette model in a silver dress. His hand rested lightly against the small of her back while cameras flashed around them.
The headline read:
LUCAS COOPER SPOTTED LEAVING CLUB WITH MODEL HOURS AFTER DATE NIGHT WITH SAbrINA SANDERS
"Oh."
Something uncomfortable twisted in Sabrina's stomach before she could stop it.
Which was ridiculous.
Completely ridiculous.
This relationship wasn't real.
Lucas had made that painfully clear from the beginning.
No emotional expectations.
No real attachment.
Still, the photo bothered her.
Not because she thought he owed her anything.
But because suddenly she felt stupid for forgetting what kind of man Lucas Cooper actually was.
Celebrity.
Actor.
Constantly surrounded by beautiful women.
Of course there were other girls.
Why wouldn't there be?
"You okay?" Chloe asked carefully.
Sabrina handed the phone back casually.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"You just looked like you wanted to commit homicide."
"I'm at work. Homicide is unprofessional."
But the weird feeling stayed with her anyway.
All afternoon.
Through serving tables.
Through rude customers.
Through accidentally rereading the article twice during her break.
The worst part?
The comments.
Poor girl probably thought she was special.
Classic Lucas.
He changes girls every month.
Sabrina hated that those comments got under her skin.
Because they weren't technically wrong.
By the time her shift ended, she'd mostly convinced herself she didn't care.
Mostly.
Which was why it felt especially unfair when she walked outside the hotel and found Lucas leaning against a black SUV waiting for her.
Like something out of a movie.
A very expensive emotionally unavailable movie.
Several girls across the street immediately started whispering and pulling out phones.
Lucas noticed Sabrina approaching and straightened slightly.
Dark hoodie.
Black jeans.
Baseball cap pulled low.
More relaxed than usual.
Still unfairly attractive.
Still irritating.
"You look annoyed," he said as soon as she reached him.
"You look predictable."
His eyebrows lifted slightly. "Interesting greeting."
Sabrina folded her arms. "So how was the nightclub?"
There it was.
Understanding flickered immediately across his face.
"Oh."
"Oh?" she repeated.
"That's what this is about."
"This isn't about anything."
"You're mad."
"I'm observant."
Lucas actually looked amused now.
Which only irritated her more.
"Adrian was right," he muttered.
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing."
"No, now you have to explain it."
He opened the SUV door for her instead.
"Get in before people start filming."
Sabrina narrowed her eyes but slid into the car anyway.
Lucas followed a second later.
The second the doors shut, she turned toward him.
"Well?"
He leaned back against the seat, watching her with that same calm expression that always made her feel like he knew something she didn't.
"Adrian said you'd get jealous eventually."
Sabrina stared at him.
Then laughed in disbelief.
"Excuse me?"
"You saw the article."
"I saw you leaving a club with another woman while the internet compares me to disposable tableware."
Lucas rubbed a hand across his jaw slowly.
"She's a friend."
"Sure."
"She is."
"You don't owe me explanations, remember? Strictly professional."
Something shifted faintly in his expression at her own words thrown back at him.
Good.
"Do you always believe gossip headlines this fast?" he asked calmly.
"Do you always collect models like Pokémon cards?"
That actually made him laugh.
A full laugh this time.
Warm.
Unexpected.
Real enough that Sabrina forgot being annoyed for half a second.
Then she remembered.
"You're impossible," she muttered.
Lucas looked out the window briefly before speaking again.
"I told you not to read Twitter because I knew people would be idiots about it."
Something about his tone softened the irritation in her chest slightly.
Not enough to erase it.
Just enough to confuse her.
"Why do you care?"
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Lucas looked back toward her slowly.
The city lights flashed across his face through the car windows.
"I don't want you dealing with that stuff because of me."
The honesty in the answer caught her completely off guard.
No teasing.
No sarcasm.
No emotional walls.
Just straightforward truth.
And somehow that was worse.
Because for one dangerous second, Sabrina almost forgot this whole thing was fake.