Page 169 of Faking the Goal

Or maybe he was there.

I don't particularly like that possibility.

Either way, that text tells me our first public appearance got his attention.

And now he's gone quiet.

I don't know if that means he's finally starting to back off, and I'm not stupid enough to assume we're in the clear after only a few days. But it's the first stretch of peace Taylor's had since this whole thing started, so maybe we're finally getting somewhere.

We just have to keep it up. Keep being seen together, keep making this relationship convincing, and give him no reason to think anything has changed.

At least until we're sure he's given up on her.

Or, preferably, until the police figure out who the fuck he is and we don't have to pretend anymore.

As I'm pretending to read, Taylor reaches into the cart beside her and pulls out another manga. She flips it over to read the blurb on the back, and then, little by little, I watch her face transform.

The corners of her lips slowly curl into a smile.

Her eyes brighten in that unmistakable way they always do whenever she stumbles across a story she already knows she's about to fall hopelessly in love with. She keeps reading, and before long, her thumb drifts absentmindedly to her lips, her teeth catching the edge of her nail as she tries—and fails—to suppress a giggle.

I don't even need to see the cover.

I'd bet my entire manga collection it's a romance.

That woman is an absolute sucker when it comes to love stories. Give her two characters destined to fall in love despite impossible odds, throw in a little yearning and enough emotional suffering to make normal people question their life choices, and she'll happily lose an entire weekend.

She flips through a few more pages, her smile somehow growing even wider. Another quiet giggle slips out before she can stop it, and even from my corner of the café, I can hear it.

It's impossible not to.

The grin on her face is... adorable.

It is completely unguarded, all bright eyes and excitement, like she'd just stumbled across buried treasure hidden between a hundred ordinary books.

Her grin reminds me of cherry blossoms caught in a spring breeze—light, effortless, and beautiful enough to steal the attention of anyone lucky enough to witness it.

Before I realize it, I find myself smiling too. It's surprisingly difficult not to when she's looking that happy.

"So," A familiar voice drifts into my ear, "this is the real reason you've been spending so much time in the café lately."

I nearly choke on my coffee.

Mom slips into the chair across from me, following my gaze without the slightest bit of subtlety. Her eyes settle on Taylor for a moment before a teasing smile spreads across her face. She glances back at me, a knowing gleam dancing in her eyes.

"I mean," she says, her smile widening, "I'd be here every day too if I had someone that beautiful to look at."

"Ma," I whisper-hiss, mortified that I'd been caught watching her... and smiling, of all things. Heat creeping up the back of my neck as I immediately lower my head, dragging a hand down my face.

She waves me off.

"Oh, there's no need to be embarrassed, Ken-chan. I already know you fancy Taylor."

I instinctively open my mouth to deny it—not because it isn't true, but because there's something deeply unsettling about your own mother catching you looking at a girl like that.

Mom doesn't even let me get the first word out.

"And don't even think about denying it." She fixes me with a pointed look. "I'm not blind, darling. I see the way you look at her."