Fake Dating My Ex's Favourite Hockey Player novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36

A little too familiar.

I shift in my seat, pressing my lips together. Liam notices.

“Cold feet?” he asks, his voice light but I don’t kiss the way his gaze sharpens.

I hesitate. “Not cold feet, exactly.”

Liam tilts his head, prompting me to continue. “Then what?”

I exhale, one of my hands clenched into a fist, with the other my fingers drum against my knee. “It’s just… weird, you know? Going back into his world. Seeing people who knew us as a couple.”

Liam hums, watching me for a moment. Then, to my surprise, he reaches over and lightly taps the back of my hand.

Just like he did at Mar and Elijah’s wedding. He taps it over and over until I unclench it and he slips his hand into mine.

My breath hitches.

“Just remember,” he says, his voice softer now, “you’re not going back as his anything. You’re going as you. And if anyone gives you a hard time…” He smirks. “I’ll handle it.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Oh? And how do you plan to do that?”

Liam leans back, completely relaxed. “Dazzle them with my charm, obviously.”

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Chapter 36

I snort. “Right. Because that always works.”

He grins. “You’d be surprised.”

I roll my eyes but can’t help the small smile tugging at my lips.

Maybe this won’t be so bad.

Maybe.

XXX

I take my statement back.

I was wrong, completely uninformed, and way too confident in my ability to handle this.

I might not be desperate to get Zane’s ring, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a mess right now.

My nerves are so bad that we have to pull over once so I can throw up. Liam rubs slow circles on my back, handing me a bottle of water without a word. He doesn’t say anything snarky, doesn’t tease me, and somehow, that makes it worse.

By the time we finally make it to the port–much later than either of us expected–I half–hope the cruise ship has already left. That they got tired of waiting and decided to sail off without us.

No such luck.

The moment we find a place to park, the paparazzi swarm. Cameras flash in our faces before I even have a chance to unbuckle my seatbelt.

Liam mutters a curse under his breath. “You good?”

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Silence. Even the cameras stop clicking.

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Chapter 36

He doesn’t wait for a response. He pulls me forward, pushing through the crowd like they’re nothing. And for the first time in weeks, the noise

doesn’t feel so loud.

EMILIA

Liam doesn’t stop moving, doesn’t loosen his grip, doesn’t even look back. He just pulls me through the chaos like he’s the only thing keeping me grounded. And maybe he is. The cameras flash, reporters shout, but all I can focus on is the warmth of his hand wrapped around mine.

We break through the crowd, and only then does he slow down. But his grip? Still firm. Like he’s afraid if he lets go, I’ll disappear.

He turns to me, his jaw tight, his chest rising and falling like he’s barely holding himself together. “If something is ever not okay,” he starts, voice low but edged with anger. Then he looks at me, and the anger melts into something else–something raw. “Tell me.”

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.

Liam shakes his head, his fingers tightening around mine. “You’re not going on this cruise alone, Emilia. I’m here. With you. So when

something makes you uncomfortable, when you don’t like something- what’s the first thing you should do?”

My heart is still thump, thump, thumping in my chest. Too fast. Too loud. “Liam-”

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