Lexi sat at the kitchen island with her legs crossed and a charcoal face mask cracking down her cheeks. She was scrolling through her phone like it was her job—because, honestly, it was.
"Buzzfeed's writing about us," she said, grinning. "Headline: 'Hot Mess or Meant To Be? The Internet Can't Stop Watching This Married TikTok Train Wreck.'"
Across the kitchen, Noah looked up from his laptop, eyebrow raised. "I'm going to assume I'm the 'hot' part."
"No," she replied flatly, generating a chuckle from Noah.
Gia strolled in, waving a makeup brush like a conductor's baton. "Keep the bickering going. The views love it. You two are trending harder than the girl who gave birth mid-livestream last week."
Lexi blinked. "Is she okay?"
Gia: "She got a brand deal with vegan diapers. She's thriving."
Noah looked up from his laptop again. He didn't have to say anything and Gia just shrugged. She didn't get it either.
⸻
By noon, they'd filmed three failed couple challenge videos, two fake arguments, one real one about where to keep the cereal (the livingroom table is the wrong answer), and one surprisingly wholesome clip of Noah vacuuming the floor in banana print boxers and a t-shirt—which she swore she'd delete.
She didn't.
It hit 800k likes in five hours.
Still, all felt right in the content world—until Lexi stepped into the shower.
⸻
Lexi hummed in the shower as her custom-blended shampoo worked its magic. The scent—rose, bergamot, and dollar signs—was intoxicating.
Until something… sparkled.
She squinted at her hands.
At first, she thought it was a trick of the light. But then it shimmered again—glinting gold and pink, swirling into her lather.
Glitter.
"No," she whispered. "No no no no—"
She rinsed. More glitter.
Her entire scalp was a disco ball.
⸻
Dripping wet and seething, Lexi wrapped herself in a towel and stormed into the living room.
"Noah Elijah Blackwood!" she thundered, like a sexy Norse god on a vengeance quest. "You absolute troll!"
Noah looked up from the couch, the picture of smug calm—until his eyes landed on her.
And lingered.
She looked… not just furious. Radiant. Her hair was wet and curling at the ends. Her cheeks were flushed. Her towel was holding on for dear life.
He blinked. "Uh…"
"Good morning," he said mildly, eyes flicking up. "You look… festive."
"There is glitter in my scalp."
"I know," he said. "You can call it Revenge. Or Justice. Or Karma. Whatever you want."
"That was custom made shampoo! From a brand that doesn't even ship to this continent!"
He leaned back, arms behind his head. "You mess with my protein powder and expect peace?"
"I expect you not to ruin my hair products!"
"You expect too much."
They glared at each other across the room like two generals before a duel.
He shrugged. "You dyed my protein shake pink and then posted it to 2.1 million people."
"It was pastel pink! And delicious!"
"You said, and I quote, 'Now you're Barbie-core, bro.'"
She pointed furiously. "You ruined a $60 shampoo. Do you know how long the waiting list is for this stuff?"
He smirked. "You'll be fine. You're resilient. Like a cockroach."
"I hate you!"
"You say that, but I think you—"
Lexi suddenly sneezed.
And the towel fell.
⸻
Time. Stopped.
The room went silent.
Noah's words died in his throat as his eyes landed where her towel used to be.
Lexi froze in place, jaw dropping.
He stared.
Not in a cartoonish way. Not in a pervy way.
But in the quiet, almost startled way of a man who just realized something was very, very wrong with his emotional firewall.
Three seconds passed.
Four.
Then—
Lexi shrieked, diving for the towel.
"Don't look!"
That jolted him.
Noah turned sharply, facing the window like it held the secrets of the universe.
"I didn't see anything!" he said—too fast, too loudly.
"You totally did!"
Lexi wrapped the towel back around herself like a shield and sprinted to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
⸻
Inside, she gripped the counter, cheeks burning so hard she felt them in her ears.
She was never leaving that bathroom again.
⸻
In the living room, Noah still sat like a statue, trying to process what just happened.
Then he—slowly—grabbed a nearby pillow and placed it very deliberately in his lap.
Because something had stirred. Downstairs.
"God help me," he muttered, scrubbing a hand down his face.
He was not ready for this.
He was definitely not supposed to be attracted to Lexi Nova.
This was a challenge. A contract. A carefully managed train wreck for clout.
Not… this.
Not her.
And if she came out now and caught him like this, she'd never let him live it down.
So he sat there, holding the pillow in place like his life depended on it. Because maybe… it did.