Indy tells Stevie she refuses to move in with Ryan because he dislikes her. Stevie reassures her they’ll rarely cross paths given their travel schedules. After reviewing bleak apartment listings, Indy admits returning to Chicago has been hard because the city reminds her of her ex, Alex, who cheated on her after six years together. She spent the summer with her parents in Florida and nearly stayed with them before accepting a promotion as lead flight attendant for the Chicago Raptors hockey team. Despite her reservations, she agrees to move in with Ryan.

Indy moves into Ryan’s spotless, minimalist apartment and notes the black and white decor, sparse dishware, and alphabetized self-improvement books. When Ryan returns home unexpectedly and finds her belongings scattered across his living room, he coldly tells her he doesn’t want her there and is only allowing it out of duty to his sister. He retreats to his bedroom, leaving Indy feeling humiliated.

Behind his closed door, Ryan immediately regrets his harsh words to Indy. He worries that having an attractive roommate will distract him during his first season as captain, and he reflects on his strained relationship with General Manager Ron Morgan, which he believes began when he declined to keep dating Ron’s niece after taking her to one event as a favor. Ryan has avoided dating since college to stay focused on his athletic career.

Hearing Indy crying, Ryan goes to check on her. His awkward attempt at comfort fails, and she has an emotional outburst about losing her apartment, her relationship, and now living somewhere she’s unwanted. She accuses him of being emotionless, criticizes his bookshelf, and announces she’ll move out after her work trip. Ryan stops her and reverses course, telling her she’s staying and that he’ll make her a spare key. Indy throws a shoe at his door as he retreats.

The next morning, Ryan finds the living room tidied. He notices the apartment feels different with someone else in it, although not unpleasantly so. He spots a pink high heel propped against Indy’s bedroom door and suspects it’s the shoe she threw.

Indy wakes on the floor of her new bedroom and joins Ryan in the kitchen, where he’s made breakfast for both of them. After he learns she’s vegetarian and only drinks iced coffee, they fall into small talk. Indy asks him personal questions about his isolated lifestyle. Ryan turns the conversation to her ex, and she explains she and Alex dated for six years before she discovered his infidelity while waiting for a proposal. Ryan bluntly says six years was more than enough time for Alex to make a commitment and that she needs to move on. When Indy snaps that he doesn’t understand having her future taken away, he responds with unexpected vulnerability, saying he knows exactly what that feels like.

Indy reveals that her full name is Indigo, and Ryan starts calling her Blue. She also tells him that her favorite color is lavender. They draft a lease on a notepad. He’ll charge her only $500 a month in rent, with a condition that she save another $500 toward her own place. Privately, Indy plans to use those savings to freeze her eggs. Ryan’s main rule is no overnight guests, as his apartment is his only truly private space. They both sign the agreement. Ryan posts it on the refrigerator and retreats to his room, leaving Indy feeling lonely.

On the Raptors’ first road trip, Indy is at a bar in Edmonton with players Rio, Maddison, and Evan Zanders. When she mentions Ryan’s strictness and no-guests rule, the players explain that his level of fame and scrutiny far exceeds theirs. She resolves to bring some warmth into his apartment.

Back in Chicago, Indy runs into her childhood friend group. One of the women, Maggie, is going to be married in February, and the group is out shopping for bridesmaid dresses. They explain they can’t include Indy in weekly events because her ex, Alex, attends and is still close with their boyfriends. Maggie asks Indy to forgive Alex so the group can return to normal and hands her a save-the-date. The interaction leaves Indy feeling rejected, especially when Maggie mentions she’ll try for a baby on her honeymoon.

At the apartment, Indy befriends the doorman, Dave, with a latte, and crosses paths with Ryan just as he leaves for a road trip. Inside, she finds the air mattress she ordered and then discovers Ryan has bought her a bed, a luxurious duvet, and sheets in her favorite color. They exchange playful texts before he tells her to clean her room. Indy smiles, concluding Ryan doesn’t entirely hate having her there.

At practice, Ryan realizes his teammates went out without inviting him the previous night because he’s declined several invitations from them before. When he notices Ron’s warm rapport with Ethan, he asks how Ethan earned the general manager’s favor. Ethan explains that his wife befriended Ron’s wife, Caroline, and that Caroline’s approval is the real key to winning Ron over.

Indy then appears at the closed practice to report that her spare key doesn’t work. Ryan’s teammates make suggestive comments, and he protectively warns them off. Ron later summons Ryan to his office, admits he doesn’t think Ryan is fit to be captain, and suggests that a relationship might soften his lone-wolf image as it did for Ethan. Panicking, Ryan impulsively claims he’s seeing Indy. After a stunned moment, Indy plays along enthusiastically, calling him pet names and insisting he’s very emotional in private. Ryan covers her mouth and rushes her out. Ron calls after them that he looks forward to seeing Indy at next week’s fall banquet. In the hallway, Ryan begs her to attend and play his girlfriend. She refuses to commit and says they’ll discuss it when he’s back from his away game.

Ryan returns from a road trip to find Indy has decorated the apartment with colorful items and reorganized his bookshelf by color, mixing in her romance novels. Feeling his control slipping, he wakes her. When he threatens to barge into her room, she deflects his irritation by joking she sleeps naked, flustering him. He confronts her about the changes she’s made, and she argues his apartment felt like a prison. Needing her cooperation to win Ron’s approval, Ryan softens and offers to help her care for fresh flowers. She hugs him in gratitude, and he finds himself relaxing into the embrace despite his attraction to her.

Over breakfast, Ryan raises the fake-girlfriend arrangement again. Indy says she can’t attend the banquet because she needs to work her second job as a rideshare driver. When he offers to pay her, she’s offended. She explains her real hesitation: She needs a date for her friend’s wedding in February, where Alex will be present. Ryan offers to be her date in exchange for her attendance at the fall banquet, and Indy agrees to a test run.

They create practice lists for each other. Indy’s “Book Boyfriend How-To” for Ryan includes slow dancing, showing jealousy, and kissing her. Ryan’s “Indy-pendent Woman 101” includes tasks like dining alone and sleeping without using a pillow wall to simulate a partner. Ryan refuses the kissing requirement, saying he won’t fake intimacy, and Indy concedes. Both lists go up on the refrigerator. When Indy tells him he would make someone happy, Ryan finds himself wanting to believe she means it but struggles to open himself up again.