Pretend Boyfriend Step-In
H arper was still fuming when Ethan finally set his mug in the sink. She paced the living room like a woman possessed, hands flying as she tried to process what had just happened.
“Girlfriend?” she repeated, voice climbing. “Do you realize the implications of that word? You’ve officially rewritten my entire life story without my consent!”
Ethan flopped onto the couch, utterly relaxed. “Relax, Harper. It’s not like we filed paperwork.”
“That’s not the point!” she shot back. “You can’t just... declare me your girlfriend like you’re narrating a soap opera.”
“Worked, didn’t it?” His smirk was insufferable.
She groaned, dragging her hands through her hair. “Melissa is going to think we’re actually together.”
“Good,” Ethan said, leaning back with his arms sprawled along the cushions. “That was the goal.”
Harper stopped pacing long enough to glare at him. “Why? So you can flaunt your rebound? Prove you’ve ‘moved on’?”
Something flickered in his eyes, something sharp and unspoken, before the smirk snapped back into place. “Exactly.”
She exhaled, trying to summon patience. “You know this doesn’t just affect you, right? I’m the one who has to live with her smug little voice echoing in my head now. And what happens if we run into her again? What happens when she asks questions?”
Ethan’s grin returned, slow and deliberate. “Then we’ll just have to keep up the act.”
Harper blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “We sell the story. Convincing girlfriend, convincing boyfriend. She buys it, Daniel buys it, everyone’s happy.”
She gaped. “Everyone except me!”
“Come on, Harper. Think about it. Melissa gets closure, Daniel gets jealous, I get to walk away with my pride intact, and you—” He paused, eyes gleaming with mischief. “You get the thrill of pretending you’re wildly in love with me.”
Her cheeks flushed, and she hated herself for it. “You are the most arrogant human being alive.”
“Maybe,” he said with a wink, “but admit it—you’d make a believable couple with me.”
Her heart betrayed her with an uneven thud. She crossed her arms, grasping at logic. “This is insane. We barely know each other.”
“That’s what makes it fun,” he countered. “We get to improvise. Besides, you’re good at rules and plans. Think of it like a project.”
A project. A fake relationship project. Harper pressed her palms to her face, muffling a groan. She should say no. She wanted to say no. But the image of Melissa’s smug little smirk burned in her mind, and something stubborn inside her bristled.
“Fine,” she muttered. “But only if we set boundaries.”
Ethan grinned. “You love boundaries.”
“Rule one: This is temporary. Strictly for Melissa-related encounters. Rule two: No PDA beyond the minimum required to be believable. Rule three: Absolutely no kissing.”
He raised a brow. “That last one feels unnecessary.”
“It’s very necessary,” she snapped.
Ethan leaned back, still grinning. “We’ll see.”
She narrowed her eyes. “No, we won’t. This is not negotiable.”
“Fine, fine.” He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Temporary, minimal PDA, no kissing. Got it.”
Harper sank into the armchair opposite him, crossing her legs tightly. “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this.”
“Don’t worry, Harper,” Ethan said, his voice dropping into a low, teasing drawl. “I’ll make sure to be the best fake boyfriend you’ve ever had.”
Her stomach flipped. She scowled to cover it up. “You’re impossible.”
“And yet,” he said with a grin, “you keep me around.”