The Lie They Kept

Bridget Reynolds cannot stand being near her ex.

When they meet again, he is quick to say he has moved on, and she tells him she has done the same—and that she is engaged.

She is not. He calls her bluff. Unwilling to let him win, she lets another white lie or two slip out, until even she knows she cannot save the story.

Elias Cohen wants his mother to believe he is happy as a bachelor.

He likes being alone, but he also wants a partner to share his life with.

At his brother's work event, he finds a pretty blonde already too far into a lie to climb back out.

He cannot help stepping in. They spend the rest of the evening playing house, then part without looking back.

They do not get to leave the lie there. Bridget and Elias are drawn into it again, and once feelings are involved, ending the ruse is harder than either expected. They agree to keep pretending a little longer. The longer it lasts, the more the lines blur—and the less either of them wants to stop.