Fake Dating, Real Feelings

Liam Morgan had a plan — stay single, stay stress-free. His love life, or the lack of it, worked just fine for him. That was until his ex showed up at his sister's wedding, looking as flawless as ever and engaged to some CEO straight out of a magazine cover.

Panic wasn’t part of Liam’s personality, but it set in real quick when he realized he couldn't show up to the wedding alone. Enter Emma Parker — his best friend’s roommate, a girl with sharp wit, zero filter, and a heartwarming smile. They had chemistry, sure, but it was always the “banter and bicker” kind.

“Be my fake girlfriend for the weekend,” Liam blurted out during their accidental coffee shop encounter. Emma, in between sips of her caramel latte, raised an eyebrow.

“For how much?” she asked, half-joking.

“Unlimited free coffee. And, you get to make my ex jealous.”

Emma considered it. She didn’t exactly have any exciting weekend plans, and honestly, watching Liam squirm in a suit sounded entertaining. “Deal,” she replied, shaking on it like they were about to rob a bank.


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The wedding weekend arrived, and Emma played her part to perfection. Holding his hand, laughing at his terrible dad jokes, even adjusting his tie as if she'd done it for years. His family adored her, his ex looked borderline panicked, and Liam... Liam was starting to forget they were pretending.

There were small moments. Like when Emma rested her head on his shoulder during a slow dance, or when he caught her staring at him with a smile that wasn’t part of the script. Even the simple act of her fixing his crooked boutonnière sent a flutter through his chest.

By day three, it wasn’t fake anymore — at least not for him.


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On the last night, under a sky full of stars, Emma found Liam at the edge of the garden, fiddling with his cufflinks. The party buzzed behind them, but they stood in their own little bubble.

“Well, I think we pulled it off,” she said softly. “Your ex looked like she wanted to throw her bouquet at me... or strangle me.”

Liam chuckled, but the sound didn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah. You were amazing.”

Silence wrapped around them like a cozy blanket, comfortable but heavy with unspoken words.

“Emma,” he began, his voice lower, almost nervous — a rare thing for him. “What if I wanted this to be real?”

She blinked. Once. Twice. Then let out a soft, disbelieving laugh. “You serious?”

“As a heart attack.”

For once, the witty Emma was speechless. Because truth be told, somewhere between fake hand-holding and pretend couple selfies, her feelings had done a full 180 too.


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The fake relationship officially ended the next morning — replaced by something entirely real, though neither of them rushed to put a label on it. They spent weeks learning how to be "real" together, discovering it was both easier and scarier than faking it.

One Sunday morning, wrapped in blankets, coffee mugs in hand, Emma smirked. “So... technically, I never got paid for the wedding gig.”

Liam leaned over and kissed her forehead. “True. But you got something better.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“My heart. Lifetime warranty. No returns.”


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The End.