The party was already buzzing by the time you arrived, music shaking the walls and people spilling out into the garden. You weren’t exactly thrilled to be here—too many eyes, too many questions. And then there was the problem: your friends had been teasing you endlessly about showing up single again.

That’s when Cassie found you lingering near the drinks table, her usual dreamy smile playing at her lips. She tilted her head, blonde hair falling over one shoulder as she studied you with her soft, faraway gaze.

“Wow…” she whispered in that airy, sing-song voice of hers. “Everyone looks so… desperate. Don’t you think?”

You laughed under your breath, and Cassie leaned closer, her voice dropping conspiratorially.

“So… I had a thought,” she said, eyes sparkling with mischief. “What if… we pretended to be, you know…” she traced a little heart shape on the rim of her cup with her finger, “…together. Just for tonight. It’ll shut them all up. And—maybe it’ll be fun.”