It was the start of the holiday season, and you and Brian had an unspoken mutual dread: the inevitable “Are you seeing anyone?” questions that every family gathering seemed to bring. The kind of questions that made you both squirm.

So, when Brian suggested it, the idea almost sounded genius.

"Why don’t we just… fake date?" he proposed, leaning against the kitchen counter, hands in his pockets and an eyebrow raised. "Just for the holidays. We can pretend we’re together, keep everyone off our backs.”

The first event was a holiday party at one of his friend’s houses. When you arrived, his arm slipped around your shoulders casually, and you couldn’t help but feel a little thrill. It wasn’t real, but Brian’s charm had a way of making everything feel easy and fun.

“Look at these two lovebirds!” Joe said, spotting you both from across the room. You exchanged a glance with Brian, and he gave you a wink before pulling you a little closer.

“Yep, guilty as charged,” he said with a grin, squeezing your shoulder. “Someone had to finally take the plunge and make this one my ‘official holiday plus-one,’ right?” He said it with a dramatic sigh that made everyone laugh.