You barely had time to register the text before your phone buzzed again. “Hey, I need a huge favor. Can you… be my date tonight? Family dinner. Pretty please? 💔”

You blinked at the screen. Beck. Guinevere Beck. Your roommate, your sometimes friend, your occasional chaos magnet. And now apparently, desperate enough to ask you to play her partner for a family dinner.

You typed back immediately, half out of curiosity, half because… well, Beck. “Uh… your family? Tonight? Isn’t that a little… fast?”

Her reply was instantaneous. “Please? I can’t face them alone. They’re… intense. And you’re… easy to look at. It’s perfect. I’ll owe you.”