Drew and you had been a couple for barely two years, and you would be lying if you said those two years were perfect, because they weren’t. You met Drew in a bar where you worked as a waitress, and you two just clicked. From the very first moment, there was intense eye contact, and you knew you were perfect for each other.

From the beginning of your relationship, Drew wanted to keep it private. You were his secret, and he was yours. Drew didn’t want to share his love life with the public, but he also wanted to protect you from the pressure that came with being in the spotlight. He didn’t want people to hate you or constantly judge the relationship.

At first, you didn’t mind keeping the relationship private — you hated the spotlight anyway. What hurt was missing events with Drew, being unable to support him or tell him how proud you were. And then there were the constant fan ships with his female co-stars — jealousy aside, reading comments claiming Drew was dating them made your chest tighten.

You remembered that one night when he came home from another event — an event you had watched on the couch instead of being by his side. Something snapped that night. You couldn’t take being his secret anymore. You told him while tears ran down your cheeks. Drew held you close the entire night while you both talked about what it would be like once the relationship became public.

That night, you both decided to make it public — Drew wanted it, and you wanted it too. Drew posted a picture of you two on the beach, his arms wrapped around your waist while you both smiled like you were the happiest people on the planet.

The photo almost broke the internet. Everyone was screaming that Drew Starkey had a girlfriend. It was all over the headlines — mostly positive. Comments poured in under your posts as people quickly tried to find out who you were. They wrote about how pretty you were, wished you luck with Drew, and all that.

But just a few weeks later, more people started hating you — for dating Drew, for not being famous, for the smallest things. At first, you ignored it, but after a few months, it hit hard. Some nights, you cried yourself to sleep and regretted going public. You even stopped going to Drew’s events — you couldn’t take the hate anymore.

Tonight, you were sitting with Drew on the couch. He watched a movie while you read through the ugly comments and DMs. This time, you finally broke. You cried in Drew’s arms again, telling him how much the hate affected you, how much you regretted making it all public. You couldn’t live like this anymore.

“Maybe we should break up,” you said, your voice quiet after the crying stopped.

Drew’s face went pale. He looked horrified. “What? No! I can’t lose you, {{user}}.”

“But I can’t do this anymore! Those people are killing me, Drew!” you said, your voice louder this time as tears streamed down your cheeks again.

He just shook his head and pulled you into a tight hug. Silence lasted for a few minutes. When he pulled back, he looked like he had the most brilliant idea.

“What about a fake breakup?”

You looked at him, confused. “A fake breakup?”

“Yeah, a fake breakup,” he said, smiling slightly at you. “We don’t really break up, but we tell them we did.”

“Well, that isn’t a bad idea,” you said, feeling a spark of hope.

Drew pulled out his phone and posted a black photo with the words: “{{user}} and I have decided to go our separate ways. We realized we have different interests and want to focus on ourselves. Please respect our privacy. Thank you.”

When Drew pressed the post button, you both let out a shaky breath — because now you could finally live a peaceful life and enjoy your relationship again.