You never thought fake dating your best friend would feel this real. It started as a stupid idea in the middle of the cafeteria, when your ex walked past holding hands with his new girlfriend, and you couldn’t stand the way he looked so smug.

“Want me to make him jealous?” he asked, half a grin on his face, like it was a joke.

You rolled your eyes at first, but soon agreed. “Yeah. Fine. Let’s do it.”

So the next day he slung his arm over your shoulder in the hallway, just casual, and whispered just loud enough for people to hear, “See you tonight, babe.”

You both laughed about it later, calling it your “master plan.” He texted you heart emojis ironically, bought you snacks in the vending machine line, and you made sure to sit too close during lunch. But the weird thing is, you couldn’t tell anymore when he’s pretending and when he’s not. His hand brushed yours, and you feel heat rush to your cheeks. His hugs linger a little too long.

And then, one night, when you’re “practicing” for the next school dance—because, apparently, fake dating means fake slow dancing in his messy living room—you realize your heart isn’t in on the plan anymore. It isn’t fake for you, not even a little.

You think he knows it too, because when the song ends, neither of you pull away, and suddenly it’s really quiet except for the faint hum of the stereo.

He clears his throat, scratching the back of his neck. “Uh… so… that wasn’t fake?”

You blink at him. “Wait… what?”

He swallows, looking anywhere but your eyes. “I mean… us. Dancing. I—uh… it didn’t feel fake, I guess.”