I Agreed to Be Her Fake Boyfriend for One Night and Now She’s My Wife

“He’s better at ordering takeout,” Sophia said, squeezing my hand above the table now.

“Much better. Everyone has their strengths,” I said.

Her father actually laughed. Halfway through dinner, Sophia’s phone rang.

She glanced at the screen and her face went pale.

“Excuse me, I need to take this.” She stood up and walked toward the restaurant entrance. Her mother watched her go with concern.

“Is everything all right?”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” I said, though I had no idea. I was flying blind through this entire evening.

Her father leaned forward.

“Andrew, can I be honest with you?”

“Of course.”

“Sophia has had a difficult year. The breakup with her previous boyfriend was hard on her. We worry about her. She doesn’t always make the best choices.”

I nodded, unsure what to say. I didn’t know anything about her previous boyfriend or her difficult year.

“But tonight,” her mother added, “seeing her with you, she seems lighter. Happier. I don’t know what you’re doing, but keep doing it.”

The weight of their words settled on me. They genuinely cared about their daughter. They wanted her to be happy, and here I was helping her lie to them.

Sophia returned a few minutes later, her expression carefully neutral.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Fine. Just work stuff.”

But her hand was shaking when she picked up her wine glass. Something had rattled her with that phone call.

After dinner, her parents announced they were heading back to their hotel. They had an early morning tomorrow and wanted to rest.

Sophia’s mother hugged her goodbye, then surprised me by hugging me, too.

“It was lovely to meet you, Andrew. I’m glad Sophia has someone who makes her happy.”

Her father shook my hand with a grip that was slightly too firm.

“Take care of her.”

“I will.”

They left, and suddenly it was just Sophia and me standing on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. The performance was over. The curtain had closed. We were just two strangers again.

“I can’t believe we pulled that off,” Sophia said. She was still holding my hand, though I wasn’t sure if she’d noticed.

“Your parents are terrifying.”

“I know. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”

“Why did you need a fake boyfriend?” I asked. “What was so bad about telling them the truth?”