That night Christopher couldn’t sleep. He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, hyper-aware of Madison breathing softly beside him. The pillow wall was there. They’d rebuilt it with grim determination after the ice-skating incident, but it felt more symbolic than functional at this point.
His phone buzzed on the nightstand. A text from his best friend Matthew.
Matthew: How’s the fake dating going? Have you kissed her yet?
Christopher: It’s complicated.
Matthew: That’s code for «I’m in way over my head.» I told you this would happen.
Matthew: You’ve been in love with her for three years, man. Did you really think you could pretend to date her without it becoming real?
Christopher: It was real before it started. That’s the problem.
Matthew: So tell her.
Christopher: And ruin our friendship when she doesn’t feel the same way?
Matthew: Bold of you to assume she doesn’t feel the same way. From an outside perspective, you’re both idiots.
Christopher smiled despite himself but put down his phone without responding. Matthew didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand what it was like to have the most important person in your life finally in your arms, knowing it was temporary. Knowing that in a week all of this would end.
He turned his head to look at the pillow wall, beyond which Madison slept. Or at least he thought she slept.
«Chris.» Her voice was quiet in the darkness. «Are you awake?»
«Yeah. Can’t sleep. Too much on my mind.»
Silence for a moment, then, «Me too.»
«Want to talk about it?»
«Not really. Yes. I don’t know.» He heard her shift position. «Do you ever wish we could just pause time? Stay in a moment forever?»
«Which moment?»
«I don’t know. Maybe this morning. Or today at the ice rink when you looked so happy.» She paused. «Before everything gets complicated.»
«Madison, it’s already complicated.»
«I know.»
Another silence. Heavier this time.
«Can I ask you something?» Madison’s voice was hesitant. «And you have to answer honestly.»
Christopher’s heart rate picked up. «Okay.»
«When this is over, when we go back to being just friends, will we really be able to go back, or have we already ruined everything?»
The question hung in the air like a grenade.
«I don’t know,» Christopher admitted. «But I know I’d rather have you in my life as a friend than not have you at all. Even if it hurts. Even if it kills me.»
He heard her breath hitch. Then quietly, «Goodnight, Christopher.»
«Goodnight, Madison.»
Neither of them slept much that night.
The next morning, Madison’s mother announced that the entire family was going Christmas shopping in the city.
«It’s tradition,» she declared over breakfast. «We go every year. It’ll be wonderful.»
Madison and Christopher exchanged glances. «Wonderful» wasn’t the word she’d use. Exhausting, maybe. Chaotic, definitely.
The shopping trip was exactly as Madison predicted. Her mother insisted on visiting every store. Her grandmother made inappropriate comments about lingerie, and Andrew kept trying to lose Derek in the crowds.
«I don’t dislike him,» Andrew explained when Madison caught him. «I just think he’s boring, and I’m testing his tracking skills. He’s a surgeon, not a detective. Everyone should have basic tracking skills. What if there’s an apocalypse?»
Madison decided not to engage with that logic. She and Christopher ended up separated from the main group, wandering through a bookstore. Christopher watched with amusement as Madison reverently touched various book spines, her face lighting up at certain titles.
«You’re like a kid in a candy store,» he observed.
«Books are better than candy.»
«Debatable.»
She pulled out a vintage edition of Persuasion. «Look at this. It’s beautiful.»
Christopher plucked it from her hands and took it to the register before she could protest.
«Chris, no, that’s expensive.»
«It’s a gift.» He paid before she could stop him. «Consider it an early Christmas present.»
«You didn’t have to—»
«I wanted to.» He handed her the bag, and their fingers brushed. The contact sent electricity up her arm. «You should have things that make you happy.»
They stood there in the middle of the bookstore, the air thick with everything unsaid.
«You make me happy,» Madison said before she could stop herself.
Christopher’s expression shifted. Surprise, hope, something deeper.
«Madison! There you are!» Layla appeared, slightly out of breath. «We’ve been looking everywhere. Grandma wants to get lunch.»
The moment shattered. Christopher stepped back, and Madison clutched her book like a lifeline.
Over lunch at a crowded café, Madison noticed something was off with her sister. Layla kept checking her phone, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. Derek was his usual pleasant self, but there was a distance between them that hadn’t been there before. When Derek excused himself to take a call, Madison leaned toward her sister.
«You OK?»
«Fine,» Layla said automatically.
«Layla…»
Her sister sighed. «It’s nothing, just—Derek wants to move the wedding up. Like, really up. Spring instead of next fall.»
«That’s… soon.»
«Yeah.» Layla stirred her coffee absently. «And I know I should be excited, but I just feel… rushed. Like we’re checking boxes on a list. Get engaged, check. Pick a date, check. Find a venue, check. But where’s the—I don’t know—the magic?»
Madison didn’t know what to say. She glanced at Christopher, who was listening quietly.
«You want to know something?» Layla continued. «Yesterday at the ice rink, I watched you two fall on the ice and laugh like it was the funniest thing in the world. And I thought, when was the last time Derek and I laughed like that? When was the last time we did something spontaneous and ridiculous just because we wanted to?»
«Layla, I’m not saying I don’t love Derek. I do. He’s perfect on paper. But you and Christopher…» She shook her head. «You two look at each other like you’re in on some secret the rest of us don’t know. Like you’re best friends and lovers and partners all at once. That’s what I want. That’s what I thought I had, but now I’m not sure.»
Madison’s chest tightened. If only Layla knew the truth—that it was all fake, that she and Christopher were just pretending, that in a week all of this would end. Except it didn’t feel fake anymore. It hadn’t felt fake for days.
Derek returned, and the conversation shifted, but Madison couldn’t shake her sister’s words.
That night, back at the apartment, Madison sat on the couch while Christopher made tea in the kitchen.
«Your sister seems troubled,» he said, bringing her a mug.
«She’s questioning her engagement. Because of us? Because she realised she wants what we have—what we’re pretending to have.» Madison laughed bitterly. «Ironic, isn’t it? We’re faking a relationship so well that we’re making her doubt her real one.»
Christopher set down his mug and turned to face her fully.
«Madison, when are we going to stop pretending?»
«What?»
«When are we going to stop calling this fake?» He moved closer. «Because I’m not pretending anymore. I haven’t been for days. Maybe I never was.»
Madison’s heart was racing.
«Chris, I meant everything I said in that game. About falling in love with you three years ago, about you being the best thing in my life, about not wanting to lose you.» He cupped her face in his hands. «The only thing I’m pretending is that I’m OK with this ending.»
«We’re going to ruin our friendship,» she whispered.
«We already did. The second I agreed to this plan, the second I put my arm around you and called you mine, the second I woke up with you in my arms and didn’t want to let go, we already changed everything.»
«I’m scared.»
«So am I.» His thumb brushed her cheek. «But I’m more scared of going back to pretending I don’t want this. Don’t want you.»
Madison closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. «What if it doesn’t work? What if we try and it falls apart?»
«What if it doesn’t? What if this is exactly what we’ve both been too afraid to reach for?»
She opened her eyes to find him watching her with such intensity it stole her breath.
«I’m in love with you,» she said, the words tumbling out. «I think I have been for a long time, but I was too scared to admit it. And this week, being with you like this, sleeping next to you, holding your hand, pretending to be yours… it’s been the best and worst week of my life because I want it to be real so badly it hurts.»
Christopher’s expression transformed. Relief, joy, something that looked almost like pain.
«It is real. It’s been real from the beginning.»
He leaned in, and Madison’s breath caught. This was it. He was going to kiss her, and everything would change, and there would be no going back.
His lips were inches from hers when someone knocked on the door. They sprang apart like teenagers caught by their parents.
«Madison? Christopher?» It was her mother’s voice. «Are you still awake? I brought you some leftover pie.»
Christopher dropped his head back with a groan. «Your family has the worst timing.»
Despite everything, Madison laughed. «Welcome to the Carter family.»
She opened the door, and her mother bustled in with enough pie to feed an army. But as her mother chattered about the day and Christopher made appropriate responses, Madison caught his eye across the room.
Soon, his expression said. Soon we’ll finish this conversation.
Soon, she agreed silently. Soon we’ll stop pretending.
And soon couldn’t come fast enough.
Madison woke up the next morning to an empty bed and the sound of her phone buzzing insistently. Seven missed calls from her mother. Twelve texts in the family group chat. Three voicemails from her grandmother.
Her stomach sank. Something was wrong. She grabbed her phone and scrolled through the messages, her heart rate increasing with each one.
Layla: I need to talk to everyone. Family meeting at mom’s. Ten a.m. It’s important.
Mom: Please come, sweetheart. Your sister needs us.
Grandma: If Derek hurt her I’m going to hit him with my purse. It’s heavy. I carry rocks in it for self-defense.
Madison stumbled out of bed, pulling on jeans and a sweater. Where was Christopher? She found him in the kitchen, already dressed, two travel mugs of coffee ready.
«Your family’s been trying to reach you,» he said. «Your mom called me when you didn’t answer. What happened?»
«I don’t know. Your mom just said Layla needs everyone there now.» He handed her a coffee and her coat. «Come on, I’ll drive.»
The drive to her mother’s house was tense. Madison tried calling Layla three times, but it went straight to voicemail.
«She’s probably fine,» Christopher said, though he didn’t sound convinced. «Maybe she just wants to discuss wedding plans or something.»
«Then why does my grandmother have rocks in her purse for Derek-related emergencies?»
«Your grandmother always has rocks in her purse.»
«Fair point.»
When they arrived, the entire family was already gathered in the living room. Her mother looked worried. Her grandmother was muttering something about men and their nonsense, and Andrew was pacing like he was working a case. Layla sat on the couch, her eyes red from crying, but she looked calm, almost relieved.
«What’s going on?» Madison asked, sitting next to her sister.
Christopher stood behind her, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder in silent support.
«I called off the engagement,» Layla said quietly.
The room erupted.
«What?» their mother gasped.
«Finally,» Andrew said, then caught himself. «I mean, that’s unfortunate.»
«Where’s Derek?» their grandmother demanded. «Did he do something? Because I have rocks.»
«Grandma, please put away your weaponised purse,» Layla said with a watery laugh. «Derek didn’t do anything wrong; that’s kind of the problem.»
Madison took her sister’s hand. «What do you mean?»
Layla looked at her, then at Christopher, then back. «I realised something watching you two. Watching how you look at each other, how you laugh together, how you just fit. Derek and I, we make sense on paper. We have compatible lifestyles, similar goals, matching five-year plans… but we don’t have what you have.»
«Layla…»
«We don’t laugh like you do. We don’t have inside jokes. He doesn’t know that I hate the colour yellow, or that I still sleep with a nightlight because I’m scared of the dark. And I don’t know his favourite book, or what makes him really, truly happy beyond his career.» Layla wiped her eyes. «We were building a partnership, not a love story, and I want a love story.»
Their mother was crying now. «Oh, honey.»
«I talked to Derek last night. He agreed. We were both trying to force something that wasn’t there. He’s a good man, but he’s not my person.» She squeezed Madison’s hand. «And I realised that because of you two. Because you showed me what real love looks like.»
Madison felt Christopher’s hand tighten on her shoulder. Guilt twisted in her stomach. Their fake relationship had just destroyed her sister’s real one. Except it wasn’t fake anymore, was it?
«Are you OK?» Madison asked.
«I’m sad, but I’m also relieved.» Layla smiled through her tears. «I’d rather be alone and hopeful than coupled and settling. You taught me that, Maddy. You and your books and your insistence on happily-ever-afters. I want my happily ever after. Just not with Derek.»
Their grandmother stood up decisively. «Then we need wine. It’s ten in the morning, but this is a crisis. Or a celebration, I can’t tell which.»
«Both,» Layla said. «Definitely both.»
Several hours later, after wine and tears and too much family bonding, Madison and Christopher finally escaped back to their apartment. The moment the door closed, Madison turned to him.
«My sister called off her engagement because of us.»
«I know.»
«Because she wanted what we have. What we’re pretending to have.»
«Madison…»
«Except we’re not pretending anymore, are we?» She started pacing. «We said we loved each other. We almost kissed. We wake up wrapped around each other every morning. At what point does this stop being fake?»
Christopher caught her arm, stopping her pacing. «It stopped being fake the moment I agreed to do this. Maybe before that. Maybe it was never fake at all.»
«But what happens after Christmas? We go back to our real lives and then what? Do we date? Do we try to make this work? What if we can’t transition from fake to real? What if—»
«Madison?» He pulled her closer. «Stop overthinking this.»
«That’s like telling the ocean to stop being wet.»
Despite everything, he smiled. «Fair point.» His hands came up to frame her face. «But right now, in this moment, I don’t care about logistics or what-ifs. I only care about this. I love you. Really, truly love you. And I want to see where this goes. Even if it’s scary. Especially because it’s scary. The best things usually are.»
Madison looked up at him, at this man who knew her better than anyone, who brought her coffee without asking, who held her when she needed it and gave her space when she didn’t, who made her laugh and drove her crazy, and somehow became the most essential person in her life without her even noticing.
«I love you, too,» she whispered. «So much it terrifies me.»
«Good, we can be terrified together.»
He leaned down, and this time there was no interruption, no family bursting through doors, no phones ringing, no last-minute interruptions. Just Christopher, lowering his head slowly, giving her time to pull away if she wanted.