"Even if our parents somehow believe this," he said slowly, "what about the public?"
"We will tell them the same thing."
"Are you crazy?"
"Yes?" I asked back.
"I'm the stupid one here," he sighed, rubbing his temples.
"But what I just said made so much sense."
"If we tell my parents, then we have to tell the public," he said.
"Yes, and I agree."
"We can't possibly tell the public something as stupid as that."
"Yes, we can." I was on a roll now. "They would buy into it immediately. We are childhood friends, remember? Everyone loves a childhood-friends-to-lovers story. It's practically a romance novel."
"Have you forgotten Patrick?" His voice was flat.
"How could I?"
"You think the public would believe this shit story even with Patrick out there saying I'm his secret boyfriend?"
"They believe Patrick's shitty and inconsistent story," I said. "Why do you think they wouldn't believe ours?"
"Patrick has fake evidence to back up his nonsense." He leaned forward. "What do you have?"
"Childhood photos of us." I smiled. "Our whole neighborhood could prove that we were actually together and inseparable. This could actually get you out of that scandal with Patrick. Don't you see it?"
He went quiet. His jaw worked side to side. I could see him thinking.
"Teddy, we haven't spoken to each other since the third year of uni." His voice was softer now. "It's been five years."
"Yes, but it's still believable." I held his gaze. "This could work. It could help me. And it could help you. It's a win-win."
He was quiet, thinking. I could see the gears turning behind his eyes.
"We could pretend," I said, "until Patrick gets bored. And then we could break up."
"You do realize that you have to be in public for this?" he asked.
"Yes," I said. "I am already some kind of mini celebrity because of my father's company. I don't mind the cameras."
"I do mind." His voice was firm. "I refuse to put you through that. The media is vicious, Teddy. They'll dig into your life. They'll find things to use against you."
"But this would benefit both of us," I said.
"I don't..."
"Just think about it." I softened my voice. "You don't have to reply to me right now. Sleep on it."
"Teddy..."
"Please?" I said.
He groaned. "Ok, fine."
"Great." I smiled.
I looked at my phone and blinked. The screen glowed with numbers I couldn't quite process at first. 1:00 AM. How had it gotten so late?
"I should go home," I said.
"Home?" He frowned. "Don't you live in Gartdan?"
"Yeah."
"It's the middle of the night, and you want to drive to Gartdan?"
I thought about the three-hour drive. The dark highway. The way my eyes were already starting to feel heavy. The way I'd probably fall asleep at the wheel and crash into a ditch.
"Well, no," I admitted.
"You can sleep here," he said.
"That would be inconvenient for you."
"Boyfriends don't care about that, you know." The corner of his mouth twitched.
I smiled.
"Didn't you disagree with me?" I asked.
"I still haven't agreed," he said. "Just saying."
"Whatever," I said.
But I was still smiling.