Caden's phone hadn't stopped buzzing for six hours. He sat cross legged on his bed, staring at the screen as notifications flooded in. The kiss had gone viral on campus social media within minutes.
Someone had already created a hashtag:
#CadenAndEloise.
It had already 350 posts.
"Dude." Riley's voice cut through the silence. "You're literally trending on campus social media."
Caden looked up and saw him standing at the door, his backpack slung over one shoulder, and phone extended.
On the screen, a compilation video played on loop containing clips of him and Eloise from various campus events over the years, edited together with romantic music and heart emojis. The last clip was today's kiss replaying in slow motion.
The comments section was a chaos.
FINALLY! We've been waiting four years for this!
I always knew there was something between them.
"How many videos are there?" Caden asked.
"Fifteen? Maybe twenty?" Riley dropped his backpack and collapsed onto his own bed. "Someone made a playlist. There's literally a video streaming titled 'Caden and Eloise: A Love Story.' It has 2K views."
Caden closed his eyes. This was worse than he'd thought.
His phone buzzed again. Another call from his ex-girlfriend Jenna. He ignored it for the fourth time. But then she sent him a text message.
You told me you hated her. You said she was manipulative and competitive and you couldn't stand being around her. And now I find out you've been dating her for three months while we were together? Call me back or I'm showing up at your dorm.
"Yeah, you should probably call her back." Riley said, having read the message over his shoulder. "She looks ready to commit murder."
Before Caden could respond, another text popped up. This time from his mother.
Why did I have to find out about your girlfriend from social media??? Your Aunt Linda sent me screenshots. Call me.
"Oh man." Riley was scrolling his own phone now, laughing. "Your mom commented on the kissing video. She wrote 'My son has good taste! Eloise seems lovely! Can't wait to meet her' with eight heart emojis."
Caden dropped back onto his pillow.
"I'm going to fake my own death. I'll have a new identity and life. Maybe I should move to Alaska."
"Alaska has internet. They'll find you."
"Antarctica, then."
"Dude, you signed up for this." Riley was serious now. "What were you thinking when you decided to actually fake date Eloise Bennett?"
"I wasn't thinking." Caden admitted. "She trapped me by planting fake evidence, told everyone we were already together. I couldn't deny it without looking like…"
"A complete asshole who's ashamed of his girlfriend, yeah." Riley interrupted. "Solid manipulation tactic."
"She's insane."
"So, what's the plan? You two fake it for a month until her ex gets jealous, then stage a dramatic breakup?"
"Something like that."
"And you think you can pull that off? Like you and Eloise, pretending to be in love, when everyone knows you've hated each other since freshman year?"
"We'll figure it out." Caden replied.
His phone buzzed again. It's was a text from Eloise.
Library. Study room 3B at 8PM. We need to talk. Bring your demands for the contract.
Riley read it over his shoulder.
"A contract for your fake relationship. This is the most Caden and Eloise thing that has ever happened."
"We're detail oriented people."
"You both are completely unhinged." Riley grabbed his laptop. "I'm going to the lounge to study."
After Riley left, Caden lay there for another twenty minutes, trying to process what was happening in his life.
Yesterday morning, he was looking forward to a normal senior year and now he was trending on campus social media, and was fake dating her rival for one month.
At 7:52 PM, Caden grabbed his laptop and headed for the library. The library was quieter than usual, most people were still settling in or partying.
Caden went to the third floor, where the private study rooms were. Room 3B was in the corner.
Through the glass, he could see the room was empty. He checked his phone, it was 7:56.
It was his old competitive habit; never let her arrive first. Caden sat on the chair, pulling out his laptop.
"Wu."
He looked up. Eloise stood at the door.
"Bennett." He closed his laptop. "Punctual as always."
"It's 7:58. I'm early." She entered the room, closing the door behind her.
"So am I."
"Competitive to the end." She walked towards the opposite side of the table, putting down her laptop.
Eloise pulled out a chair and sat as she opened her laptop.
"We should establish ground rules."
"You're not even going to acknowledge what happened?" He asked.
"We just initiated the dare publicly like always."
"Fine."
Eloise turned her laptop screen towards him. There was a document with headers and bullet points, titled in bold-
RELATIONSHIP PARAMETERS & EVIDENCE DOCUMENTATION.
"First." She said, switching to a different tab. "I want you to see exactly what you've agreed to."
A folder opened on screen with dozens of files containing photos, screenshots, social media posts.
"How long did this take you?" He asked.
"That's not relevant."
"Eloise."
"Two weeks." She replied. "Maybe three. I started planning before summer ended."
She'd spent three weeks fabricating evidence of a relationship that didn't exist. Caden leaned forward, looking at the screen.
There were photos of them at various campus events over the years, cropped and edited to look intimate rather than competitive.
A study session in the library, reframed as a "study date" with editing that hid the textbooks and made it look like they were gazing at each other instead of glaring.
"This one." He pointed at an image from junior year. "We were fighting about your short story. You'd accused me of plagiarizing your style."
"I remember. But in this photo, with the right caption, it looks like playful banter between people who are secretly in love."
Eloise scrolled to another folder.
"Fake text message screenshots. I used an app to add timestamps to match our actual schedules, so if anyone checks, the timeline holds up."
Caden: Stop stealing my library books.
Eloise: Make me ;)
Caden: Is that a challenge?
Eloise: When is it not with us?
Caden: Game on, Bennett.
"We never had this conversation." Caden said.
"But we've had versions of it a hundred times. I just adapted it." She clicked to the next folder. "Social media trail. I've been liking your posts, commenting, creating a pattern that suggests we've been together since June."
"You even chose a 'our song." Caden noticed, pointing at a particular indie rock song played repeatedly on her playlist.
"You play that song constantly. I figured if we're supposed to be together, I'd have picked up your music taste by now."
"You hate that song."
"I still hate it. But fake me loves it because real you loves them, and that's what matters for the narrative."
Caden sat back in his chair, processing the scope of manipulation.
"You're either a genius or a sociopath."
"Can't I be both?"
"Eloise, this is..." He gestured at the screen. "How did you even have time for this?"
She didn't answer. Her jaw tightened which meant she was hiding something.
"Why?" He asked. "Why go to all this trouble? This can't just be about Marcus. What aren't you telling me?"
"Can we just focus on the contract? Please?"
He wanted to demand answers but something made him back off.
"Fine. Show me the contract terms."
She pulled up a new document, this one was formatted like a legal agreement with article numbers and clauses.
PUBLIC RELATIONSHIP AGREEMENT BETWEEN CADEN WU AND ELOISE BENNETT
"Seriously?" Caden couldn't help but laugh. "This looks like something my dad would draft for his law firm."
"I wanted to be detailed." She scrolled through the document. "Here are my proposed terms."
ARTICLE I: PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION (PDA)
1.1 Handholding is mandatory in public spaces on campus.
1.2 Physical affection must include a minimum of two kisses per week, to be documented via social media or witnessed by minimum three students.
1.3 Couple poses for social media, minimum three times per week.
1.4 Public events must be attended together as a couple.
"You made a PDA schedule." Caden said.
She clicked to the next section.
ARTICLE II: SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE
2.1 Couple photos to be posted minimum three times per week, alternating between accounts for authenticity.
2.2 Likes and comments on each other's posts mandatory within two hours of posting.
2.3 Instagram Stories featuring couple content minimum one time daily.
2.4 Captions must include couple language: "we," "us," "my person," etc.
2.5 No posting of content that contradicts relationship timeline.
"What if I forget to like your post within two hours?"
"That's what notifications are for."
She scrolled to the next article.
ARTICLE III: SOCIAL OBLIGATIONS
3.1 Shared meals in dining halls minimum four times per week.
3.2 Sitting together in shared classes, including Professor Harlow's Creative Writing Seminar.
3.3 While introducing to friends and acquaintances must use terms "boyfriend/girlfriend".
3.4 If questioned about relationship, both parties agree to maintain three month timeline.
"What about classes we don't share?" Caden asked. "Do I have to walk you to those too?"
"That would be excessive."
ARTICLE IV: DURATION AND TERMINATION
4.1 Relationship duration: Exactly thirty days, beginning September 1st, ending October 1st.
4.2 Breakup must be public, and mutually agreed upon.
4.3 Post breakup behavior must remain civil to avoid suspicion.
4.4 If either party breaks rules in public setting, dare is forfeit and violating party admits defeat.
4.5 Winner receives bragging rights for life and acknowledgment of superiority in all future competitions.
"My turn." Caden said. "I have amendments."
Eloise's eyes narrowed.
"Such as?"
"Article Five: Family Obligations." He pulled his own laptop closer. "My parents are visiting in three weeks for Family Weekend. You'll meet them as my girlfriend."