Instant Boyfriend

Consciously clutching the stain on her dress, Harper wished for nothing but a change of clothes if she could. Sadly, she didn’t have that luxury.

Laughter echoed around Harper as her fellow fashion designers mingled and exchanged stories with each other.

She identified a few familiar faces but raised her chin and merely smiled at them, afraid that someone would recognize her and bring up what happened to her in the last few months.

Not that she was famous enough to make it to any newspaper or the media, but gossip spread faster than fire when it came to who married who and who ditched who in any industry.

She was grateful that the restaurant had live music and was not that expensive. Harper wasn’t broke, but she wasn’t in her former glory where she could spend on anything she fancied.

Life after the divorce taught her to make every penny count and though she couldn’t even call herself poor, she was by no means living in luxury either.

The thought had her lose her appetite, going back to worrying about her stained dress.

Looking around the table, whom she shared with some fresh-looking designers who had been lucky to win a spot for the New York fashion week, a tiny part of her was grateful that none of her old competitors were present.

At least not at her table. That would have made Harper feel ashamed. She was like a princess falling down from her place and was now living like a pauper.

The comparison pushed her to get on her feet, excusing herself as she made a beeline for the restroom.

On her way, she clutched her purse over her chest, muttering some unintelligible curse when she suddenly bumped shoulders with someone.

“I—” The apology she wanted to say died on her lips as she came eye to eye with the person whom she bumped with.

“Harper!” her ex-husband perked up, sounding enthusiastic as if they were close friends. She gulped down the urge to kick him in the gut or splash cold water on him.

Mustering the courage to pull her lips into a thin smile, Harper clutched her purse even more tightly.

“Hi,” she greeted, balancing her emotions and gulping down the outrage rising in her chest.

She used to love how his heavenly locks of hair would feel on her fingers and the way his kisses would thrill her, taking her to the moon.

Staring at him now, she wanted nothing but to gag and pull his hair to dip his face in mud or anything that he’d find gross.

“Fancy running into you, Harper. You look…” He paused and eyed what Harper was wearing, his stare falling on the visible stain on her dress, a mocking smile crossing his lips. “Dashing.”

Harper mentally snorted and rolled her eyes at Wilson’s comment.

Wilson Barlowe, her worthless ex-husband whom she readily gave everything up for, was in the same industry as she was. It was how their paths crossed in the first place.

Harper kept her cool. She looked at Wilson, trying to put on a stoic expression.

“And fancy of you to remember. You look well, Wilson.”

“Of course. How could I forget?”

‘Indeed, how could you?’ Harper thought. He also met his mistress in the same industry. Obviously, he couldn’t forget that it was where he met his first wife, too.

“Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, by the way,” Harper greeted.

In contrast to what she really wanted to say, she forced another smile. Her mouth was getting tired of having to play with her compelled enthusiasm regarding crossing paths with one of the people she hated the most.

Noticing Adeline’s absence, Harper turned back to Wilson.

“Is Adeline not with you?”

“She had some other things to attend to. The wedding is in two days. She’s quite busy.”

“I could just imagine,” Harper agreed.

Looking at her from head to toe, Wilson pocketed his hands and smirked mockingly towards Harper once again.

“What about you, Harper? Have you been seeing someone? Or are you still reeling from the divorce?”

Harper’s entire being shook with rage. She had to restrain herself from punching Wilson in the face.

The man had the audacity to mock her right then and there when he was the one who cheated.

She wasn’t even mad when he forcefully threw her out of their house and left her with nothing after the divorce.

But she was mad that he wasn’t even remorseful and had the nerve to mock her. At the back of her mind, though, she wanted to show him that he wasn’t the only man on earth.

But how? She was single. For the days that followed the divorce, she wanted nothing to do with any guy.

Just as she was about to lose her self-control, a somewhat familiar face appeared behind Wilson. The man with the bluish eyes.

An idea clicked in Harper’s mind at that instance. Grabbing the person, she raised her chin and countered Wilson’s mocking expression.

“You are not the only man on earth, Wilson. Of course, it was only a matter of time. And this man right here, my boyfriend, is coming with me to your wedding.”

***

Leaving Wilson to stare as she walked away with the man she had pulled into her crazy situation, Harper didn’t realize she had clung to him for support until they made it out of the restaurant.

She immediately detached herself, realizing what was happening, and bowed her head, profusely apologizing to the stranger who didn’t even say a word after she shamelessly dragged him into her crazy plot to get even with her ex-husband.

“I’m really sorry for what happened back there.” Harper breathed, looking at the handsome man who was in a blue tuxedo and pants. His eyes pierced her in place, but he appeared to be waiting for her to go on.

“I’ll understand if you think I’m crazy and all that stuff. Maybe I am, but since I’m already this shameless, could I actually ask a favor?”

The man finally broke his stoic expression. He took off his coat, which had Harper looking at him strangely. Coming by her side, he wrapped his coat over her, nodding his head towards the coffee stain blatantly displayed on her front.

“I think we’re even,” the man replied. His deep voice had Harper wondering who he was.

Seeing the odd look on her face, the stranger chuckled.

“You sauntered away before I could properly apologize for spilling coffee on you. I call us even.”

A button finally clicked inside her head.

“Oh. That was you.”

The man nodded.

“Was the other man you were with just now an ex-fling?”

Harper cleared her throat, holding on to her purse as if her life depended on it.

“Ex-husband. And he’s getting married in two days with the mistress I saw him with.”

“Yikes.”

“So, you see my dilemma? I will owe you big time if you do this with me. Pretend to be my boyfriend, even just for that day. I’ll do anything in exchange.”

The stranger pursed his nicely curved lips, locking his gaze with Harper.

“As my way of making it up for the coffee incident, sure.”

Pulling out her phone from her purse, Harper handed it to the man.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but can I have your name and number?”

Smirking, the stranger accepted her phone and typed in his number. After he handed it back, Harper stared at the name he put.

“Ro?” She dialed the number he gave and watched him pull out his device, flashing the screen for Harper to see.

“Yes, and you are?”

“Harper.”

“Alright, Harper. Nice to meet you. See you in two days.”