Cousin’s Date Is My Absent BF

At the end of the year, Ashton, the man who told me he was on a business trip, showed up at my family’s holiday dinner. He was sitting cozily next to my cousin, his arm draped possessively around her. When he saw me, he froze. “Aurora? What are you doing here?” “You two know each other?” My cousin, Michelle, looked surprised for a second before wrapping her arm around mine, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially in my ear. “Hehe, Rory, this is my company’s CEO,” she giggled. “I was just complaining about my parents nagging me about being single, and he immediately offered to come home with me and pretend to be my boyfriend!” She squeezed my arm, her voice buzzing with excitement. “Isn’t he the best? He bought all that stuff in the living room! And he calls my parents ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ so naturally! You’d think it was real!” I stood rooted to the spot, my entire body turning to ice. We didn’t just know each other. He was the man I’d been with for seven years, the boyfriend who always used “work is too busy” as an excuse to avoid meeting my family. But… not anymore.

1. “Oh, right! How do you two know each other, cousin? Don’t tell me you have a crush on Ashton?” Michelle’s smile was bright, but a flicker of hostility glinted in her eyes. She’d always been possessive, loving to snatch away my things since we were kids. Now, her words were a blatant claim of ownership. I let out a soft, humorless laugh and glanced at the stiff-as-a-board Ashton, just about to speak. Then my phone buzzed with a text from him. [Rory, don’t make a scene. I know you’re angry, but I’m here as Michelle’s boyfriend today. Don’t blow my cover and make everyone uncomfortable.] [Michelle’s young. She can’t handle the embarrassment.] “We’re not close. We’ve met a few times,” I said through clenched teeth, my knuckles turning white around my phone. I almost laughed out loud from the sheer audacity. “Ooh, I want shrimp! Ashton, peel one for me! And that crab, get the meat out for me!” Michelle, completely oblivious, expertly ordered him around as if they’d done this a million times before. But Ashton was allergic to shellfish. I instinctively opened my mouth to stop her but was met with Ashton’s sharp, warning glare. After Michelle had eaten her fill, another text arrived. [A few shrimp won’t kill me. Don’t make a big deal out of it. Just grab me some allergy pills on your way out later.] A chill settled deep in my bones. I gripped my chopsticks tighter. In our seven years together, he’d always refused to peel anything for me, citing his obsessive cleanliness. And he certainly never would have risked an allergic reaction to peel shrimp. “Rory, didn’t you say you had a boyfriend of seven years? Why didn’t you bring him home for us to meet?” “Yeah! You said he runs his own company, right? Or were you just making that up to save face?” “Did you guys break up? You’re such a fool, letting him use you for seven years. You’re used goods now…” The voices of my relatives swirled around me, their judging eyes pinning me in place. My parents managed a strained smile, trying to smooth things over, but my aunt, Michelle’s mother, cut them off with a shrill voice. “Oh my god, don’t tell me you’re someone’s mistress out there? That’s just not right!” “You’ve been staring at our Michelle’s boyfriend ever since you sat down. You wouldn’t go after your own cousin’s man, would you? Aurora, a person has to have some morals!” Her words left me cornered, the color draining from my face. I looked to Ashton, a silent plea for help in my eyes. But when our gazes met, he flinched away, and in front of the entire table, he tightened his grip on Michelle’s hand. “No matter what, Michelle is the only one I’ll ever love,” he declared, his voice firm. “Anyone else with ulterior motives is just wasting their time.” He shot me another warning look. That single glance sealed it. It confirmed for every relative at the table that I was, indeed, trying to seduce him. “Oh, just look! See what a wonderful boyfriend our Michelle found? Some people want to be the other woman, but no one wants them!” “Rory, tell us the truth. Are you really some old man’s mistress?” “Of course she is! She sends thousands home every month! What kind of job pays that much? It has to be a sugar daddy! No wonder she’s too ashamed to bring him home! Her parents must be dying of embarrassment!” I bit my lip so hard I could taste blood, my nails digging into my palms. My parents couldn’t even look up, their faces shifting between pale and flushed as their attempts to defend me were shouted down. I couldn’t take it anymore. I shot up from my chair, a storm of anger and hurt raging inside me. “Ashton! Say something!” “You know damn well whether I’m a mistress or not! Say something!”

2. The room fell silent. Every eye was locked on us. Michelle’s face went pale, and her hand tightened nervously on Ashton’s. “Ashton, aren’t you going to explain?” I stared at him, my heart heavy with disappointment. I could accept him refusing to meet my parents, putting off marriage, even rejecting me when I proposed to him with a ring in my hand. But I could not accept my own boyfriend eagerly playing the part of someone else’s partner. Ashton was quiet for a long, agonizing moment, his expression darkening. “Aurora isn’t a mistress,” he began, his voice low. “The man she’s been with for seven years is actually…” I clutched the hem of my shirt, holding my breath in anticipation. But he avoided my gaze, turning instead to gently tuck a stray strand of hair behind Michelle’s ear. “It’s my best friend, Noah. Noah has been pursuing her. There’s no way she’s a mistress.” In that instant, my world shattered. The composure I’d clung to all evening, the forced smile I’d maintained at the table, it all crumbled into dust. A sharp, painful sting filled my nose. “Aurora, you should bring Noah home to meet your parents,” Ashton said, his tone casual, but his eyes were locked on me, sharp and intense. I understood his meaning perfectly. He wanted me to endure it, to play along, to be obedient. Fine. If that’s what he wanted, then I’d give it to him. I would become Noah’s girlfriend. For real. Forcing back the tears, I managed a relaxed smile. “He’s right. It’s Noah. We’ve been together for seven years, and we’re planning to get married this year.” “Noah? Isn’t that the boy who used to follow Rory around everywhere like a lost puppy? He was always saying he was going to marry her when they grew up!” someone exclaimed, as if uncovering a long-buried secret. “I remember him! He brought gifts to the house every single year! So that’s why! I always wondered why a boy with no relation to the family would be so attentive!” The mood in the room shifted, but no one noticed the thunderous look on Ashton’s face. The three of us had always been close. Noah had confessed his feelings for me more than once. Ashton, fiercely jealous, once gave me the silent treatment for days just because Noah walked me home. That’s why I never told him Noah and I grew up together. Just then, the door swung open. “Uncle, Auntie, sorry I’m late! Where’s Rory? I brought her favorite cake, fresh from the bakery! I know she’ll love it!” Speak of the devil. Noah strode in, gesturing familiarly toward a mountain of gifts by the door before holding up the cake box toward me. “Hey, why are your eyes all red? Who said something? Tell me and I’ll tear them a new one.” A real laugh escaped me then. I walked over and, to his complete shock, linked my arm through his. “Mom, Dad, this is Noah. My boyfriend. We’re getting married next year.” My voice overlapped with Ashton’s, who had suddenly spoken. “Since when were you and Noah childhood friends? Why didn’t I know that? You never told me!” Noah stood frozen, his eyes darting from me to Ashton, then to Michelle clinging to Ashton’s side. His brow furrowed in confusion. Ashton’s eyes, now cold as ice, were fixed on where my hand was linked with Noah’s. “Aurora, I need an explanation.” Michelle bit her lip, a venomous look flashing in her eyes. “Cousin, you didn’t ask Noah to play along, did you? You said last year your boyfriend was much better than him. Besides, Noah doesn’t even own a company.” “Ashton!” she added, her voice full of innocent concern. “You’re all friends, you can’t just team up to fool the parents!” Her tone was so guileless, as if the thought had just occurred to her. Ashton let out a cold laugh, a look of understanding dawning on his face. His voice dripped with impatience. “Aurora, your little games are pathetic.”

3. “Ashton, they might not know, but you do. My company is up and running, and things are going great,” Noah said, his brow knitted in a frown. After a quick, whispered explanation from me, he seemed to grasp the situation. He shot a cold, contemptuous look at Ashton. “And when did you get a girlfriend? Weren’t you supposed to be on a business trip over the holidays? That’s why…” “Noah!” Ashton cut him off, his face grim, a silent warning in his eyes. Michelle’s face went white, and she clutched Ashton’s sleeve. In the end, it was my mom who broke the tension, pulling Noah to the table and catching up with him. After dinner, Ashton’s allergy predictably flared up. Red, angry welts broke out across his arms and neck. Michelle, seeing this, burst into tears. “You knew you were allergic! Why did you still peel them for me? Are you stupid?” “It doesn’t hurt. I like peeling them for you,” he murmured, trying to soothe her. Then she whirled on me, her voice thick with accusation. “And you, cousin! Why didn’t you warn me? Do you just love seeing Ashton suffer? Is Noah the only person you care about?” At her last sentence, Ashton’s expression soured instantly. “Noah is my boyfriend. Of course, he’s the only one in my eyes,” I said, a bitter smile on my face as I watched the two of them, trying to ignore the stabbing pain in my heart. “Aurora!” Ashton roared, his face dark enough to curdle milk. “You don’t need to fake this. Hiring Noah to be your pretend boyfriend is just childish. It’s pointless.” I knew what he meant. He wanted me to stop. But. “Weren’t you the one who said it? The man I’ve been with for seven years… is Noah.” Before I could finish, an enraged Ashton grabbed my wrist and dragged me out into the deserted back garden. A vein throbbed on his forehead. “What the hell are you trying to pull? How are we supposed to clean up this mess later?” “Michelle is a young girl being pressured into blind dates by her family. I wanted to help her, what’s wrong with that? I only kept it from you because I didn’t want to upset you! Do you have to be so difficult about it?” “Aurora, my patience has its limits! You know I hate seeing you with Noah!” “Let me tell you one last time! You are not to tell anyone about us! And as my girlfriend, you are forbidden from having any physical contact with Noah! Do you understand?” I stared at him for a long time. There was no deceit in his eyes, and a laugh bubbled up from my chest. It started as a chuckle and grew until tears were streaming down my face. “So, what you’re saying is,” I choked out, “you can cheat on me, but I have to remain your faithful, uncomplaining girlfriend?” “That’s not what I mean! And it’s not cheating! I was just helping Michelle!” he retorted, his voice rising in frustration, trying to convince himself as much as me. But we had been together for seven years. He never, ever used pet names for any woman but me. And he would certainly never volunteer to be a fake boyfriend “just to help.” No wonder. Ever since Michelle started at his company, he’d come home and stare into his coffee mug with a strange, secretive smile. It wasn’t nostalgia. It was a new crush. “Rory, Michelle… she’s different. She’s not like you. She’s so vibrant, so direct… I just find her special, that’s all!” A scornful laugh escaped my lips. I swung my hand and slapped him across the face. My heart ached, but the nausea churning in my stomach was worse. “Ashton, let’s break up.” “We’re done.”