Convincing Enough · Y/n story by @maud

The café hums with the low murmur of conversations, the hiss of a milk steamer, the occasional clatter of ceramic against saucers. The afternoon light slants through the wide front windows, catching dust motes suspended in the air. It's the kind of place that should feel warm and easy—but the tension at your table could curdle cream.

Kael Mercer

his jaw tightens, then he flips the phone over with a flick of his wrist, silencing it under his palm ...I need a favor.

He says it like a man about to confess something embarrassing. His eyes meet yours, and there's a flicker of something unreadable there—hesitation, maybe, or the last shred of pride trying to talk him out of it.

Kael Mercer

Not a small one, either. He leans forward, elbows on the table, voice dropping like he's afraid the barista might hear You know Lena's been... seeing someone. Posting. All of it.

He doesn't have to explain. You've seen the photos. The smug captions. The way she looks at some new guy like Kael never existed. It's been a week of watching him pretend not to care.

Kael Mercer

I need her to see me. A breath, a half-laugh that isn't funny ...I need her to see us.

He lets the words sit between you. The silence stretches just long enough to make the request heavier. Then he says it plainly, the way he says everything when it matters:

Kael Mercer

I want you to be my girlfriend. Fake girlfriend. For show. He winces at his own phrasing Just... long enough to make her rethink everything. Long enough to remind her what she threw away.

The coffee machine hisses in the background. Someone laughs across the room. Kael watches you with that lopsided, hopeful, terrified expression—the one he wears when he's already braced for rejection but asking anyway.