An old friend

Sean set the table while Chloe did the cooking. He was looking forward to seeing Magnus, without him Sean’s university life would have been pretty quiet and it was at his party that he had met Chloe. The issue was that Magnus had a very different view on the world to Sean and it sometimes caused a little friction.

This visit was a good example of that. Magnus came from money and really had no concept of struggling to make ends meet. When Sean had called him to arrange meeting up Magnus had instantly suggested going out to dinner and was throwing out restaurant names that Sean recognised as being pretty expensive. It had taken ages to convince him that they really couldn’t afford to eat out at all let alone in a fancy restaurant. Eventually, he got it “A quiet night in sounds great” he had announced in his big exuberant way. "I’ll bring the wine. I want to talk to you about something that might help with that money problem of yours.” Sean had pushed him for more details but he jovially refused to say more.

Magnus was like that but Sean had always appreciated him being a counterfoil to his own quieter, more nervous personality and had always let himself get swept up by his charisma. It had gotten them into trouble a few times which Sean now viewed as some of his fondest memories.

In return Sean was always there when Magnus needed to knuckle down and do some work. It turned out that Magnus’s parents were pretty strict. They had made him go to university to study accountancy to teach him fiscal responsibility and while he loved to party and was certainly a ladies man, he also respected/feared his parents enough that he needed to do well. He would come, cap in hand to Sean asking for help on one subject or another and Sean would help him. Magnus always had the good grace to take it seriously at those times and then after the test, essay or presentation was over he would drag Sean out for more fun and hi-jinx. After university they had lost touch a little as Sean focussed on work and Magnus began whatever enterprise he had been working at.

There was a knock on the door and Sean rushed over to answer it. There he was, arms outstretched ready to hug and Sean found himself pulled into a hard, manly embrace. Magnus’s mother was Middle Eastern and his father was Scandinavian this had resulted in a son well above the average height with broad shoulders. His features were more on the European side but he had the black hair and tanned skin from his mother's side. His father would joke that he had kidnapped his mother on a Viking raid and there was definitely something of the Viking about Magnus.

Magnus came in and greeted Chloe with a cheer as he picked her up and turned around with her nearly knocking things over in their modest apartment. Chloe squealed and laughed at the big oaf and she punched him on the arm before going on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek and saying “Hello Magnus, good to see you.” The couple fussed around setting out dinner as Magnus opened the no doubt expensive wine he had brought with him and they sat down to dinner.

Nobody mentioned the thing that Magnus had wanted to discuss because they were too busy catching up and by the end of the meal they were one bottle of wine down and well on the way to polishing off the second. Magnus was largely unaffected and Chloe was holding it well but Sean was starting to move from merry to pissed. He really didn’t drink much these days as he saw it as an unnecessary expense but Chloe still drank semi regularly.

They had moved over to the living area and were slouched on comfortable chairs. Magnus in an armchair and Chloe was reclining against Sean on the sofa. Magnus leaned forward after a natural break in the conversation and looked serious “I have something I need to discuss with you guys” he said. “I have a big favour to ask and if it’s too much please say, I won’t be offended.”

Chloe and Sean looked at each other with concern the effects of the wine lessened by the shift in tone. “What is it buddy” asked Sean.

Magnus sighed and ran his hands over his face “I would like to borrow Chloe” he announced.

“Borrow her for what?” asked Sean.

“I would like Chloe to be my girlfriend.”

They stared at him blankly.

“I should say I would like her to pretend to be my girlfriend” corrected Magnus.

The couple nearly spat out their wine when he first said it but once he clarified it Chloe laughed “Why do you want me to pretend to be your girlfriend?”

“Yea bud’ I think we need a bit more context here.”

“It’s my damn parent’s dude. I’m busy trying to set up my own businesses but they are on at me about settling down and finding a steady girl.”

That made sense to Sean. He had met Magnus’s parents. His dad was strict about money and responsibility but pretty easy going about most other things. His mother was pretty conservative and didn’t like his loose behaviour with women. She barely tolerated him wanting to be an entrepreneur preferring he had followed a more traditional route like Sean and she wanted him married or at the very least to stop playing around and to find a nice girl to be with and not the party girls he usually dated if he saw them more than once that was. “What are they wanting?” Sean asked.

“My big sister is getting married and my mum has been worse than ever” said Magnus. “To shut her up I told her I was seeing a nice girl. That was fine for a few days but then she was pestering me for details and a picture so I went through my phone to find a picture of me with a girl to send her but none of them were particularly appropriate.”

“Oh I can see where this is going” said Chloe sitting up and leaning forward.

Magnus made eye contact and gave a guilty shrug but continued the story. “I found a picture of me with a nice girl who was dressed nicely and didn’t have too much makeup on who I looked relaxed and happy with. It was you from that garden party Jeff threw a couple of years ago so I sent her that. My god was she delighted and there were so many questions and, well, because I knew you so well I just used you as a template and told her all about you. So now we have this big pre wedding planning party to go to and I really need a date and maybe for the wedding?” His voice went up as he winced while making his request.

There was a pregnant pause where nobody said anything. Sean was fighting the **** to make sense of this stupid request but he was snapped out of it when Chloe burst out laughing. “You stupid bastard” she said while laughing “I can’t believe you put yourself in these situations. Just tell her we broke up, probably because you cheated on me with a stripper.”

“I would but she is being a nightmare. She won't leave me alone and I am trying to set up some businesses that she wouldn’t strictly approve of. A lovely girlfriend for her to fawn over will distract her long enough that I can get things running and hopefully she doesn’t find out but if she does and persuades my dad to cut me off it won’t matter because I’ll be solvent. It’s only the wedding and a couple of meetups, please” he begged putting his hands together and giving them both puppy dog eyes which he managed to do very well considering his size.

Sean’s head was fuzzy with wine and he couldn’t quite get it “So you take Chloe to meet your family and pass her off as your girlfriend until after the wedding?”

“That’s the gist of it” confirmed Magnus.

Sean rubbed his temples “Exactly how far does she have to go to prove it?”

Magnus laughed “Yes I get your point. I don’t think my parents are expecting a leaked sex tape if that’s what you are getting at but yes we would have to be comfortable with casual contact and maybe even share a kiss and definitely share a room.” Magnus could see that Sean looked uncomfortable. “If you think of it as an acting job which it kind of is, then it’s not even as much as a lot of actors do in films” he added trying to persuade him. “I’d consider it like a job too. I’d be taking up your spare time Chloe so I’d pay you.”

“Doesn't that kind of make me a bit like a whore?” asked Chloe seriously.

“Or like an actress” Magnus reiterated with a cheeky grin.

Sean turned to Chloe and asked “What do you think about all this?”

“Honestly I think Magnus is a silly prick for getting himself in this situation,” she said exasperated “but I was looking for another job to fill in between my current one and I could think of worse jobs.” She sighed, leaned back and crossed her arms “In theory I’m happy to do it but I’m not sure you are” she gestured to Sean.

“What do you mean?” he asked, a little hurt.

“I mean men have delicate egos’ and I am not prepared to risk damaging our marriage for a little cash. If you think you can deal with me disappearing for a couple of nights with another man and you’ll have no idea what we are up to then go ahead. If you can’t take it then just say no and I’ll find another job.”

Sean went quiet as he thought. All eyes were on him but he wasn’t aware of their stares as he searched his feelings. He wanted to help his friend and they needed some extra income. These were good enough reasons to say yes. What was Chloe thinking questioning his confidence in her and Magnus? Did she think he didn’t trust her? Still, those things she said did give him pause…