The Perfect Stranger

Ch-2-The Romeo

Ch-2-The Romeo


Elliot likes Harry, sure he doesn’t know her that well other than the fact she likes to be called a guy’s name and have only spent a total of 10 minutes with her but from their strips of conversation, and just from the fact she was actually still listening to him despite the fact she clearly thought he was insane he is pretty sure he will eventually come to like her if he already didn’t.

“Elliot?” She calls to him once he is half way through his second drink.

“Yeah, okay-Um, where do I begin? Yeah, Zedler, are you aware of ZedCorp?” he begins, but already expects the affirmative nod from his companion.

“Yeah, my family kind of owns it, my Mom owns it and since we are her family I suppose we do too, that’s where you are most likely to hear the word Zedler from, we are kind of mildly famous I guess, I personally like to stay out of the media because that just gets exhausting after a while despite what the Kardashian’s may have you believe-You know what that’s not the point, Do you know Ashburn Inc?” he asks again still not sure how exactly to explain his life story to a complete stranger who doesn’t even know him from the media, it’s both enthrallingly refreshing and fearfully painful at the same time.

“I might not have a business degree but yes, I know two of the biggest business corporations in the US, it’s not like you run the economy of the country, Oh wait apparently you do” she says easily, she is also humorous and sarcastic, there you go another fact about his hopefully new fiancé.

Elliot smiles, liking the carefree tone of her voice; he knew he was gonna like her.

“I don’t; my mom does, there is a difference. Anyway, ZedCorp and Ashburn Inc, we don’t get along-Don’t ask me why, because I have been asking the same question for a good part of my life and still doesn’t have an answer other than the fact both the companies have a similar market and consumer base, and something of a political issue that happened a few decades ago and well- they are now always at each other’s throats one way or the other-it’s like kindergarten level of stupid if you ask me” he pauses to take another gulp of his drink.

“I think I read something like that once, something about a legal dispute on patent on a new medicine or something” she adds in.

“Yeah, those were good times, My Dad got that patent by the way, if you were wondering-Anyway, the point, I keep missing the point, yeah I am kind of in a relationship with James Ashburn’s one and only daughter, and let’s just say it’s pretty deep Romeo- Juliet shit, Shakespeare would be jealous. I-We went to the same boarding school, like from primary school and we liked each other and one day we decided to just fuck it and make out and well, we kind of made out for the next 8 years without our parents finding out” he finally lets it out and watches for Harry’s reaction, she is kind of still for a second.

“Well-That’s pretty-I don’t-Victorian Era-ish, I just-Wow” she says struggling to find the right words and Elliot laughs again at the look on her face.

“It is-That’s not even the highlight, we kind of planned to run away and get married after college and face everybody else after, but then her family found out and they were pissed- which meant my family found out and they weren’t any  better and well, there was a certain incident soon after I graduated college that I really don’t want to recall in my life and well, me and Alissa broke up for real to our parents utmost joy-well anyway as the aftereffects of that incident, Alissa and her dad had a pretty strong restraining order against me and some of the members of my family, and my asshole of a brother put one of Alissa’s brother in hospital for a good part of a month, and well- stuff happened and we kind of hate each other even more, like you know out for blood kind of hate” he says, hating the visions that spring to his mind at the though.

They had been looking at houses to move in when it all went to shit, it probably didn’t help that they caught them together in their bed. He had expected that particular day to come from the very first moment he decided to befriend the girl his sister proclaimed crazy just because of her last name, but reality had shattered any scenarios he had managed to build up, instead of hilarity and irked off family members they had gotten lawsuits and violence. Yeah, he didn’t like thinking of those days.

“Wow I- Bro-Romeo and Juliet has got nothing on you, but you are still dating that girl?” Harry asks him with wide green eyes, hair flailing around in her excitement as she had seemingly forgotten about her anger. He hadn’t really known how she would take the news, but the excitement for his disaster of a life was better than the false pity and promises he had gotten from the rare few others who knew this tale.

“Around a year ago, I met her again, a complete coincidence-and well, I think I have been in love with her since I was 6 years old and lent her all my colors just so she would let me touch her hair, I just-I love her and maybe she must have loved me at least half as much as I did,  because she looked just as desperate and broken as me that day and well-we decided to try again, this time as a top secret mission in order to not let the whole cycle repeat again-And well not a lot of people know that I am seeing her, it’s a whole mission impossible movie just to see each other once month due to the crap load of legal work, but It’s just-We are willing to do that, because 4 years ago I lost a lot more than I knew I had, and I don’t think neither of us can do it again” he admits, unable to look at her face again because the color of her hair reminded him of Alissa and how he hadn’t seen her in months other than the phone calls.


“Our relationship is pretty long distant even when we are in the same state and if the cops or her family found out I could go to jail for just having a phone conversation with my girlfriend, but it’s better than not having anything at all-I love her, and I think she is it for me you know. Anyway, me and my mom used to be pretty close, I think I am still her favorite but after that day we had a pretty harsh fall out, I said things I regret very-very badly and my mom kind of shut me out, which was the right thing to do because I would have done the same had the roles been reversed and we haven’t had a good relationship in the past 4 years, until she heard about us and reached out to me, I-We had the longest conversation we ever had in 4 years in that single night, she was happy for me, happier that I found someone else who wasn’t Alissa-And she cried, you don’t understand how important that is because I don’t think I have ever seen my mom cry , she was sorry and proud and happy and she was my mom and I just couldn’t tell her the truth, I don’t think I ever can because I-I know I sound selfish, because I want both of them Alissa and my mom in my life” he admits slowly eyes hazy without his consent.


But Harry looks as if she does understand, she is quite for a second before she meets his eyes again.

“That’s not selfish Elliot, you want a girlfriend and your mother in your life-that’s pretty normal, in fact that’s like the only normal thing I have ever heard from you ever-But saying that, I don’t think you should rebuild your relationship with your mother on the basis of lies and deceits, especially not about something like this-Just tell her how you feel, I am pretty sure she would love her son just as much without a fake fiancé attached to his side” she tells him, her voice kind and soft as the very first time he heard it.

And he knows she is being rational here, a complete perfect stranger and all, she is the one who is making sense in this situation, but she doesn’t understand though. She hadn’t been there that day, and he can’t force her to understand either.

“No Harry, I don’t want to lose her again-she is talking to me solely because of you, currently you are like the buffer medium between everything that happened and our old relationship, I can’t lose that” he begs her again.

“I am not the buffer medium, it’s the concept of me, concept of a fake wife you made up-That’s not real, listen to yourself Elliot” she is quick to argue.

“I am, I know what I am talking about, I thought about it-I-I talked to Alissa about it, she’s the one who told me to come see you again”

“Wow, then your girlfriend is just as crazy as you, congratulations you two are meant for each other after all” she is quick to interrupt him.

“Just hear me out okay, it works-I get my mom back, and once people know that I am gonna be married to you everyone will back off from me and Alissa, making is easier for us to see each other. It’s just for a few weeks, my mom will want to see you at some point, which is like the only obstacle on our way because I am sure nobody else will care and I can just call you my fiancé and you can continue on with your life and I am not sure when exactly she is gonna come but all she has to do is see you, okay and we will just pretend to be engaged for a few months after that, I mean most couple these days are engaged for ages till they get married and once things are settled with me and mom, I’ll just say your broke up with me, and ill pretend to be like really devastated that when I actually do break the truth about me and Alissa my mom will be feeling pretty sorry for me to actually do anything” he tells her earnestly.


He is pretty aware that it’s a stupid idea, but it’s just a brief sketch, he hasn’t gotten beyond convincing his mom that he is indeed engaged to someone who is not related to James Ashburn in any way, but he is pretty sure everything will fall into place along the way, Alissa had felt the same way and to him whatever she said was basically written in the stars.

“That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard” Harry reflects his own opinion, but he kind of really wants her to agree to this.

“Oh come on, it will work out, my mom saw your face in the picture, otherwise I would have asked someone else-Oh, and I almost forgot, I’ll pay you, for as long as you have to be engaged to me ill pay whatever amount you want, per day-per hour, anything-I am filthy rich if you haven’t noticed” he adds in hurriedly, which was the wrong thing to say because the softness in her eyes is quickly fading away with anger.

“That’s called prostitution you asshole. What even makes you think I’ll ever say yes to that?” she asks in absolute horror.

“Because you just lost your job the other day, and you kind of live in a dumb” he tries, but as soon as the words are out he knows that’s not what he should have said.

This time Harry catches herself before she yells at him, which was pretty considerate of her, see, she will be perfect for him.

“I have more than one job, it’s called being broke and your ‘rich white boy’-ness is showing, so I am going to kindly tell you that I am actually in the good end of being broke. Now, even if by some god forsaken reason I said yes, how is that even going to work? I am not sure what you told your mother and others about me, but I am a broke 21 year old college dropout living in a two bedroom hole with three roommates, two cats and a very large dog , none of which I surprisingly enough does not wish to change, so my life doesn’t exactly go parallel to your filthy rich one for us to get married in this or any universe” she tells him sternly, looking as though she is holding back a headache.

He knows she just politely shouted at him but to be honest all he can think of is how now he kind of wants to see her apartment, just to see how exactly that works and maybe see the dog, he likes dogs, see another thing he and his fake fiancé has in common, they are just meant to be really.

“I haven’t told my mom anything other than vague details-That sounds amazing really, I mean my family holds no such prejudice, we are all pretty down to earth” he is quick to add.

“Yeah, I saw that with the way you have been acting” and she is also sarcastic, really, if it weren’t for Alissa maybe they would be soulmates after all.

“I am serious it makes our story more believable, my mom would love me even more” he adds excited.

“So now you want to pity marry me?” she asks and that same exasperated look is back on her face.

“Kind of, but I am sure I would have fallen in love with you simply for your wit and personality” at that Harry actually does face palm herself which she had seemed to be holding in for a while.

“I kind of want to slap you in the face right now, so I say for the next few minutes you remain quite” she tells him, and he is so determined to listen to her that he actually makes a zipping motion with his mouth and complies as they finish up their drinks in complete silence.

Harry only breaks the silence a good 10 minutes later.

“How long will I have to do this for?” she asks, and she seriously seems to be considering it now, which is exactly his chance to jump in.

“Well, in reality only for the duration of my mom’s visit, but you know- I am just going to make use of the fact that you are my fake fiancé for like a few months, for me and Alissa to have clear waters, like a soft cushion to fall on just in case things go wrong between us, and I am sure my mom won’t stay more than a day or two and we can break up like 2 months in, 4 months at the maximum, and I will pay for every single day, even after that-I can help you go back to college- a full ride, any college you want for however long you want, or-or your rent for the rest of your life, and cat food and dog food whatever you want” he knows he is sounding desperate and crazy, but he is willing to do anything to make this happen.

“Dude-Dude-I don’t want a damn sugar daddy, geez- I just-I don’t want you to pay me anything-I-I-a job, I want a job, something that pays more than the minimum wage which does not need a graduate degree. Can you do that?” she says finally, seeming hesitant and shy with her words as if she is doing something terribly wrong by asking that of him.

It’s only then he realizes how much of his plan was solely focused on him and nothing on her and he feels like an absolute ass, something burning in his heart at the frail and hesitant look on the other girl’s face, it’s a different kind of eagerness that comes over him when she looks like that.

“A job? I-I thought being my fake fiancé was enough of a job. I’ll pay you whatever you need Harry” he tries because he is willing to pay for anything she’ll ever need.

“As I said, I am not interested in prostituting for you, so yeah a job is what I need, not your money, or your charity, something- somewhere where I can work at and earn my keep even after our whole agreement is over. And the only reason I am even considering this is because I have no idea how I am gonna get this month’s rent for two and If I am forced to baby sit for Mrs. Richards kids one more time I will kill myself. So yeah, a job, can you make it happen or not?” she says, the hesitancy fading away a little towards the end.

His head almost falls off with how fast he nods.

“Yeah, if you’ll fake marry me, yes-yes I can” he vocalizes just to make it clear. But something inside him says that he will make it happen even if she didn’t after seeing that look on her face.

Harry looks hesitant again, and for a second she looks like she is about to say No again.

“Yeah, I’ll be you damn fake fiancé” she says and he has half the mind to jump up and shout ‘she said Yes’, but he controls himself because she could still back out, and she most likely will do just that if he does so something like that.

“Wait, you said rent for two, why is there rent for two?” he wonders as he tries to suppress his joy.

“Roommates” is all she says, but there is a small tilt of a smile on her face that makes him want to ask for more because that’s hardly enough for an answer, but he once gain detains himself because as he said, he is good guy who respects others, besides they are engaged now, he supposes he has enough time to get the answer to that…