byler "Imaginary Boyfriend"

They all met at university. Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Al, and Max happened to be in the same group and quickly became close friends.

One day at lunch Mike said quite calmly:

— I have a boyfriend.

There was silence at the table. Dustin slowly put down his fork.

— You? A guy?

“Yes,” Mike answered confidently. “For several months now.”

"And why have we never seen him?" Lucas asked.

• He's busy.

"Every time?" Max chuckled. "Mike, have you at least come up with a name for him?"

"Of course I did!" he said indignantly.

Will turned away, covering his smile with his hand. Only he knew how true it all was.

Mike and Will were indeed dating. They just decided not to tell their friends yet. So, to everyone else, Mike's mystery boyfriend was either a hoax or an incredibly busy man.

“Show me the photo,” Max demanded.

• I have no.

— Correspondence?

• Personal.

• Introduce us to him.

• He doesn't like big companies.

"Mike," Dustin drawled, "you literally described an imaginary person."

Will couldn't help but laugh quietly. Everyone immediately looked at him.

“What?” he asked innocently.

"What are you laughing at?" Max asked suspiciously.

• Nothing. It's just... the situation is funny.

Mike glanced at Will briefly, then smiled faintly.

• See? Even Will doesn't believe me.

“I didn’t say anything,” Will replied, trying not to give himself away.

And it was getting more and more difficult. Especially now that the friends were determined to prove at all costs that Mike didn't have a boyfriend.

They didn't yet know that the mysterious "imaginary guy" was sitting right in front of them.