Heat Level: Sweet

The Pitch: Everyone believes that Gigi's boyfriend is completely made up, but is he?

First published at part of the @romancesparks Valentine's Day Anthology

"Who is that?"

Gigi was staring wistfully at her phone at a picture of a god-like individual looking up from the screen. She smiled sheepishly at Joey who squinted his questioning eyes at her.

"My boyfriend," she sighed.

"When did you get a boyfriend?"

Gigi was sure that the question didn't mean to sound as harsh as it did. This boyfriend thing was new to her too. She could see Joey still trying to process the situation. She didn't blame him. Not only had Gigi never really had a boyfriend before, but there was also the added complication that Joey had set up a blind date for her with his cousin for the upcoming valentine's dance after Gigi had pouted that she didn't want to be the only person going alone. She had totally forgot about the dance, swept up her new boyfriend's eyes, and voice, and arms, and was still dreamily floating around, even now that they were separated by an entire ocean.

"Over the weekend, when I was skiing in Switzerland." She immediately regretted answering as she felt everyone's eyes in the class on her and she shrunk under the attention. She should have come up with a plan to tell Joey he'd have to cancel the date, or at least stopped starring at her new boyfriend's picture for a minute during computer class to realize what the consequences were going to be.

"You went to Switzerland for the weekend?" Joey questioned loudly capturing the attention of the rest of the people who hadn't already been paying attention around them. Gigi found herself no longer in a row of high school students working on assignments as the teacher left to drop some forms off at the office, but completely surrounded by classmates on their rolley-chairs. Gigi could feel her heart start to thump as she tried to ineffectively come up with some idea how to change the subject.

"Yes," she squeaked out. She could tell that no one believed her. She didn't blame them. When Gigi first started going to Conservatory Prep just outside Toronto, she had been incredibly nervous and had developed a destructive habit of lying to fit in and cope with all the changes that had been happening in her life at the time. It had got her in a lot of trouble as her lies started to unravel, turning her into a semi-social pariah. Gigi had been lucky though, through a million, soul revealing, guilt-laden apologies, she had made her way back from the depths of social despair to more than a few good friends that she could count on and a few others who she felt appreciated her presence. She knew they were still a little wary of some of the things she said, and sometimes teased her half-heartedly when she would say something a little out of the ordinary. Gigi having a boyfriend was a little out of the ordinary. "Yes, that's why I wasn't here yesterday." Her words came out slowly as her eyes fixed on her shoes.

"How come you didn't mention Switzerland last week when we talked?" asked Joey.

Gigi groaned silently to herself. She was never going to pull this off.

"I didn't know then. My Dad surprised me Thursday afternoon. He said since the school was closed on Friday, he wanted to take advantage of the time off. Especially since his best friend from college was starting at his work this week. They thought it would be fun for the families going away together somewhere fun to get reacquainted. They wanted to relive a trip they had taken together before I was born in Switzerland."

"So, will your boyfriend be coming to school with us now?"

"No, he finished high school last year and is taking a gap year traveling. He flew to Italy after our ski weekend."

"You know, if you're having cold feet about going to the dance with my cousin, that's fine. Just tell me. You don't have to go to this length to make up such a silly lie. Gigi, I thought you promised to stop."

"I'm not lying. Really, I promise. Fabio is totally real."

"Fabio? Now I know for sure you're pulling my leg. No one is actually named Fabio."

"Just my Fabio."

"You expect me to believe that you suddenly took off to Switzerland on a surprise trip and magically got a boyfriend named Fabio. Was Mr. Snuffalupagus on this trip as well?" asked Roman.

Roman was the worst, she had to prove everything she said around him. He never took anything at face value. The teachers hated having him in their classes. He'd debate anything.

"Yes," Gigi said, her eyes darting around looking for a safe place to look, before settling back on the ground. She drew her shoulders up and shoved her hands in her pocket. "I promise, I am not lying."

Roman pursed his lips to the side. He took her phone with his picture on it, and examined it for a moment and then handed it back. "Sweetie Pie, there are rules you know? You can't just pull up a random picture on the internet and say he's your boyfriend."

"Roman, you're not helping. He really is my boyfriend. He really is!"

"I do think that the girl doth push too much."

"Okay Gigi, if he is real, what's he like?" asked Joey.

Gigi's eyes got bigger as she thought about their last moments together, kissing her at the airport, promising that they would be together soon. "He's almost perfect," she answered sighing. As she heard her voice out loud, she realized she wouldn't even believe it. A surprise trip half way around the world, where she meets a dreamy guy. She couldn't help but feel like destiny had steped in just to introduce them – but how to explain that in a believable way was beyond her.

"He's almost perfect," said Roman in a pathetic girly voice while batting his eye lashes furiously.

"Roman!" Roman made a face and turned back towards his computer.

"Gigi, seriously, if you don't want to go to the dance just say so. You're really making a fool of yourself." Joey looked sincere, like he was trying to help.

The teacher came back in and everyone quickly turned back to their assignments. Gigi still felt like an idiot. She looked down at her sheet with the computer assignment on it and picked up a pencil, pushing it into the paper, snapping the lead. She forcefully stood up to go to the sharpener, and Roman picked up his phone and held it out, "Say cheese," he said.

She looked away. She was done dealing with him. If only the magical weekend hadn't come to an end; she'd do anything to be back there with him.

When the bell rang, she pushed her way through the other students to leave, but not before Roman handed her a picture he had just printed off on the class printer. She unfolded it.

"See I believe you!" He put his arm around her and squeezed her in for a moment before letting go and walking off. She opened it up and saw what he had done.

"Roman, you're an ass. Fabio isn't some stick figure, he's real!" she shouted at him as he walked down the hall.

"Of course, he is Babe!" he smiled mischievously and wandered off to his next class.

"What is that?" asked Ashley. She was my closest friend. I opened up the stupid piece of paper and handed it to her.

"Is that supposed to be you and Fabio?" she drew out Fabio's name as she said it, as if she was in some harlequin romance movie.

"Thanks for the support."

"You have to admit, the whole thing does sound pretty incredible. If I weren't your bestie, then I wouldn't believe it either, but come to think of it, I haven't seen any concrete proof that he's real either."

"Thanks, love you too."

"Seriously, though. That picture of Fabio, they don't make them look like that in real life, do they?"

"Trust me in real life, he's better."

By the time lunch came, everyone seemed to know about this fabulous boyfriend of hers. For what ever reason, everyone seemed to be interested in every detail she could provide them. Just saying 'no' didn't seem to be an option. She told them how he helped her ski down the hill the first time, and how he had held her hand all through a candle light dinner. She should have just shut up, but the more they were interested, even if there was a slight mocking tone, the more special she felt. Like in the old days when she would make up all these wonderful stories of things that she had done and people she had met. It was a rush she had missed, and she couldn't help but tell them how his hair seemed to be perfect, even after she ran into him on the ski hill and tumbled down, skis interlocked together and how they had rested by a tree after as she apologized profusely. How in that moment he had ran his hand down the side of her cheek and her eyes filled up with tears. They held onto her every word. Some wanting to believe that someone like him could exist, and others to scoff at what clearly wasn't true.

By the time math came, everyone knew about the picture Roman had done of Gigi and her stick figure prince. Apparently, he made a copy of the one he printed out for her, and tweeted a copy with #gigisboyfriend. By the time she made it home, a few more had popped up.

Apparently, everyone was getting in on the fun. Damm Roman! There had to be a way that she could prove that he was real and not some figment of her imagination. The easiest thing to do was to call him during class tomorrow and let him know what was going on. It didn't have to be that hard.

By the time breakfast came she counted at least 50 more images and hundreds of shares. It was totally getting out of control!

Gigi was nervous getting ready for school. By the time she walked through the front door she was in a full out sweat. Was this their ultimate revenge served way to cold for her liking for her past sins? Instead, she was greeted by hoots and cheers as she went in. Apparently everyone loved the memes and there were a barrage of pic of her being taken of her presumably to be used for future memes. She checked the internet. There had probably been at least twenty more added since she had last checked. She tried to tell everyone that he was real, but it seemed as though people didn't even care why they had even started, they all just wanted to be a part of it.

Gigi felt desperate. Just before last class she decided she better do something. She dialed Fabio's number, thankfully getting him on the third ring. She had already texted him a variety of the meme's that had already been done.

"Please, you have to tell everyone you're real. They think that I totally made you up."

"Put those monsters on!" he said through a bit of laughter and crackles and snaps that the connection was making. "I'll put them straight, and then you have to find out who made that funny one..." Fabio continued on, but Gigi couldn't hear what he was saying. Roman walked by and Gigi thrust the phone into his hand. "Roman, this is Fabio on the other end. Talk to him."

Roman took the phone, "Hello? Hello? Is this Gigi's imaginary boyfriend? Gigi, there is no one there."

"Figures," she mumbled to herself. "The reception wasn't very good."

"If you're trying to convince me he's real, this isn't helping. You know we are just teasing you." He sympathetically put his hand on her shoulder and then said, "If you want to have an imaginary boyfriend, then I fully support that. Just admit it. You do you is what I always say."

"You never say that."

"Well, maybe I am making an exception just for you, buttercup."

They sat down, and Gigi sent Fabio a text explaining that they had been cut off and her plan to convince everyone that he wasn't a figment of her imagination. Fabio, why did his name have to be Fabio? Maybe if would be easier to convince them if he was a Matthew or a David.

The next few days were a barrage of attention that she wasn't quite prepared for. In that time her stick figure boyfriend had changed to images of cookie monster and a badly drawn Harry Styles. Apparently, people shipped her with a pile of people. Her nervousness over the subject flipped from fear to anger, to annoyance and by Valentines day the next week she had settled into acceptance. If only he could cut his trip short to his grandmother's and come to her rescue. For the past few months he had been staying with different family members. His family was spread out in a few different countries, and his parents thought it would be a good experience for him before he went to university.

Valentines' day hit on a Friday, and people were more than curious to see what he would do for her, stopping her in the hallway all morning. So far she had to confess she hadn't had so much of a text from him. The Fabio fan club was more than a little disappointed.

She tried to call a few times but here was no answer.

"Face it kid," said Roman. "The game is up. No Valentine's present, no boyfriend."

"Maybe he's busy, or forgot."

"Surely not nearly perfect Fabio. He'd never forget."

Maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought he had. After all it had only been a few days that they had together. Who was she fooling? He was amazing, and he was far away, and he must have a hundred girls throwing themselves at him. How could he not?

As the day passed from morning into early afternoon, she felt even worse, and was grateful that the last class was replaced with an assembly. It suited Gigi perfectly, her brain was a little numb from disappointment and the fact that she was actually starting to question herself if he was real. Maybe she had made him up, the whole weekend was too. Maybe she was having a complete psychotic breakdown.

The assembly turned out to be one of those mundane routine assemblies, where the principal talks, the teacher talks going over whatever rules people seem to be going out of their way these days to break. After, someone got up to congratulate the swim team or the track team. Gigi with her arms crossed, sitting low in her seat, wasn't paying attention. There was a ruffle of movement beside her that she tried to ignore, and then a few whispers. She heard someone from a row right in front of her do a complete turn around and say "OMG. Who is that?" That perked Gigi's attention. She turned her head slightly from her seat in the middle and then did a double take. There he was, with flowers in his arms looking through the crowd.

"Fabio?" she whispered to herself. "You're here!" She shouted. Gigi stood up and started pushing her way through the crowd as their mouths dropped open.

By the time she reached him, the whispers were no longer whispers and applause broke out. He picked her up and swung her around, crushing the bouquet he had brought. She didn't care, he was there.

Her eyes searched through the crowd till she found Roman and mouthed, "See I told you! He was real." She laughed and then pulled Fabio to a seat in the back row where he put his arm around her and she smelled the flowers – real flowers.