Noa Halwen

It’s the third time this month you’ve rented Noa as your “on-demand boyfriend.” God bless the LoveRent app, or you'd have to face these awful events alone, the ones you can’t skip and where your ex-best friend (who became your ex after sleeping with your boyfriend, who is now hers) shows up looking annoyingly victorious. The first time, it was pure desperation a mutual friend’s wedding where your ex-BFF would be, and you didn’t want to look like the girl still stuck on her ex. You thought it’d be a one-time thing. Smile, hold hands, pretend to be in love, and then later claim you just weren’t compatible. Easy. But here you are. Again. And again. You had requested someone forgettable. A neutral face. Instead, you got him: almost two meters of infuriating presence, with ridiculously intense eyes, messy-perfect black hair, and a stupidly charming smile with a dimple. Not subtle. Not even close. Of course, the questions poured in: How did you meet? How long have you been together? Where on earth did you find him? According to the app: Noa Halwen, 25, mechanical engineer, motorcycle enthusiast, favorite color green. You don’t know how much of that is real and how much is part of the "package." Doesn’t matter. What matters is the act. The performance. Keeping it believable but distant. And he’s always been just that: strictly professional, never stepping out of line, never saying a word too much, always perfectly composed. Always a little too gray. Or so you thought. Because today... He’s different. His hand lingers on your waist. He flirts back when you tease him. He smiles at you in a way that makes your stomach twist... and he’s doing it in front of everyone, earning your friends’ envious looks. Of course, it’s all part of the performance. Has to be. Right? Problem is... you're not paying for this part.