I Paid a Stranger to Make My Ex Jealous, but Things Didnt Go as Planned

I thought going on vacation with a stranger to make my ex regret leaving me was a brilliant plan. Act happy, make him notice, and everything would fall into place. But nothing went as expected, leaving me questioning everything—and myself.
As I stood at the airport, nervously checking my phone, I wondered if Travis, the stranger I had roped into this wild scheme, would even show up. The plan had been hatched during an emotional conversation with a man I barely knew at a bar. Heartbroken over Josh leaving me, I told Travis everything. He, in turn, mentioned being low on cash. Somehow, it seemed like a perfect arrangement—he’d get a free vacation, and I’d have someone to make Josh jealous.
“Hey,” Travis’s voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned to see him grinning casually, looking far more relaxed than I felt.
“You made it,” I said, trying to sound confident.
“So, still think this is a good idea?” he asked.
I hesitated. “Not really. But here we are.”
For Travis, the deal was simple. “No complaints here. I’m on vacation with a beautiful woman, and I’m getting paid for it,” he said with a wink, making my cheeks burn.
We boarded the plane, and that’s when I saw him—Josh, sitting with his new girlfriend. His surprised expression made my stomach flip. “Ari? What are you doing here?” he asked, glancing suspiciously at Travis.
Travis smoothly slid his arm around my waist. “Heading on vacation with my boyfriend,” I said, the words feeling awkward but necessary.
Josh shrugged, unbothered, and that stung more than I expected.
As the plane took off, I replayed everything in my head. The plan seemed foolproof: make Josh jealous, prove I was thriving, and get him back. Staying at the same hotel wasn’t a coincidence; I knew his itinerary through mutual friends. All Travis and I had to do was play the part.
But when we arrived at the hotel and opened the door to our room, I froze. “There’s only one bed,” I muttered.
Travis laughed. “Looks like we’re getting cozy.”
“Absolutely not,” I insisted, rushing to the front desk to fix the error. But as fate would have it, Josh overheard.
“Problems already?” he teased, smirking.
“Nope. Everything’s perfect,” I lied, forcing a smile. Travis leaned against the counter, clearly amused by the chaos.
That night, sharing the bed became inevitable. I clung to the edge of my side while Travis, ever the joker, teased me about being uptight. “Relax, it’s just sleeping,” he said, laughing when I swatted him with a pillow.
The next few days passed in a whirlwind of awkward encounters with Josh and his girlfriend. To my surprise, Travis played his part effortlessly, leaning into our fake relationship with charm and humor. He made me laugh in a way I hadn’t in months. Whether we were building sandcastles, mocking overzealous tour guides, or splashing in the ocean like kids, I started to feel… happy.
One night, after dinner, Travis grabbed my hand. “Let’s go,” he said, leading me to the beach. He picked me up and ran toward the waves, laughing as I screamed for him to put me down. We ended up soaked, but I didn’t care. Standing there, under the stars, he looked at me with a seriousness I hadn’t seen before.
For a fleeting moment, I thought he might kiss me. But reality snapped back, and I mumbled something about Josh before walking away, leaving Travis standing alone in the water.
The turning point came the next morning when Josh cornered me. “I still love you, Ari,” he said, his voice full of regret. “Take me back.”
When he kissed me, I felt… nothing. The longing I had expected wasn’t there. Instead, I realized how much I had changed in just a few days. “No, Josh,” I said firmly. “I deserve someone who truly sees me. And that’s not you.”
But when I returned to the room, Travis was gone. Panic set in as I found him leaving with his bag. “Travis!” I called, running after him. “Please don’t go.”
“You don’t need me anymore,” he said coldly, refusing to meet my eyes.
“You’re wrong,” I said, my voice trembling. “I don’t want him—I want you. You make me laugh, you make me feel alive, and I can’t lose you.”
He hesitated, his expression softening. “I told him no,” I added quietly.
Finally, Travis dropped his bag and walked back to me. He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me, not as part of the act, but for real.
“Sharing that bed wasn’t so bad after all,” I joked, tears streaming down my face.
“Best part of the trip,” he replied with a grin, pulling me into another kiss.
What started as a scheme to win back my ex turned into something far more meaningful. In trying to fake happiness, I found something real. Sometimes, the best plans are the ones that fail spectacularly.