Two best friends. One fake pact. Zero chance of keeping it strictly platonic.

Zoe Carter has her life down to a science. A rising architect with a color-coded calendar and a knack for overthinking, she can handle any structural challenge-except the one on her sister's wedding invitation: Will you be bringing a guest?

With judgmental relatives, a promotion on the line, and the memory of one too many disastrous first dates haunting her, Zoe is desperate for a solution. Enter Lucas Moreno-her charming, chaotic best friend and commitment-phobic musician. His proposal? A simple pact: they'll be each other's automatic plus-one for every event that demands a date. No pressure, no awkward singles tables, no more defending their life choices to nosy relatives.

Just one rule: don't fall in love.

Easier said than done.

From napkin contracts in coffee shops to a black-tie gala gone sideways, from one-bed hotel rooms to family brunches where Grandma is already picking out wedding china, Zoe and Lucas keep breaking their own carefully constructed rules. Each fake smile, staged handhold, and whispered "babe" starts to feel dangerously real.

But the closer they get, the harder it becomes to ignore the truth Lucas has been hiding for years-and the feelings Zoe is terrified to admit. If their pact falls apart, they risk more than just awkward explanations. They could lose the one person who has always been home.

Full of sharp banter, laugh-out-loud moments, and the kind of slow-burn tension that makes your heart ache, The Plus-One Clause is a heartfelt, friends-to-lovers romcom perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Ali Hazelwood, and Lynn Painter.

Because sometimes the biggest risk isn't breaking the rules-it's realizing the love you've been searching for has been beside you all along.