Welcome, dear reader, to the anatomy of the "Badwepcom" relationship. Badwepcom, a portmanteau of Bad Writing, Poor Execution, Comedy (dramedy) , is the scourge of modern romantic storytelling. It is the enemy of meaningful connection on screen and page. It is the reason audiences have become cynical about love stories, preferring the cold certainty of true crime to the hot mess of a "will they/won't they" that shouldn't .

A classic trope where leads enter a fake dating scenario for mutual gain, only to find the lines blurring.

She felt nothing at first. That was the scary part. After years of drawing red flags as red roses, Mark's quiet consistency felt like a flatline.