I don't really like romance itself but I love when people play around with concepts of relationships. Sometimes in the background of a story I'll see a marriage of convenience or an arranged marriage where the characters are more just business partners and friends, and I always thought that idea rocked. I also love scenes where the characters have to fake-date friends in order to get something else (ex: sneak into a gala as a plus one, agents assigned together undercover, don't get caught by the guard and pretend to be kissing or something, make the ex jealous because you've moved on). I just think it's a fun dynamic and it plays on expectations. (I also really love queer platonic relationships and similar ideas when I see them in media, but I also want to see friends who are scheming together).
I even like a good one-sided romance because the other person is trying to get access to something (ex: fame, money, information), especially if the person lying has justification and is not a terrible person. The main thing is that there's no major romantic tension about it.
Another version I've seen is when two people promise to marry if they're both single when they're 40 or something, so it's just a fallback plan to stick with your BFF. Citizenship marriage too- where the marriage is just to grant citizenship or some sort of perk.
I would love any suggestions where this sort of situation is a main plot point. I especially like sci-fi and fantasy, but I think it would be incredible to read anything like this. I know it's pretty specific but hopefully there's something out there!
by Rat-King-Trash-King