A video capturing a man’s calm and willing reaction to an unusual request from his girlfriend’s best friend is earning widespread praise on TikTok, with viewers saying he set the gold standard for partner behavior.
The video, posted by Kiana Walden (@kiiannaa8), has amassed 1.4 million views since it was shared on July 2. It opens with an on-screen message explaining the fabricated challenge: “asking my bff’s boyfriend to pick up my grandma 2 hours away, then take her 7 hours to Utah to see if he’ll say yes.”
The man, shown through a video call screen, listens attentively on the call. Despite the extraordinary nature of the request—driving two hours to Long Beach, returning to San Diego, then embarking on a seven-hour drive to Utah—he barely hesitates. “Yeah, how far is Long Beach?…what time does she need to be picked up?” the boyfriends asks.
@kiiannaaa8 is tiktok
As it turns out, the entire situation was staged. “It was the Friday before a long weekend, so just getting to my grandma’s house would’ve been a two-hour drive, then two hours home, before the seven-hour Utah drive even started,” Walden told Newsweek. “We’re really close friends. I’m hanging out with my best friend all the time, so it would be impossible not to become close with the person she’s dating.”
The interaction the viral post underscores broader findings on how social dynamics can affect romantic relationships.
Previous research has shown that “perceptions of approval from a partner’s friends and family increase relationship stability, while social network disapproval can prove detrimental,” noted an April study published in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.
The study found that men’s heart rate variability (HRV) scores “when talking to partners and to friends were more favorable if men perceived that friends’ approval of their relationship was high.”
‘The Flag Could Not Be More Green’
Later in the viral clip, doing time estimates out loud, the boyfriend says: “If I go get her now, it’s two hours. I get there at like 1 (p.m.) and then two hours back, get back at 3 (p.m.). Should I just go get her now?”
Walden, offscreen, plays along saying: “Yeah, go get her now…she’ll be ready whenever and then she’ll be riding with you Shayan and Dylan.” Grinning, the boyfriend says: “It’ll be your grandma, me, Shayan and Dylan.” Asked if he’s met her grandmother before, he replies, “Never…yeah, we’ll get to know each other.”
Walden ends the call saying: “Thank you so much, you’re the best.” She tags her best friend, @Ella Reames, in the caption of the post, which reads: “he passed the test.”
Walden told Newsweek that her best friend “100 percent” knew about the fake request in advance. “I told her the idea first because I wanted to see what his reaction would be. She was just as curious as I was,” she said.
Though the road trip never happened, the boyfriend did meet Walden’s grandmother a few weekends later. “She loved finally meeting him. My best friend loved how her boyfriend responded, it was so sweet,” Walden said.
Social media users flooded the comments section of the TikTok video with admiration for the boyfriend’s response.
“The fact it isn’t even his girlfriend’s grandma but his girlfriend’s FRIEND’S grandma, and he didn’t hesitate. The flag could not be more green!!!!!” wrote user olivia1234. Another viewer, d.scalise, echoed the sentiment, saying: “The flag is NEON GREEN.”
User Hair and Hay chimed in with: “Omg & he hasn’t even met her?! I wish men like this existed.”
Others suggested the boyfriend had proven himself to be long-term material. “Now that’s your husband girl, that’s your husband,” wrote Jhoselyn.S, while user Kyyyyyyyyyy added: “Your friend needs to marry him immediately.”
“The difference between a nice guy and a kind guy,” commented 🇳🇴Susanne🇳🇴. Another viewer, leiila_z, wrote: “I love men who just do things—no complaining, no whining, no second guessing, just problem solving.”
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