Depending on how long you are staying and how much money you bring, it very well may be necessary to say "boyfriend ".
The first time my husband came to visit me, he brought $400 in cash plus an additional $800 on his card. Initially he told them he was staying with "a friend". Due to the length of his stay (almost 3 months), they did not believe he had significant money to support himself for the duration of the stay.
He was taken into a room for additional screening. They would not let him use his phone to contact me while I was standing there in the airport, waiting for him in arrivals. He finally snuck out his other phone and texted me to let me know "They won't let me in" while the officer was out of the room.
I was freaking out, he was freaking out.
Finally 30 minutes later, the officer called me and started asking me questions. I told them he was my boyfriend and he was staying with me and that I had him covered financially.
10 minutes later, they let him in. They had him detained for an hour and a half.
He is from a low-risk country as well.
The second time he came here, when we were getting married, he told them he was here to visit his girlfriend. He had NO problems getting in.