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Five Fake-Dating Movies to Binge This Weekend
By Miz Poppy
When I was figuring out what movies I wanted on my docket last weekend, I realized I was in the mood for a fake-dating marathon. You know the trope. For some reason—sometimes financial, sometimes revenge-related, sometimes for a wedding date—two people who (often) don’t like each other decide that the best solution to their current predicament is to fake date. There are rules to be followed, à laFight Club: don’t tell anyone what’s really happening, keep your stories straight, decide on the appropriate level of public affection, decide whether you’re actually going to sleep together, and most importantly,do notfall in love. So simple in theory. So hard in practice.
Another version of this setup is when only one partner knows it’s fake and is being paid or encouraged to trick the other person into a relationship. The person in the dark has real feelings. Though those movies can work (fine, fine, who can resist Heath Ledger in10 Things I Hate About You?), I’m not including them here in this list because that version of this plot has a sharper, crueler edge. In my perfect world, fake dating should be all about the consent on both sides. No one wants to fall in love and realize they’ve been duped.
So, want to fake it this weekend? Here are my top picks:
1.Pretty Woman
2.The Wedding Date
3.To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
4.Can’t Buy Me Love
A knock sounded on Hollyn’s door, startling her from her blog post. She grinned and snapped her laptop shut, rushing to the front door to open it.
“Someone order a houseguest?” Cal asked, filling up her doorstep and smiling wide.
“Cal!” Hollyn breathed in the familiar cedar-soap scent of her old friend as Cal stepped through her doorway, dropped his bag with athunkonto her floor, and enveloped her in one of his big, all-encompassing bear hugs. “Oh my god,” she said into his shoulder, her voice muffled by his shirt. “It’s so good to see you.”
Cal picked her up off her feet and kissed the crown of her head, his broad body making her feel like a little kid again. He set her down and gave her an affectionate smile. “Back at you, mypanic stationchicken.”
She groaned and shut the door behind him. “I refuse to accept that as a new nickname.”
He sniffed. “Too late. Burned into the brain.”
“Don’t make me kick you out this early in your visit,” she said, giving him a stern look.
“Don’t do that. I’ll be good. I feel like it’s beenrolling stone rolling stoneforever.” He gave her an up-and-down look, his shoulder lifting in a shrugging tic he’d had since she’d known him. She’d changed into a white sundress and gold sandals right before he’d arrived, forgoing her usual blend-in-to-the-background Miz Poppy wear since she was off duty tonight. He let out a low whistle. “Looking sharp, Tate.Rolling stone.Taking me out on thehella goodtown tonight? Am I underdressed?”
She took in Cal’s black T-shirt from The Glorious Sons concert he’d told her he’d gone to a few weeks ago and his dark jeans. His wavy brown hair was shoulder length now and tucked behind his ears. He’d also grown out his scruff to the just-woke-up-and-rolled-out-of-bed look. Cal had always been cute, but in the last two years, he’d moved into the hot-guy-in-a-band zone. “You look rock-star chic. Are women throwing their panties at you onstage yet?”
His lips curved, dimples appearing and his shoulder ticcing again, giving him this image of nonchalance. “It’s not 1987 on the Sunset Strip so no,hella good, but I do all right. And are you saying I look pretty, Tate?”
He mimed fluffing his hair, and she snorted. “You look great. Honestly. And not underdressed. We’re not going anywhere fancy. I was thinking shrimp po-boys for dinner and an improv show for our evening entertainment. You game?”
“Improv?” he asked. “I thought we were going topanic stationcheck out some local bands.”
That had been the original plan, but she hadn’t yet told him about Jasper. She hoped just introducing them after the show would be the easiest route, so she could avoid Cal giving her the third degree beforehand. Jasper could win him over with that easy charm of his. “Maybe tomorrow. Tonight is a local improv group. I think you’ll like the show.”
He shrugged for real this time. “Cool. I’mhella goodgame. I’m just glad we get topanic stationhang out.” He leaned over and gave her a side hug. “It’s good to see your face.”
“Same.” She leaned her head against his shoulder, her nervous tension releasing a little. Why was she so wound up? This was just Cal. Her favorite person. So she’d be telling him a little fib. It didn’t have to be a big deal. This wasn’t like one of the fake-dating movies she’d binged last weekend. She and Jasperwerebasically seeing each other. No, they weren’t going out on dates. No, they weren’t trying to build a future. But they were sleeping together and hanging out, so it wasn’tthatbig of a lie. She just wanted Cal to see that she was doing okay, put his mind at ease. She hated that he worried about her so much. She didn’t want to bethatfriend—the one who was a burden, the one who had to be taken care of all the time.
All she needed to do tonight was have a good time with him and Jasper and show her oldest friend that she was doing just fine. That should be easy. Because right now, for the first time in a long while, she was feeling pretty damn good.
“Come on.” She cocked her head toward the living room. “Grab your bag, and I’ll get the sofa bed set up so we don’t have to worry about that when we get back. Then we can head out.”
He followed her. “I get turndown service? I’m impressed. Does it come with mints on the pillows? I haverolling stonehigh standards, you know. I’m in the band. Girls consider throwing their panties at me.”
She didn’t look back. Just flipped him the bird as she walked.
He grabbed her finger and kissed the tip. “Love you.”
