Fake It | Fred Weasley {1}

2 - the deal

Rowan's POV

"WHAT'S so urgent that you have to throw things at me from across the room?" I demand once I'm face to face with Fred Weasley. He's attractive just like all the Weasley kids are but Fred's looks are more rugged. He's tall, taller than Ron by a good seven inches and has broad shoulders, showing off a rather muscular body. Like Ron, he has messy ginger hair and freckles dotting his face. But his eyes are a soft brown unlike Ron's clear blue.

"I need to talk to you."

"And you couldn't have just come over to where I was sitting to do that?" I counter. 

He grins. "No, this needs to be done in private."

"Okay...well what is it?"

"Date me." Fred says.

I'm taken aback by the blatant request. "Sorry Fred, I'm not interested in you like that."

"That's the point. You're obviously in love with my brother and he's a git so he's oblivious. Date me to make him jealous and catch his attention."

I narrow my eyes at him. "How do you know I'm in love with Ron?"

"Oh, please. It's painfully obvious but it seems no one else notices but me." Fred scoffs.

I glance behind me, watching as Ron chats animatedly with Harry and Hermione, before turning back to face Fred. 

"What would you get out of this arrangement?"

"Well, as you probably know I'm quite the ladies man and girls are constantly chasing after me. So by appearing to be dating you, I'm off the market and it will give me a break."

"From all the girls throwing themselves at you?" I snort.

"Precisely." He grins.

I fall silent for a minute, contemplating his proposal. One of Ron's flaws is his jealousy. I mean he tends to get jealous over the attention Harry gets sometimes; fourth year being a prime example. Maybe if Ron noticed Fred giving me a ton of attention, he would get jealous that my time and attention was being taken away from him. Maybe it would help him notice me in the way I've always craved for him to notice me. Sure it's not the healthiest way to go about things, but it's the only chance I have.

If thought out properly and carried out carefully, this plan could have the potential to really work. I could catch the eye of Ron in a romantic sense, and Fred can have a break from girls throwing themselves at him since I surely won't fall for him. 

"Alright." I agree. "But we need to set some ground rules."

"I'll meet you in the library during lunch tomorrow."

I nod in agreement and then head back over to my friends. Just as I sit back down next to Ron, Fred walks past on his way out of the common room. "Hey Rowan." he nods, sending a wink my way and then leaving. 

Ron looks at me and then glances over to where Fred was just standing, a confused look on his face. "What was that about?" he asks. 

"No idea." I shrug as excitement starts to bubble up inside of me. The plan hasn't even been set into motion already and I can already sense that it's working. 

*****

"ALRIGHT, lets get this ground rules business out of the way." Fred says, sliding into the chair next to me.

We're in the back of the library, hidden amongst the bookshelves, away from prying eyes. Well more specifically Hermione because she's the only close friend either of us know that frequents the library relatively often. And if she were to spot us and see what we were up to, it would be Game Over before the game even started.

I pull a piece of parchment from my bag along with my quill and inkwell. Once I dip my quill into the ink, I scrawl a title at the top of the page. 

Fake Dating Contract

"Nice handwriting." Fred notes.

I blush. "Thanks. So what do you want to include on the contract?"

"A contract? You're serious? I thought we would just talk it over."

"A contract makes it more official." I shrug. 

"Alright, well you have to come to all my Quidditch matches." Fred decides.

I roll my eyes at him. "I already go to all the Quidditch matches. Ron and Harry are on the team."

"Well, you have to wear one of my jerseys and paint my number on your cheek to show your support."

"That's so cheesy."

"I think it's cute."

"Fine." I agree, dipping my quill into the ink once again before writing the first rule.

Rowan must support Fred at his Quidditch games by wearing his jersey and Quidditch number.

"You can't kiss me." I tell him matter-of-factly.

He practically falls off his chair. "What do you mean I can't kiss you? How will our relationship even be remotely believable if I don't ever kiss you?"

"Fine." I relent, knowing he has a point. "No making out, though. You're allowed to kiss me on the forehead, cheek, wherever. But when you kiss me on the lips it has to be chaste." I say, emphasizing the last word. And I can't help but wondering if Fred even knows what the word chaste means based on how many girls he's hooked up with. 

"Deal."

No making out.

"Any other PDA related restrictions I should be aware of?" Fred asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

I think about it for a second but then figure there's nothing else I need to put restrictions on. "No."

"You need to come to parties with me." Fred says.

I groan, throwing my head back as I slump in my chair. "Parties?"

"Yes. I know you would much rather spend time solving mysteries and saving the world with your friends, but if you're my girlfriend you need to come to parties with me."

"Fake girlfriend." I correct.

"If you're my fake girlfriend, you need to come to parties with me. How else are you supposed to stop other girls from flirting with me? Which is what I get out of this deal, remember?"

"Alright." 

Rowan will attend parties with Fred and keep the rabid girls at bay.

"Rabid girls?" He chuckles. 

I laugh. "Sometimes they're like rabid dogs the way they throw themselves at you."

"Fair enough. Anything else we should add?"

"We can't tell anyone. Under no circumstance do we tell anyone that this is a fake relationship. I mean, how embarrassing would it be if people found out that the only way to get someone else's attention was to start a fake relationship."

I swear I see Fred's jaw tense but in a flicker, it's gone. "Right. That would be humiliating."

No telling anyone under any circumstances.

"Alright, all that's left is for us to both sign our names." I say, drawing lines at the base of the page for each of our signatures.

I go first scrawling my full name across the line in a loopy cursive. Then, I pass the quill and parchment over to Fred, who quickly scribbles his signature across the other line before passing the parchment back to me.

I slip it into my bag and then stand up. "Alright then, I guess it's official. We're dating."

*****

A/N: I love the fake-dating trope so I obviously had to put a little reference for "To all the boys I've loved before", which if you've read the books or just watched the movies, you know is the contract.