Love in Ireland

/5/

 -Saturday June 24th-

"What type of favor?" I asked. This favor must be really important if he just barged into my room. Usually, if the doors closed, Declan is the kind of person to knock. Zach is the one to barge in without warning.

"I'm assuming Alannah caught you up on Tara?" He asked, his eyes shifting between me and Alannah.

"Yes." We said in unison.

"Alannah, can you leave the room?" He asked.

"Whatever you're going to say, I'm sure Alannah can hear. If she leaves, I'm just going to tell her later." I told him.

"Fine." He breathed. "So my parents have kind of been on me to start dating since I turned twenty-one last year. They think because I'm in my early twenties now, I should start looking for someone to marry so I can get married by the time I'm thirty. Which I do want to get married but I don't want to have dates set up for me or have an arranged marriage. I know my mom and dad had an arranged marriage, and it worked well for them, but that's just not me. I need to fall for the person first. So since the arranged marriage thing is out, my parents have been doing the next best thing, which is setting me up on dates with important people like daughters of dukes or duchesses, and princesses from other countries. And it's not that the girls that they suggest aren't nice, it's just I don't want my parents trying to force me to date someone. I want to be the one to, you know, ask a girl out. My last girlfriend when I was sixteen was a setup, and she just wanted the crown. So you could tell how that ended. And then my parents set me up with a girl when I was fifteen and she ended up falling for Zach instead, which Zach had no interest but still. So I haven't dated in like six years and my parents, the press, and several lords, ladies, dukes, duchesses, and nobles are on my case about it." He rambled.

"I mean, I get where you're coming from, but where is this going?" I questioned.

"I'm getting to that. A few years ago they noticed that Tara was pinning after me. And apparently they didn't understand that I don't like her. So obviously my parents and Zach parent's have been trying to set us up. Because in my parents' eyes it would be good to have me date and possibly marry the daughter of a Duke. Plus Zach's parents and my parents became even closer friends after Zach and I became friends. So I would also be dating a family friend. But the problem is Tara isn't the type of girl I would date. Not many of the people my parents suggest are the type I would date. But the thing is if I tell them no they'll start asking why because in front of my parents Tara is extremely nice and seems like a lovely girl. And if I give the excuse, I don't want to date my best friend's sister, they'll just try to get me to date some other duke or duchess's daughter. And I definitely don't want to date Tara. One Zach would kill me because he hates her and Alannah, Owen, Bridget, Noah and I aren't too fond of her either." He explained.

"What are you suggesting? What is the favor you're asking me?"

"I'm asking you to fake date me for a while. Just put on a show for my parents, the press, and other people. Because I want to make my parents and the country happy, but I don't want to date some girl that my parents decide. All you would have to do is pretend to be my girlfriend for a while, so my parents get off my back and see that I can find girls to date on my own. And then we have a mutual breakup and say we were meant to be just friends or something."

Fake dating my best friend's brother? This literally sounds like one of my romance novels come to life. Granted, my life is not even close to normal anymore, so I don't know what I expected.

"You want me to fake date you?" I repeated.

"Yes." He confirmed. "It would most likely just be till next spring and then we can make up a fake break up story. And we don't have to pretend all the time. Just in front of people who don't know that we're faking."