Hosie~ One Shots

Pretending

It all started with a simple plan—well, simple on the surface. Hope Mikaelson wanted her ex-boyfriend Landon to regret breaking up with her, and Josie Saltzman was in desperate need of a distraction from her own heartbreak. It was the perfect setup for a fake relationship... or so they thought.

Josie had been sitting at a table in the school's library, flipping through spell books half-heartedly. Her mind was elsewhere—drifting back to the mess that had been her breakup with Penelope and how much she wanted to move on from it. The problem was, she wasn't sure how.

"Hey," Hope's voice suddenly cut through her thoughts. Josie looked up, startled to see Hope standing beside her, arms crossed, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Hope, hi," Josie replied, closing her book. "What's up?"

Hope sat down across from her, her usually confident demeanor tinged with uncertainty. "I need a favor."

Josie raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Hope wasn't the type to ask for help often, and the idea of her needing a favor from her was almost amusing.

"What kind of favor?" Josie asked cautiously.

Hope leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. "I need you to fake-date me."

Josie blinked, completely caught off guard. Of all the things she thought Hope would ask, this was definitely not one of them. "Wait, what? Fake-date you?"

Hope sighed, running a hand through her long hair. "Yeah. I know it sounds weird, but hear me out. Landon's been... seeing someone new, and I need him to see that I've moved on too."

"Okay..." Josie replied slowly, trying to wrap her head around the request. "And how does this involve me?"

Hope's gaze softened. "Because people already know we're friends. It wouldn't seem too crazy if we started dating. Plus, you've been through a breakup recently too, right? This could help you distract yourself from... Penelope."

Josie's heart gave a painful twinge at the mention of Penelope, but she had to admit, Hope had a point. Fake-dating Hope could be a way to move on, to show Penelope that she wasn't stuck pining after her ex. And it wasn't like she had anything to lose, right?

"Okay, I get the logic," Josie said, her mind racing with all the possibilities. "But won't people know it's fake? I mean, we've never—"

Hope shook her head. "That's the thing. We'd have to make it look real. Hand-holding, spending more time together, maybe even... a few public displays of affection."

Josie's cheeks flushed at the thought, her heart skipping a beat. The idea of pretending to date Hope was suddenly a lot more intimidating than she had anticipated. Still, a part of her was curious. Could this actually work?

"And what happens when Landon realizes we're not really together?" Josie asked, trying to sound logical despite her racing thoughts.

Hope shrugged. "By then, it won't matter. He'll have seen that I've moved on, and we can just say it didn't work out. No harm done."

Josie hesitated for a moment, the weight of the decision hanging in the air. But as she looked at Hope's hopeful expression—no pun intended—she felt her resolve softening. What was the worst that could happen? It wasn't real, after all.

"Alright," Josie said finally, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I'll do it."

The fake relationship kicked off almost immediately. By the next day, Josie and Hope were spotted walking to class together, sharing lunch, and even laughing at each other's jokes like they were the happiest couple on campus. At first, it felt strange, pretending to be something they weren't. But after a while, the lines started to blur. They held hands casually, leaned into each other when they were seated together, and sent lingering glances that were all part of the act.