Fake Dating, Sunflower - Jack Hughes
Summary:Â When Jack is tired of his friends' comments about him never having a girlfriend and asks his best friend to be his fake date for a week.
Words: 5,5 K
Winter made New Jersey beautiful, and you were grateful you'd picked a coat warm enough to handle the cold. The icy wind was cut as soon as you entered the great arena, hearing the sound of blades cutting the ice from afar.
Jack waved at you as soon as he saw you, heading towards one of the ice exits to greet you with a awkward hug over the top of the bleachers.
âToo cold outside?â he said with a big smile, his cheeks slightly red.
"Only to the point of making me freeze."
"Twenty more minutes of training and I'm good to go"
âDon't worry, I brought companyâ the book Pride and Prejudice was present in your backpack.
Practice lasted another half hour, but you didn't care. How could you, considering you was tucked away from the cold, with a wonderful book in hand and hot tea served by a kindly woman.
Many of the players had already left when Jack arrived. He wore a heavy jacket over his suit. With the points of his hair still wet from shower, he made sure to shake his head as soon as he was close enough.
âI could kill you right nowâ you said drying the cover of your book.
âYou couldnât, who would offer you a ride home?â
âI'm sure I would find someone. Ready to go?"
"Clear. Some boys are going to go to that pub at the end of the street. If you want".
âI think it's the least for wetting my bookâ you walked towards the exit.
âJust a few dropsâ he positioned himself in front of the door, holding the handle âready?â
âArg. Yesâ with the hood over your head and holding your breath, you surrendered leaving the warm comfort of the arena, with Jack accompanying you while laughing.
The pub was busy, and Jack guided you to the back, where Nico and other teammates were.
âYn! Good to see youâ you greeted everyone and sat down next to Jack.
âFries for you?â you nodded in agreement.
You and Jack met about a year ago.Â
You were trying to make your ex boyfriend jealous and a lonely handsome boy sitting at the bar seemed perfect. You shared your plan and Jack accepted because he thought it would be fun. But at the end of the night, your goal had been achieved, but you didn't even remember it after so long talking to Jack. It turned out that you had a lot in common, both of you having a big family, your connection to hockey - your two younger brothers were in the junior league and were obsessed with your friend - among many other things.
You became friends that day and that friendship has only grown over the months. And although many people hinted at things, it was really friendship.Â
I mean, you've already found yourself imagining what it would be like if that happened, but you were too focused on college to think about it and, well, if Jack wanted something, he would have dropped a hint after all this time, right?
The conversation at the table was lively, and you already knew the players long enough to be able to interact with everyone, the quietest one, however, was your best friend.
Jack snorted for the third time as he looked at his phone and then put it in his pocket angrily.
âOkay, want to tell me what's going on?â
He snorted once more and you rolled your eyes.
"I'm meeting the boys at the lake house this weekend"
âYou guys are crazy to go there in this coldâ you said imagining all that cold water, getting a stern look from Jack âI'm sorry, I'm sorry, keep going honey why are you mad?â
He pressed his lips together and let out a âitâs humiliatingâ sigh.
âI already took care of you while drunk, I think I can handle itâ you shrugged.
âWell, last time we were there, the boys were talking about girls they get with and...â
âI donât know if I want to hear thisâ
âNo, not like that,â he said quickly, âthey talk about the girls they've dated, they've all had at least one girlfriend, and Brock manages to put together a whole line of hockey with exes. Meanwhile, I stayed there just existingâ he let out a sigh.
âEven Luke! My little brother Luke once had a girlfriend! Okay that lasted a month, but still. Do you think there's something wrong with me?"
The question caught you off guard âOf course no Jack! It's okay that you've never had a girlfriend, you're still young!"
âYou're younger than me and you also had a boyfriendâ he looked at you from the corner of his eye.
âAnd I ended up with a pair of horns on my headâ you shrug making him laugh âit's not a problem that you've never dated Jack, you just haven't found the right person yetâ you said sincerely, stroking his arm. Your eyes stayed locked on his for a few seconds, until Nico, who was sitting in front of you, and apparently listening to the whole conversation, decided to speak up.
âWhy don't you take a fake girlfriend?â
"What?" you spoke in unison.
âYeah, take someone, tell them you've been with her for like two or three months and they stop bothering youâ he shrugged.
âThey are my best friends and two of them my brothers, do you think they wouldn't notice if I had a girlfriend? And two months? I clearly would have said something by now.â Jack leaned his elbows on the table.
âSo you say it was more recent. About a month ago, you fell in love with a friend and boomâ Nico made an explosion noise.
âBoom?â you couldn't hold back your laughter.
âCome on, are you going to tell me that lately you haven't mentioned any friends to them? Someone they haven't met yet who would surely believe you fell head over heels in love with her because she's beautiful.â Nico also leaned his elbows on the table with a sneaky look.
Your attention on the conversation was being shared with your delicious orange juice and you only realized that something was going on when you looked up and the two boys were looking at you âwhat is it?â.
"You could be my fake girlfriend" Jack spoke a little clouded.
"What??" you dropped the juice on the table.
âIt would be perfect! I already mentioned Yn to the boys, but they never got to know each other!â Jack turned to Nico.
âToday is still Wednesday, you can say something like I have a surprise for you at the weekend and when you get there, boom!!â Nico was excited.
âAren't you forgetting something?â you stared at the two of them as if they were crazy.
âThe details of how you fell in love can be discussed by thenâ Nico apparently felt very proud of the plan.
âYou can't be seriousâ You grabbed Jack's arm and he had a grin from ear to ear.
"Please"
"No?"
âLittle please with many heartsâ
"No yet"
âCome on, you owe me a fake dateâ he arched his eyebrows making you roll your eyes.
You pondered. A trip would be a great distraction, you enjoyed Jack's company and always wanted to meet his brothers. However, you knew that something like that could scramble feelings that you never considered and the idea of losing your best friend scared you.
âOkayâ you say in defeat, receiving a tight hug from Jack, while Nico smiles victoriously across the table.
 *
 âDon't forget to grab bikinisâ Jack's voice rang loudly in your apartment as you went through your suitcase.
âBikinis? In this cold? Are we going to another hemisphere without my knowing?â
He rolled his eyes, leaning against the doorframe "the house has a jacuzzi, it's fun"
âOkay, bikinis...â you turned to the wardrobe.
âGet a nice oneâ.
âGet out of my roomâ he raised his hands in surrender and walked back.
The bags were already being loaded into the car when you started wringing your hands. Three days ago Jack had asked you to be his fake girlfriend in front of his friends and brothers for an entire weekend, and you'd be lying if you said you slept soundly all night.
Jack eyed the trunk, satisfied with his meticulous packing, but his smile faded when he saw how nervous you were.
He approached slowly, holding your hands close to his chest "you can quit if you want".
"What?" you answered too quickly and Jack's smile faded a little more.
âYou can quit. Sorry if you felt pressured to do this. I don't want a fake girlfriend if my best friend is going to start hating meâ he gave a small smirk and you took a deep breath.
âI would never hate youâ you said sincerely âand I won't give up!! And I promise I'll be the best fake girlfriend you'll ever have!!!"
Jack's smile came back bright as you took a deep confident breath with a giant grin.
âYou are without a doubt the best friend in the worldâ he said, and you hated yourself for feeling your smile fall a little.
 *
The sun was at its peak when you and Jack arrived at the house. The weather was still freezing, but not as cold as Jersey. Your eyes circled the place enchanted by every detail. He'd already shown you pictures of the place, but in person, it looked even more fun.
"What do you think?"
âIt's prettier than the picturesâ you said with a smile still admiring the place.
Jack carried your bags inside and you followed him down the many corridors âthe boys must have taken the boat out, come on, let's put the bags in the roomâ.
The room was on the second floor, and had access to a small balcony. The walls were blue and scattered with photos, mostly of Jack. Him with his friends, playing hockey, with his family and...
âDo you have a picture of us?â a small Polaroid you didn't even remember taking off was stuck next to a small sunflower sticker.
âIt was the first time you came to my gameâ Jack walked over.
âAnd the sunflower...â
âYour favorite flowerâ he scratched the back of his head nervously, but you didn't see it as you were too focused on the photo.
Jack opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of the boat's horn stopped him.
You followed him outside the house, watching the boys tie up the boat and run towards you.
You felt Jack's hand on your waist, pulling you closer. He looked down and gave you a little wink, as you felt confident to wrap your arms around his waist as well.
âI don't believe itâ the first boy arrived with his mouth open, looking between you and Jack.
âWell, believe me my dear friend Trevor. This is Ynâ Jack had a smile from ear to ear as he greeted his friend with a hug, pointing to you right after.
âHiâ your cheeks flushed as Trevor greeted you with a warm hug ignoring your outstretched hand.
"Okay, you can stop hugging my girlfriend now" Jack patted him on the back.
"I never thought the word girlfriend would come out of your mouth" Quinn approached, offering you a hand, which you accepted gently.
"Fate is playful" Jack shrugged.
âJack talks about you all the time, but I thought you were just friends. I'm Brock, and this is Elias, nice to meet youâ The blonde approached with a smile and this time it was Jack who felt his cheeks flush.
âYeah, well, I realized after a while that I wanted more than friendship,â he says confidently, walking back to you.
âAnd how was that specifically?â Luke, the younger brother who had greeted you with a hug asked a curious question.
âHe got jealous of me with someone elseâ you respond after realizing that Jack has stalled.
"How cute Jack" Trevor said smiling.
âPoor cute, you thought you'd lose meâ an amused smile tumbles from your mouth when you notice that Jack's cheeks are reddening.
"You're right. When I thought of her dating someone else, I freaked out.â
âAnd ran to my apartment with the intention of making a romantic gesture,â you continue, enjoying the idea of making him shy.
âIn a very manly wayâ
âWith a giant bouquet of flowersâ his friends seem to be amused by the idea of him being romantic.
âA very manly bouquetâ he tries.
âOf sunflowersâ.
He rolls his eyes "they're your favorite".
A sincere laugh leaves your lips and he follows you.
You reach for his cheek, standing on tiptoe to place a small kiss on the spot, while he still has one hand on your waist, caressing it with his fingertips.
Butterflies emerge in your stomach and you feel your leg wobble.
âEw, it's good. We already understand that you are in loveâ Elias says making you two come back to reality.
âSo tell me, how are you guys?â Jack addressed the question to the group, who continued talking until they reached some benches near the lake.
Jack guided you all the way, still with his hand firmly on your waist, positioning you to sit next to him on the couch. You spent hours talking, the boys treated each other like brothers and were always very polite in trying to include you in the conversation.
After watching the sunset by the lake, you decided to go inside for a shower and dinner.
*
The kitchen smelled of pasta and sauce when you came downstairs, your hair still wet.
Quinn was in charge of the stove; Elias, Brock and Jack were making the pizza dough and Luke and Trevor were waiting, they would be responsible for putting the pizza together.
"We could go a lot faster if I helped" Trevor complained, clearly bored.
"Don't you dare go near the stove" Quinn said without taking his eyes off the pot.
"And you would never have the skills to do this" Jack said, tossing the flattened pizza dough up, rolling it around on his finger, and returning it to the counter in a perfect circle.
âWowâ you blurted out and watched as six pairs of eyes turned towards you.
âImpressed?â Jack teased, wiping some of the flour off his hands on a napkin.
"I am. You never told me you knew how to do that.â
"Lie! I already cooked for you"
âTrue! But you never made pizzaâ you pouted while Jack laughed and leaned a little closer.
"Guilty. I promise to do it when we get back to Jersey.â
âPinky promise?â you lift your pinky and Jack does so without batting an eye, placing a small kiss on your hand.
"Promise".
The boys had slowly returned to their duties while you and Jack talked. The butterflies in your stomach grew more euphoric with every smile Jack gave. He was always very smiley, but today he looked different.
âHey, you two, enough flirting and get back to work. Jack, you still have more dough to make, and Yn, if you don't mind sweetener, could you cut the cheese?" Quinn gave the orders with his hands on his hips.
âYes bossâ you and Jack said together by chance going each to a counter.
"Is not fair! Yn just arrived and already has a mission!?â Trevor complained again.
The conversation was animated in the preparation and assembly of the pizzas, which were delicious.Â
Jack and you were in charge of the dishes, and while some were tidying up the kitchen, others were preparing the room for a little movie session.
"I wash and you dry" Jack said four dishes ago, you didn't object.
âTonight has been greatâ a smile graced your silly lips.
"Yes! They adored you, you're doing great being a fake girlfriendâ Jack winked at you and you nodded.
"You're also a great fake boyfriend."
*
You lost track of time as it got dark. The boys had a long argument to choose the movie and when they did, your tiredness got the better of you.
You're not sure when you fell asleep, but you knew you were comfortable.Â
Your head was resting on Jack's shoulder, who had his arms behind your back. He had a sweaty smell of shower, and with the little caresses he made on your back, you felt extremely comfortable and safe.
But not prepared for Luke's scream, when apparently some character died.
âI think I'll go to bedâ your voice came out through a yawn as your heart was still beating fast.
After a chorus of goodnight and sorrys -and a peck on the cheek from Jack- you finally made it upstairs.
You were finishing getting dressed when Jack walked into the room, his eyes covered.
"It's safe?"
âYepâ you said as soon as you finished putting your pajama top over your head, making your friend open his eyes âis the movie over yet?â
"Not yet, but I'm tired from the trip, and Luke hasn't stopped complaining since the character died."
You watch as Jack locks the door, and takes a blanket from the trunk, spreading it over the foot of the bed.
"What are you doing?"
"Don't worry, you can have the bed, I sleep on the floor."
You'd be lying if you said this didn't make you slightly upset.
And you would be lying if said that you hadn't doubled the amount of cream you had applied to your body.
And maybe perfume.
âAhâ
Jack glared at you "Are you scared of monsters by any chance?" the provocative tone present.
âNoâ you rolled your eyes.
âDon't worry honey, I'm here to protect you if you need itâ he said showing off his muscles.
"My hero!" you said with a laugh, turning off the light.
The moonlight came through a part of the curtain, making the room a beautiful color.
You snuggled under the covers while Jack took off his shirt, and you remembered that he had once commented that he slept like this. The temperature in the room seemed to rise and you closed your eyes quickly before he caught your eye.
*
Heavy knocking on the door made you jump up. Jack was still sleeping, face down, and he didn't seem to mind the louder and louder knocking.
âAre they still sleeping?â whispers through the door, sounding like Trevor's voice.
"Doesn't Luke have a key to this room?"
You reached for the nearest pillow throwing it at your unconscious friend who jumped up, facing your desperate eyes and the noise at the door.
He hurried to his feet, throwing the covers under the bed, and erasing any traces that he had slept on the floor. He tried to straighten his tangled hair, heading towards the door, still shirtless.
âMay I know why the hell you guys are making such a racket at this time of the morning?â he opened the door wide enough to see the boys but made sure they couldn't see you.
"Room service" Trevor's voice sounded excited.
âIs Yn awake yet?â Brock appeared to try to enter the room, but Jack held the door steady.
âMy girlfriend is still in her pajamas and you are crazy if you think I would let you see her like thatâ
Damn butterflies.
Jack went into the hallway and closed the door, returning a few seconds later "I told them we'd be down in a few minutes so they could get off my back, but you can take as many minutes as you want".
He turned to you, walking towards the bed and climbing on it, sitting next to you.
âI'm sorry about them, I promise they won't try to get in the room againâ he says with a small smile holding your hand, which only then you realize was tightly gripped in the blanket.
Jack places a small kiss on the top of her head, and once again the feeling of security invades you.
*
âI can't believe you guys came all this way to play hockeyâ your voice was indignant as Jack pulled you towards a large open air ice rink.
âWe're hockey players honeyâ he said amused.
âYn, what size are your skates?â Quinn turned to you.
"I...I think I'll just watch"
âHow disrespectful.â Trevor looked offended.
âI don't know how to skate, but it's ok I...â
The looks of shock went from you to Jack in a matter of seconds.
"Didn't you teach your girlfriend how to skate???"
"What's your problem??"
"Mom would be disappointed."
âHe already tried to teach me, I'm just very resistantâ you felt on a mission to save your friend.
"And I'm still going to teach her" Jack said confidently.
âMaybe one dayâ you nodded, as the boys headed towards the ice.
You followed Jack to the edge of the ice, where the other boys were, too, turning to him with a bouncy smile.
âScore a goal for me darling?â
He laughed "honey, you deserve nothing less than a hat trick".
You watched the first few minutes of the game, trying to be a competent fake girlfriend, but you fell into your book a while later, still on the edge of the ice. The boys formed a team and were playing with other boys, it seemed to have formed an interesting match.
Jack passed by you several times, to celebrate goals or try to splash ice on you.
Minutes of what should have been the second half, a boy also on the outside of the ice approached.
"What are you reading?"
âPride and Prejudiceâ you lifted the cover.
âGreat book, and much better movie. I'm Dylan, nice to meet youâ he held out his hand.
âI don't trust anyone who thinks the film is better. I'm Ynâ you shook his hand, he laughed.
âInteresting activity being right in front of an ice rink. Don't you know how to skate?
"No. And you, why aren't you there?
Dylan's response get lost in the cloud of ice hurled at him.
âJack!â
âOops, my bad. I had to stop,â he said with a cynical smile, taking off his glove and holding out his hand to Dylan, who had ice in his hair, âI'm Jack Hughesâ.
"Dylan".
"Nice, Dylan, apparently you've already met my girlfriend Yn."
"Girlfriend? Now it makes sense,â Dylan murmured.
"What did you say?" Jack moved forward and you put yourself in front.
"Hey!? He was just being nice.â
"He was trying to hit on other people's girlfriends" Jack glares at the boy who has already run off.
"No, he was not."
âYou are too naive to understand.â
"What?"
âYou never notice when someone hits on you Yn!â he yelled âthey can do anything but you don't realize it!â
Jack ran a hand through his hair in a frustrated manner and you instinctively took a step back.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you I just..."
You turned your back and walked away, ignoring the call of your best friend and the other boys. The fact that they were on roller skates favored you, making it possible for you to get home before them, and lock yourself in your room.
Jack's outburst caught you off guard, you had never heard him scream, especially with you. Inevitable tears flowed from your eyes. These last few days had been a tangle of emotions and you felt overwhelmed.
Light knocks on the door âit's meâ Jack's voice echoes through the lock.
"I don't want to talk right now."
Your voice cracks, and Jack feels his heart sink when he realizes you're crying. Worse. Upon realizing he made you cry.
âI shouldn't have yelled at you Yn, I'm so sorryâ his voice is also muffled; he is sitting on the floor, his forehead resting against the door.
"All I did this weekend was help you Jack."
"I know. I'm an idiotâ the pain in his voice was audible.
A long silence hangs in the air, making her sobs seem louder.
âI bought you a presentâ he says still in a whisper âit's in the second drawer, on the right. It's the black box.â
You hold back for a few seconds, but curiosity overcomes you. You open two wrong drawers before the right one, but finally find a small black box, looking like an intruder in the middle of so much hockey stuff. A sob leaves your throat as you open it to find a delicate sunflower pendant.
"It was supposed to be a surprise" Jack says with a sigh.
âWhen did you buy this?â you felt your voice waver.
"What?"
âDid you buy this week?â your heart was sinking âtell me you didn't buy this this week. Tell me you didn't buy it just to show your friends that you know how to gift your fake girlfriend! That you're more than the kind of boy who changes when he's in front of his friends! You are making me confuse the whole weekend!" you shouted in a shaky voice.
âI've had this for monthsâ Jack let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes tightly âyou've always been true to me Yn, you just never realized it.â
Silence reigned for minutes, which became hours.
You were grateful for the door, since without it, Jack would find you in a sorry state.
Unaware of how much time had passed, you heard another knock on the door.
"I don't want to talk Jack."
"It's Quinn" your heart jumped "let me in please".
You pondered for a moment, but staggered to the door, opening it for the older brother.
âI thought you needed foodâ he held up a bag, which looked like it had bread and juice âcan I come in?â
You nodded giving him room, your stomach rumbling as you opened the bag.
"What time is it?"
"Midnight. You were locked in here for nearly seven hours.â
"My hair must look ridiculous."
Quinn let out a small laugh through his nose, sighing shortly after.
âI know about you and Jack.â
"What?" you almost choked.
"Jack is my little brother, I know him better than anyone. And I knew that if he had gotten a chance with you, he would have told me right away, not a month later."
âA chance with me?â your head was spinning and you ate another bread.
âDid you really never notice?â Quinn looked at you with a certain admiration and curiosity, while you disagreed.
âHe liked you from the day you met. The Devils had lost that day and he was on a losing streak, his mood was sour than lemon, but after meeting you, he came home grinning like an idiot. I remember him saying that he was so stunned that he had forgotten to ask for your phone number..."
âI always wondered how he found meâ
"He knew your college, and he knew your last name, so he looked through the list of approved until he found it."
âBut should they have like a millions names?â
"Was a long night" Quinn let out a smile "he let out a scream when he found your Instagram, and when you followed him back."
âHe was always talking about you to me. Always. When we traveled, he always thought of a little souvenir to bring you, and I lost count of how many times we stayed behind because he wanted to take a picture of everything.â
âThe Hughes family travel vlogs starring Jack Hughesâ you mimicked the voice you knew by heart and Quinn laughed.
"He recorded it at least five times to make sure it was good."
âWhy has he never asked me out?â you rambled.
Quinn shrugged, âHe's Jack. He never went into detail with me, but I remember him mentioning once that you had a bad relationship with your ex and that you were trying to focus on your studies now. I think he just was afraid of losing you.â
You felt little tears forming in your eyes remembering moments of you and Jack.
When he listened to you for hours telling about your love misadventures, your deepest scars.Â
When he took you in when you broke down and went to buy you a big tub of ice cream.Â
When he heard you say you were tired of suffering for love.Â
When you fell asleep on the couch and woke up warm and comfortable in bed. When you got sick and he left practice early just to check on you.Â
Jack's smile when you showed up to watch him on the ice, or wore one of his shirts.
When he smiled at you and you felt your heart stop.Â
And those damn butterflies.
"Where is he?"
*
The clock was past one in the morning and the night was cold.
Jack had his eyes closed, feeling the warm water of the Jacuzzi under the moonlight.
You approached slowly admiring the scene. He was shirtless, and looked relaxed, his body moving slowly with the water.
âAre you alone?â your voice was muffled.
Jack gave a small smirk, eyes still closed.
You walked around the jacuzzi, sitting on the stairs, right across from Jack.
He opened his eyes, analyzing you for a few seconds. You were wearing a heavy winter coat, and you smelled like vanilla and after-bath, with a high bun.
âI'm sorryâ his gaze was intense.
âMe tooâ a small smile came out of your mouth, being reciprocated.
You took a deep breath, putting your legs in the tub. Jack's eyes shot to them instantly, your skin reflecting the blue of the water.
âI don't regret it,â he said, looking back into your eyes.
"What?"
âFrom this weekend. Of having you as my fake girlfriend for a while. Was cool".
A small smile came out of your mouth âI could have been your real girlfriend if you had had the guts to ask.â
The tension was electrifying.Â
Jack took a deep breath, putting his arms out of the jacuzzi, looking at you in a different way. Desire.
You took off your coat, revealing your body in a black bikini, which you had felt stupid packing to go visit somewhere cold, but now you were nothing short of grateful.
Jack let out a heavy breath, and gripped the edge of the pool as he watched your entire body submerge.
"Now, I'm slightly sorry" he accompanied you glazed, while you walked slowly closer to him.
âThe weekend isn't over yetâ your smile was relaxed as you stopped right in front of him, who was sitting, making his knees touch your belly.
âHi, I'm Y/n. Nice to meet you".
âYou are uniqueâ Jack grabbed your waist with one hand, pulling you onto his lap.
The kiss was desperate. A prize won after an agonizing wait.
His tongues engaged in a hot battle as he had his hands all over your body, pulling you close. Between caresses, you let out a smile.
âLook how interesting, you will be able to introduce your real girlfriend to your brothers and your friends tomorrowâ
Jack lets out a smile as he kisses your neck "I wish you the best of luck, they really liked the last one, it's going to be a tough competition".
You couldn't hold back a hearty laugh. And Jack found himself admiring you bright smile, going down your neck seconds later.Â
He starts tracing the silver chain, until it went down towards your breasts, where a delicate yellow sunflower was.
"Did you like it?"
You felt your cheeks flush "you get lucky, they're kinda my favorite".
Your heart melted as you moved closer for one more kiss.
 And it was like that all night. Â
:)















