Chapter 2
Song: Headlock by Imogen Heap
Charlotte POV:
I admit, I didn’t fully read the book, but I did see that the girl had asked her enemy for help to make her crush jealous, and after a few skips of pages, the crush had asked her to prom, with flowers and a car and everything.
Which is why, I’m standing outside Aiden’s house, gathering up the courage to knock on his door and ask him to fake-date me for my own personal gains.
I wonder what he’ll ask for in return.
Finally, I lift my hand to knock on the door, but before I can, the door opens, and Aiden is standing there with a bored look on his face.
“I was getting tired of watching you stand there,” He shrugs at my confused expression, “What do you want, Lottie?”
“Uh...can I come in?” I laugh nervously, trying to be as nice as possible.
Aiden rolls his eyes, and I hope they get stuck like that.
They don’t.
He stands back, giving me space to walk into the house I practically grew up in. The walls are the same creamy color they’ve always been, with a bit of childish drawings still painted on. I remember some of the drawings, like the stickmen that Aiden and I drew while trying to compete for who could draw the best, and the scribbles around them that Aiden drew in anger after his parents announced that I had won.
Aiden leads me through a hallway of nostalgia, until we reach the living room. He sits on the white couch, gesturing for me to sit across him. Instead, I sit beside him, trying to make my speech as fast as possible.
“So..I took your advice,” I start, and clarify as he raises an eyebrow, “I read the book”
Aiden shoots me a sneer, his face scrunching up into a mix of amusement and confusion, “And...?”
“And I have a favor to ask you,” I breathe in.
“Which is...?”
“Let’s date,” I blurt out, and to my surprise, Aiden doesn’t kick me out immediately. Instead, he bursts out laughing, his hand on his stomach and everything. He even falls to the floor, rolling like I've never seen before.
Finally, he sits up, staring at me with a curious look in his eyes, “You want to date me, Lottie?”
He smirks as I stumble over my words, trying to explain, “Well..uh in the book, she fake-dated her enemy to make her crush jealous. Then the crush asked her out at the end of the book...”
Aiden’s grin widens, as he leans forward, towards me, “You didn’t read the book fully, did you?”
I snort, “who do you think I am? Of course, not”
He studies me for a moment, with an unreadable expression on his face, before nodding, “Ok...pass me your number”
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My phone pings with a notification and I’m surprised to see Aiden’s name on it.
Aiden: Let’s arrive at school together.
Me: Why??
Aiden: Don’t you think a couple would arrive at school together normally??
I frown at his cleverness. He must really be excited to fake-date me.
Me: Anyways, what did you want in return?
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Aiden: I haven’t decided yet.
A huge wave of anxiety hits me at the thought of what he could want from me in return.
Blinking back my dizziness, I climb into my bed and drop my phone on the bedside.
Let’s hope Aiden is merciful.
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My heart sinks as I spot Aiden from my room window. He’s walking towards our porch, and when he gets there, he rings the doorbell.
“Hey Rowan,” I hear my mum talking to Aiden from downstairs. She prefers to call him by his middle name, because according to her, ‘Aiden’ is too American.
With impressive speed, I tug on a gray ‘Artic monkeys’ hoodie over my black jumpsuit and rush down the stairs so quickly, that I’m worried I might slip.
“Hey mama,” I grab my mother’s arm, pulling her away from the door, “And hi Aiden,” I grind my teeth together so hard that I’m surprised that they don’t crack.
“Hey babe, you ready?” Aiden grins as my mother gasps, her face shining as bright as mine will be once I murder Aiden.
My mother pushes me out the door, throwing my shoes and schoolbag out after me, “Yes, she’s ready, aren’t you Charlie?”
I hesitate, before nodding, “Yeah, I guess I am...”
Aiden picks up my schoolbag and shoes from the ground, passing them to me. I put on my shoes before taking my schoolbag from him as well.
“Off you go,” I see my mother’s smile before she shuts the door, leaving Aiden and I standing there alone.
“Well, your mother obviously supports us,” Aiden’s grin widens.
“Oi, you’re taking this too seriously,” I cross my arms as we walk down the street, discussing our strategy.
“So you want me to show you off to my friends?” Aiden shoves me playfully, “Never expected that from you, Lottie”
I scoff, staring down at my shoes, “Just...tell them about me...especially Zen.”
He nods, still watching me. In the sun, I notice how colored his eyes are. They are a perfect mixture of green and blue, depending on what you want to see. My eyes stray down to his outfit, a white t-shirt and some black pants. So plain, and yet they look so good on him. Then my eyes stray back up to his hair, a curly brunette mess on his head.
“So... what happens if you fall for me?” He smirks. His eyes are on mine, but I can still feel him studying me.
I burst out laughing, because I just can’t stand the ridiculousness of the question, “Oh...that will never happen, trust me.”
“And if it just...does?” He persists, as if hoping for it to happen.
“Then I'd shave my hair off,” I promise, because I’m so sure of the fact that I can never fall for Aiden Rowan Sullivan, ever.
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Aiden POV:
As Charlotte and I walk into school, elaborately holding hands, whispers erupt in the halls. I doubt that I'd even need to introduce her to Zen, the news has most likely reached him by now.
“Ok, well I can go to my homeroom from here,” Charlotte smiles, taking away her hand and turning to look at me.
“I can walk you there, it’s fine,” I reach to grab for her hand again and she raises an eyebrow, “People are watching, Lottie”
With a sigh, she grabs my hand again, leading me towards her homeroom.
“You know, a good girlfriend wouldn’t be in such a hurry to get to class and leave her boyfriend,” I taunt as she runs through the halls, pulling me with her.
“You seem to be enjoying this way too much,” she suddenly stops running, turning to face me again, only this time, her hand is still in mine.
“It’s all for show, Lottie darling,” I reach for her face, wiping off invisible crumbs from her face. The kids in the hall gasp, ‘oOohs’ and ‘Aahhs’ erupt once again, and Charlotte’s cheeks grow dark with blush.
This is way too easy.
“Are you kidding me?!” A female voice yells, and Charlotte and I turn around to see Jessica, with tears in her eyes, glaring at Charlotte.
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Charlotte POV:
I can’t believe I didn’t think of how Jessica would react at my dating Aiden (it’s fake but she doesn’t know that).
Well, that’s going to change, I’ll tell her that it’s all fake, I have to.
I pull my hand away from Aiden’s, running after Jessica, “Jess! Wait! Listen I swear I can explain!”
Jessica doesn’t stop, she runs into the library, as if knowing that I’d never step a foot inside. I stand outside the library, at the entry, and decide that I don’t care about how much I hate books, because I love her more than that.
I slowly enter the library, the old smell of books nearly knocking me down. A headache grows in my head, and I focus on trying to find Jessica as quick as possible.
“Jess...?” I call, looking around the half empty space. The library is nearly empty, seeing as classes are about to start and not many people enjoy reading, “Jess...?! Let me explain!”
On a beanbag, I see a figure, with shoulders shaking, crying, “Jess...”
I rush up to her, using her shoulder to turn her to face me. Her face is completely wet with tears, her mascara smudged, making her look like a raccoon. The cutest one.
“Jessica...we’re not actually dating,” I start, wiping her tears, “It’s fake, I swear”
She wipes the remainder of her tears, looking up at me, “Why the hell are you fake dating Aiden Sullivan?”
I laugh slightly, as Jessica slowly returns to herself, “It’s to make Zen jealous, remember the book you recommended?”
Jessica stares at me, searching my face before giggling, “You stupid idiot, you took my advice? Did you even read the book fully?”
“Why does everyone keep asking me that?!” I smack her shoulder playfully, “I’d never do that to you, Jess, no way”
“Good, because I'd never let you have him,” That causes me to grin, tackling her to the ground with hugs.
“Now let’s get out of here, my head hurts from the disgusting smell of books.”
