Chapter Text
Ricky's stomach was tied in knots all afternoon
Ricky never thinks before he speaks. And last night was one of those nights. He thinks back to their conversation about the family vacation and if Ricky was bringing a special someone. Before he can stop himself he's telling his Mom and Todd about this girl he had met. Problem is said Girl wants absolutely nothing to do with Ricky Bowen. There’s no backing out now– His mom is already going through the hassle of paying for Ricky’s imaginary girlfriend. How was he going to ask Gina Porter to be his fake girlfriend?
He grips the strap to his backpack tightly. The walk to the auditorium seemed longer than it normally was. Maybe it was the fact that Ricky had been taking every opportunity to stall, having to ask Gina porter to be his fake girlfriend. He's expecting the idea to get rejected already. What person in their right mind would want to spend two weeks pretending to be in a relationship with him? God you’re such an idiot.
Once he’s faced with the door of the auditorium he wipes his sweaty palms against his pants, pushing the door open. He could hear all the chatter and Seb playing the piano as Miss Jenn rehearsed a scene between Cinderella and her Step Sisters and Mother.
Gina was a natural talent on stage, and Ricky noticed it at their first audition together. As nervous as she’s making him right now he could never tear his away from her. He wouldn’t admit this out loud but underneath the bright stage lights Gina looks pretty. she shined about just as bright. Snap out of it.
He clears his throat, grabbing his script out of his backpack and flipping to a random page. He pretends to be preoccupied with the script as he sends a text to Jet and Big Red asking if it’s too late to back out and ask someone else. Of course they reply back telling him he should just do It. They always encouraged Ricky's bad ideas. This idea wasn’t bad, no, It was his worst one yet.
“Ricky, you know the policy!” Miss Jenn scolds him pointing down to his phone.
“No phones, sorry.” He apologizes, turning off his phone.
Ricky's close enough to see that Gina was rolling her eyes and had a frown placed on her face. her eyes glared at him. He looks away, coughing slightly as he skims lines in his script barely reading anything.
God she made him nervous.
Ricky’s slightly, no, very glad Miss Jenn didn’t want to rehearse his scenes with Gina until tomorrow. The moment of relief only lasts for so long, Ricky remembering he still has to ask Gina today to be his fake girlfriend. She’s going to laugh in my face. Ricky doesn't know If he can handle that type of embaressment.
As it was nearing the end of rehearsal Ricky was growing ten times more nervous than ever. He felt like he was going to throw up any second now. luckily he doesn’t. How embarrassing would that be? Ricky throws up because he’s afraid to talk to Gina and ask her to be his girlfriend …fake girlfriend.
“That's it for today kiddos! Tomorrow’s the last day before Spring break so we’re going over Cinderella waltz!” she claps happily.
“yay.” Ricky mocks enthusiasm, under his breath. he was the least but thrilled about tomorrow.
“Ricky, Gina would you two stay back for a moment.”
of fucking course.
Ricky slings his backpack over his shoulder, walking to where Miss Jenn was standing. Gina follows, shooting a glare at Ricky, a faux smile plastered on her lips.
“You two come to rehearsals early tomorrow Carlos wants to go over your dance together.” Ricky nods. “That doesn’t mean be late, Ricky.” she stares at Ricky, raising a brow at him.
“I won't, I promise.” If Gina doesn’t kill me for asking her to be my fake girlfriend.
“You’re free to go now!” she says, walking towards the exit. Both Ricky and Gina stand for a moment, hearing the door click shut.
Ask her. Ricky's hands are starting to get that clammy feeling again. They both walk down the aisle towards the exit. ASK HER . The voice grows louder, his heart pounding in his ears.
“Hey, Gi-Gina, can I ask you something?” He closes his eyes shut tightly, the words spilling from his mouth before he has the chance to stop them.
She spins around, “What?” She snaps, crossing her arms as she waits for Ricky to stop wasting her time.
“Well, uhm. I-fuck, I-.”
“Spit it out, Bowen.” She was growing impatient by the second, foot tapping against the linoleum floor. Ricky racks his brain, trying to string together a coherent sentence. It was difficult to think around Gina, her dark brown eyes staring him down.
“Would you be willing to be my fake girlfriend?” He rushes out sucking in a breath.
“What?” Her arms fall to her side, as she looks Ricky up and down. Ricky couldn’t hear anything but the racing of his heart as she stares him down waiting for him to explain why the fuck he’s asking her to be his fake girlfriend.
“You can totally say no, but, I uh kinda told my mom I would bring my girlfriend on our spring vacation.”
“And this involves me because?”
“You’re a great actress. Like the best. It makes sense why you got the lead. Ya know? Yeah you probably do know. But I’m rambling aren’t I?” He pauses, catching his breath. He wrung out his hands, shaking them out, then rubbing them against his pants. The way she’s looking at him right now made his breath get stuck in his throat. Her lips pursed and eyebrows knitted together– Like she’s trying to figure out if he’s playing a joke on her or he’s being serious. “The trip is paid for and everything. Only thing you would have to do is be my girl-fake girlfriend.”
Ricky wanted so badly to sink into the floor, evaporate into thin air or something. The silence was killing him. The knots in his stomach twisted, squeezing tight.
Humming, Gina taps her foot against the floor, her face displaying the same expression she held the entire time Ricky was talking to her. A look of confusion mixed with what Ricky could only guess was annoyance with him wasting her time.
Silence was a deadly killer and the long silence between them was literally going to be the death of Ricky Bowen. He’s waiting for her to say something. To reject him. Tell him his idea is stupid and to fuck off.
What shocks Ricky are the next words that leave her mouth.
“Fine, I'll do it.”
“I knew you’d say no, sorry I asked—Wait what?”
“You seem desperate, it’s not a good look on you.”
“Are you for real saying yes?” He questions, searching her face, for atleat the smallest hint she was fucking with him.
“yes, i’m saying yes.” Ricky's still staring at her as if she has two heads. Gina Porter, the girl who supposedly hates him, is agreeing to be his fake girlfriend for two weeks. “If you keep asking, I might change my mind.”
“One thing I failed to mention…”
“Bowen, hurry up I have places to be!” She claps her hands, then pushes her hands to signal for him to get it over with already. She raises a brow, her eyes never leaving Ricky.
“The trip is two weeks long. Okay bye!”
“Ricky!”
He’s out the door fast before he could hear her reply. Of course he’s not fast enough to escape Gina, she’s right on his trail, following behind him shouting for him to slow down.
“We can discuss this more tomorrow!” He waves at her speed walking away from her.
You’re such an idiot, Ricky Bowen.
Gina spots those mops of curls coming towards her as she stands at her locker, starbucks drink in hand that she had forced Carlos to buy her in order for him to stop implying she likes Ricky. When Gina had informed her friends of Ricky’s proposition they all seemed shocked she had agreed so easily, considering it’s Ricky Bowen. Her friends tease her that she likes him.
What Gina feels towards Ricky Bowen is far from like. She DID NOT like him. Gina doesn’t know what it was about Ricky, but something about him since the day she moved to Salt Lake repulsed her. A pit would grow in her stomach around him and she sometimes would feel like throwing up from how bad her stomach hurt. For some reason he also has her heart hammering loudly against its cage. She shrugs that fact off though, focusing more on the disgust (sure that’s what it was) swimming inside her stomach around him or when she thought about him (which definitely was rarely. definitely )
“Are you going to tell me at least where your family’s going on vacation? I don’t know why I agreed to this. You’re not a secret killer right?” She jokes leaning into her locker when she notices he’s in earshot.
Ricky grins, rocking on his feet as he stood in front of Gina. Too close for her liking. Does he know what personal space is? She grimaced, side stepping slightly.
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” He sings
“Yes I would like to know, Bowen.”
He chuckles, displaying a toothy grin. He looks cu—Do. Not. Finish. That. Thought. she shakes her head, frowning. Definitely the lack of sleep getting to you.
“You know me Gi, I’m not capable of hurting a soul.” That green feeling of what Gina assumes is disgust, fills the pit of her stomach. Even her heart flutters a bit. Too much caffeine, surely.
Her expression hardens, building up the walls around her. Gina tends to do this a lot. People get too close; she shuts them out, tightly locking the door. She especially feels the need to do this around Ricky. Especially him.
Ricky takes notice of the change in her demeanor, toothy grin he once wore falling off his face. “We’re, uh—Going to my Aunt’s beach house in Vegas.” He stammers, wiping his hands against his pants and wringing them out. “We fly out Monday morning.”
“Give me your number.”
Ricky’s a bit taken back by her bluntness, her phone being pushed towards him.
“Oh okay.” When he grabs the phone from her grasp his fingers lightly brush hers. There that feeling is again. Gina’s growing convinced being around Ricky is going to give her heartburn. Or maybe make her crazy. How am I going to get through two weeks of this?
“We have to come up with rules, we can discuss this after rehearsals.” She looks down at her phone, not bothering to look at Ricky. She notices his contact name: bowen ur fake bf <3. She rolls her eyes, sending him a text message. Just a simple hi so he had her number too.
The bell for first period chimes, Gina takes no time, speed walking down the hallway. She's lucky none of her friends were there to witness their interaction together, thanking Miss Jenn and Mr Mazzara for stealing them away.
This will be the longest two weeks of my life.
_____
“Has anyone informed you of your two left feet?” Gina scoffs, voice below a whisper. Ricky’s just still getting used to her talking to him. Normally all her remarks towards Ricky are snide comments or glares that spoke a lot more than words could. Throughout most of the rehearsal she was actually making conversation with him—To his surprise. After this morning he was convinced she would call off the entire fake dating ordeal, tell ricky to go fuck himself and leave her alone. But she didn’t.
Chuckling lowly, he looks down at their feet, stepping in the direction Carlos had taught him to go to. It’s not that he forgot the dance, because he definitely had it down. What has him off his game, stepping on her toes every couple beats—was Gina. She was making him dizzy. His heart was lodged in his throat, beating so loud in his ears he occasionally misses his cue, stepping the opposite direction instead of how he learned it.
“Hmm, I dunno? I think you’ve told me It plenty.” He teases, flashing her the same toothy grin from this morning.
“It’s not that hard.”
“Sorry just having trouble focusing.”
“Just get it right, or we’re going to be here longer than I wanna be.” She says in a clipped tone. she schools her expression, jaw tightening. Ricky’s starting to notice she does this a lot . A ghost of a smile would spill onto her lips then she’s back to having her lips pressed in a thin line, eyes no longer meeting him. She’s shutting you out. Ricky doesn’t understand why his chest tightens when he finally realizes this. It shouldn’t bother him. But it was. What’s going on in that head of yours? He stares at her, trying to get her to look him in the eyes. Maybe she’d be able to read his mind.
“Enough chit-chat! focus on the music!” Miss Jenn yells.
When rehearsals are finally over, Ricky sticks around slowly shoving his belongings into his backpack as he watches Gina, who is always seated in the front of the auditorium.
She’s talking to her friends—the smile she always shoves far down in a thin line, is faintly on her lips as she listens to Maddox and Ashlyn talk to her about something Ricky couldn’t quite make out because of the distance between them, also because he wasn’t paying the conversation no mind—eyes never leaving Gina.
“It’s not polite to stare.”
Ricky startles, eyes leaving Gina. In front of him Carlos smirks at him, eyes flicking between him and Gina. Ricky coughs, squeezing the strap to his backpack tightly.
“I-I wasn’t. it’s not—I was just distracted.” He word-vomits, face palming mentally at his inability to not be awkward. It was second nature for Ricky Bowen at this point.
The smirk only widens on Carlos’ lips. “Yeah by my co-choreographer. Not just now, on stage. We went over the dance two nights ago and you had it correct then suddenly bam! You’re Bambi learning to walk when you’re with…” He trails off, eyes traveling to the front of the room. “It’s embarrassingly cute.” He laughs. Ricky blushes, cheeks flaming hot. He ducks his head toying with the strap of his bag.
Ricky mumbles, “I just forgot my steps. It happens.” It’s a lie. Ricky knew the steps of course he did. But he wasn’t admitting to Carlos, someone close to Gina, she suddenly made his brain go fuzzy when she’s near him. It’s ridiculous. The smell of strawberries and vanilla was intoxicating, Gina was intoxicating.
“Yeah…Okay.” He’s not convinced. “And I know about your little ordeal. The perfect rom-com trope.” He grins. “I’ll see you in two weeks.” He finally says walking out the door but not before giving Ricky a thumbs up.
Before Ricky has time to think about what Carlos had implied It’s only him and Gina left in the auditorium, still in their respective places. Gina motions for him to come to her. Ricky grabs his backpack walking the distance to her sitting in Miss Jenn’s chair, he rolls it the rest of the way towards her.
“Don’t even bother telling me what Carlos wanted.” She groans, grabbing the notebook from her seat, “Homework time!” She says voice laced with sarcasm. “We have to get our story straight and set some rules. Every good fake dating scheme comes with rules.”
Ricky groans, pushing himself a bit closer towards her and the sheet of lined paper. “We have 20 minutes, Porter.”
Gina rolls her eyes. “And I’m counting down every single one.” She bitterly spoke, but there was no genuine bite to her words like normal.
“We met in theater—Write that down. It was during auditions. You took my breath away and I’ve been wooed since.” Ricky says. The smirk on his lips slightly turned into a genuine smile. It was true. Ricky the entire audition couldn’t stop thinking about Gina's. It was perfect.
Gina scrunches up her nose, writing down just; we met in theater. She refused to include the last parts. Ricky could’ve sworn he saw her cheeks turn a shade of pink. Maybe he’s imagining things.
“When did you ask me out? Where? Did we have our first date?” She questions.
“I told my mom we started dating recently, so a week ago? And we haven’t been on a first date yet. It just all happened so fast.” She writes this down, then she flips the paper to a blank sheet.
“As for rules…” She trails off, pausing for a moment to think of some things. “Pda is fine. kissing is fine—” Ricky raises a brow, she pauses rolling her eyes. “I haven't finished Bowen. No absolutely under any circumstance we kiss on the mouth. That is off limits .” Ricky nods, not understanding why he felt a twinge of disappointment at this rule. He didn't want to kiss her either. Maybe.
“Nicknames and pet names are fine, just don’t overdo it.” she holds eye contact with him, pointing her pen accusingly at him.
Ricky raises his hands in surrender. “I can’t make any promises on that. I’m a sucker for pet names. baby.” He is treading on thin ice here, the pet name rolling off his tongue with ease. Gina tenses, lips pressing in a thin line. Before Ricky can think through his next words they’re already leaving his mouth. “Why do you always do that?”
Gina stills, squaring her shoulders, “Do what?” She retorts, gripping the pen in her hand tightly.
“Shut me out.” He breathes the words out in a whisper, hoping she hears them. She does, and she does the exact same motions she always does. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat.
Slowly she speaks, “ Us. We. Aren’t friends. I’m just doing charity work here.” She warns enunciating her words, a bite to each of them, the bitterness now very present in her tone.
Ricky watches her write down another rule–Two more rules.
no getting too personal with each other. This is just business.
Gina gets an out If things get too much or Ricky asks too many questions
She underlines the last one, making emphasis on the rule.
“And what are you getting out of this deal, Gi-Gina.”
“I’ll let you know in two weeks if we successfully make It back.”
“Are we done here?” Ricky questions.
“One more rule, we never speak of this ever again.”
When they do finish and part ways, Ricky can’t help but wonder to himself why Gina’s so closed off. Now that he thinks about It, Gina is like this with everyone. Once she notices them getting too close to breaking her hard exterior, she rebuilds the gates, putting them up ten times tighter than before. With him it was different. No matter how hard she tried he was slowly starting to chip away at the iron gates. But Gina refused to allow that to happen. Ricky Bowen wouldn’t be the reason her exterior cracks. She wasn’t going to allow It. But for some sick reason they both were starting to like this dance between them. It was captivating . Alluring.
see you monday
He sends the text fingers hovering over the send button for a moment too long.
She’s driving me insane already.
Almost forgot a crucial rule in our little arrangement. We can't share a bed.
Awe :( now who am I gonna cuddle with?
Urself
I’m not sharing a bed with you
You’re lucky my mom already said we’re in separate rooms. Robin's house is huge.
Thank god. This is going to be two weeks of hell pretending to tolerate you
You like me
Don’t flatter yourself.
Yup she’s totally driving him insane. The smile doesn’t seem to flatter from his lips. It was easier to text her than talk to her in person. Well he’s not the one who makes It difficult, Gina does. And he can already see just how this trip would end. There were 3 outcomes. Ricky doesn’t know which one he wants more ;This just being a one time thing and she’s done with him—Her leaving the trip early because of him—And the last one he’s not even going to think about because it wasn’t a possibility.
They fall for each other in the end.