Ruby Basu guests the blog to share her best tips and tricks on fake dating, while sharing the books and films that inspire her. Ruby’s novel, The Love Arrangement is out now.
Do your parents want you to settle down but you love being single and independent? Do you have an event to attend and you don’t want to go alone? Then you could benefit from a fake-dating relationship. Here are five tips to help you make the most of your arrangement.
Both parties have to benefit
For the perfect fake-dating relationship, both of you must be invested in the outcome. You both should have something to lose if you don’t continue with the arrangement.
Make plans in advance
Agree all the events you’re going to – get them in the calendar and stick to them. Don’t forget to agree an end date for your arrangement. And most of all, agree on the boundaries of your fake relationship, particularly the physical ones. Will you agree to hold hands? A peck on the cheek or maybe a kiss on the lips?
Get your stories straight
Unfortunately, being in a fake relationship will mean lying to some people. Make sure you have worked out your backstory, your couple origin story if you will. You don’t want any surprises, like finding out people think you’re engaged.
Practice makes perfect
This follows from tips two and three. Practice your stories in advance, preferably in front of people who know about your arrangement. You want to minimize the risk of being thrown a curve ball question about your fake-relationship history. But you also need to practice being together as a couple. You need to be relaxed and at ease in each other’s company. If you’ve agreed to be physically affectionate, you should definitely practice kissing too.
Choose someone you don’t like
It really helps if the person you’re fake-dating is your enemy or your complete opposite, perhaps your childhood nemesis. This way, no matter how attractive they are, there is no possible way any feelings will develop.
The last thing you want is to fall in love.
Some films I’ve enjoyed with a great fake-relatioship premise are:
- Wedding Season on Netflix for all the Indian weddings
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before on Netflix for the contract and the cuteness. (Yes, I know this is based on the book by Jenny Han, but I have to confess this is a rare instance where I prefer the film.)
For books, I recommend:
- The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood for a grumpy, sunshine pairing and a heroine in STEM
- Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall for very British fake boyfriends who have nothing in common
- The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas for a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance
- I’m also looking forward to reading Picture Perfect by Jeevani Charika, which comes out on 21 October 2022.
And finally, my book The Love Arrangement for British Indian protagonists, fake dating a childhood nemesis and lots of weddings.
The Love Arrangement is out now.
