Jake’s shoulders rose and fell. He couldn’t truly answer that question, and to be honest, he was surprised that for once, Sugar wasn’t bullshitting him. His hands ran down his face, feeling an onslaught of exhaustion. “I don’t know, Sugar, really I don’t. I can give you honest Jake, I can give you the real me, and I can give you the asshole, but you’ve been so clear that you didn’t want me in any capacity.” The thought that she didn’t want him had devastated him. He’d thought if he stopped fucking around, stopped being the asshole that he pretended to be, then maybe just maybe Sugar would share the same feelings that had come out of seemingly nowhere and knocked him flat of his ass, but she hadn’t until now. “So is this finally you being real with me, Sugar? Is this finally you saying that you can’t get me out of your head like I can’t get you out of mine?”
Notes: Jake and Sugar go on their first fake date.
Jake slipped on his leather jacket atop a long sleeve grey shirt, his nicest pair of dark wash jeans, and grey converses to match. While he gave himself the once over in the mirror, he could not believe that he was about to be going on a date, albeit fake, with Sugar Motta. The world knew that they had a rivalry, and many stories had been leaked in regards their icy treatment of one another on set. His manager, however, had other plans, and now the two were to be linked in a relationship purely for the publicity. This also meant that he would have to change how he treated her on set. God, what had he gotten himself into? He hopped into his sleek charcoal colored Range Rover and drove to Sugar’s place. Jake walked up to Sugar’s door, knocking on her door and shoving his hands into his pockets as he waited for her to answer. Now was the time for him to put all of his acting to good use. He would have to pretend he was smitten with this woman and make it believable. This was going to be a feat.
Sugar was incredibly tempted to answer the door in a thick sweater and loose fitting jeans just so that she could stick it to Jake and his request that she wear something tight and decent looking during their first fake date. But because Sugar knew that going out of her way to piss him off would not only make the fake dating harder for them to pull off, but since she was pretty well known for her style that was a little more out there than jeans and a sweater would've been, going with that would also make it less likely for the press to believe that she was actually into Jake. So instead Sugar wore a tight and short green dress that she paired with a black faux fur vest and tall matching boots, that she knew would look cute in the paparazzi photos. Even though she'd been ready to go for awhile before Jake had arrived, Sugar made her assistant get the door for her and inform Jake that he would have to wait inside for awhile for no other reason than to irk him.
Jake rolled his eyes when he was told that he would have to wait a while before Sugar was going to be ready. “Right, great,” he mumbled to her assistant as he paced the room waiting for Sugar. Jake pulled out his phone, to busy himself, as he waited. It would seem that only one of them was punctual in this fake relationship, and apparently it was him. “Paging Princess Motta, I know it takes a while to put on your mask, but damn woman how much of your real face are you up there hiding?” he said loud enough that she would hear him from wherever she was. If she was trying to annoy him, she was thoroughly succeeding, as Jake wanted to get in and out of this date as quickly as possible.
Sugar glared when she heard Jake's voice echo up to her room. He was making her want to try to annoy him even more and if it wasn't for the fact that she really didn't trust him in her house for any lengthy period of time, she would've made him wait longer than just five minutes. When she finally deigned to walk into the front room where Jake was waiting, she came in casually as if there hadn't been a purposeful hold up. "Puckerman." Sugar said simply in a pretty cold greeting.
Jake forced a smile as she finally came down to join him. “Motta. How nice of you to finally join me. You know lack of punctuality isn’t a good quality in a girlfriend. You should do something about that. There’s only so far your looks are going to take you, Princess.” He placed his phone back into his pocket as he spoke. Jake’s eyes roamed over her and he gave a thumbs up. “The outfit really does distract from the personality. You’ve even got your mask firmly in place I see. On a scale of one to ten, I give you a solid, 6 at best.” The actor was getting out all of the negative comments he could before they had to pull of the role of a lifetime. “You ready? Once we leave these doors, it’s show time. In other words, don’t mess this up.”
Sugar rolled her eyes as Jake went through his litany of insults. It was honestly no surprise why she absolutely despised him, he was a complete child and regularly made her want to punch him square in the face. "Are you done yet?" Sugar asked in a bored tone once Jake finally stopped talking. "I've been acting since before I could say my own name. I've got this. You're the one most likely to screw this up somehow."
Jake nodded. “Yes. I’m done now. Had to get ‘em out. I have more, but I’ll save those til the end of the date,” he vowed. As she reminded him that she’d been acting before she could say her own name, he rolled his eyes. Child actors. They could be the worse fucking people to encounter, and part of the reason he didn’t like Sugar. Just because he didn’t come into acting until his mid teens, didn’t make him any less talented. But he’d encountered many people that seemed to believe that they were the elite, and he was just a newbie. In a few short years, he had many accomplishments under his belt. “Please, Princess, if anything that just means you need sharpen up. The longer you work the more complacent and content people can get with the subpar work they do. I sharpened up and waited for my moment. It came and I still stay sharp.” He held out a hand for her to take. This was acting Jake now. Just like that he’d flipped the switch dislike aside. No matter if they weren’t at the restaurant yet, you never know who would or could see the on the walk from the house to the car.
Sugar rolled her eyes and glared when Jake said that her years of experience just made her more complacent. He was absolutely kidding himself if he thought that her child star past made her any less sharp as an actor, after all it wasn't as if she hadn't had to go through the same auditions as everyone else, if not more rigorous ones from directors who had the same screwed up beliefs as Jake. But she wasn't going to bother explaining herself to someone she was 100% certain was just famous because of how adorable he looked in jeans. Instead, Sugar just took his offered hand and dug her nails in. "How's this for sharp?" She asked cheerily, practically dragging him out of her front door where he wouldn't be able to protest it.
Jake was kidding himself to think that Sugar was actually going to take his hand and put all those insults behind her. He knew that retaliation would come, but he hadn’t known it was going to be physical instead of verbally. His jaws clenched, and he tried not to react, instead he put on a smile. “I like pain, gives me so much pleasure, Princess,” he lied. “Ladies, dig their nails into me all the time, I’m used to. Granted, I’m also doing pleasurable things to them.” A brow rose and he smirked. As she tugged him out to the vehicle, he did do the gentlemanly thing and open the door for her. As she was about to get him, Jake smacked Sugar on her shapely bottom. “Fair game, I’m your boyfriend now.” The actor winked, and chuckled, walking around to his side of the car. Payback for her sharp nails. When he was in the car and buckled in, he gave her the ground rules. “Don’t touch my radio. Don’t touch the air condition. When you get out of it I want there to be no traces that remind me that you were ever in here, tainting my happy place. Got it?” he asked, pulling out of the driveway, setting out for The Modern at the Museum of Modern Art.
Sugar made a disgusted face when Jake made his comment and almost wished that she hadn't dug her nails in as deep as she could because she really wanted to hurt him more. Once she was in her own seat and buckled in Sugar rolled her eyes yet again, at Jake's stupidity and shrugged before pulling a sample bottle of perfume she always forgot to leave at home, out of her purse and spritzed it into Jake's car a few times with a smug smile since there really wasn't much Jake could do about the smell before she rebelliously flipped the radio station as well.
Jake watched as this woman continued to do everything he’d advised her not to do in his car. “God, I hate you so much. I feel like I’m being punished for all the wrong I’ve done in my life. This must be because I cheated that time I was supposed to fast for Yom Kippur.” Jake drove a little faster, wanting to quickly get to their destination because this was turning out to be the date from hell. As soon as they arrived, Jake, parked his car, and walked around to open Sugars door for her. He’d spotted a few people that held cameras, and he thought to himself ‘game on, show time’. Jake opened the door for Sugar, extending his had to her. “Showtime, we’ve already got a few cameras pointed at us,” he informed, as he whispered close to her ear, looking as if they were having an intimate moment. Closing the door for her, he wrapped his arm around her slight waist keeping her close. His hand slipped to her bottom as they walked and he made sure to walk in the line of sight of the scattered few paparazzi at the venue.
Sugar shrugged. "You probably are. Who knows?" She answered, before pulling her phone out and taking a fake happy looking snap on her phone where only Jake's hand was visible and added a heart and question mark to it before posting it to her public snapchat story. Once they got to their destination, Sugar allowed Jake to help her out of the car even before he'd informed her that there were already camera's present. Sugar was completely fine with Jake's hand around her waist as they walked, but when his hand slipped down to her butt again, Sugar had no problem reaching to dig her nails in his arm this time, rationalizing her public rudeness with the fact that she probably would've done the same thing if it was some guy she actually liked. "Don't be disgusting." Sugar hissed to Jake, without changing her facial expression.
Jake rolled his eyes at her fake happy selfie. They were really doing this. He had to get on the social media game and pump up this sham relationship. The sensation of her nails digging into his flesh again, he tried to keep his voice low, but still protested. “Ow, damn. Really, I’m not being disgusting. My fans will never believe I’m into you if I don’t go for the ass grab. It’s how they know. I’m an ass man, so you had to pass the ass test.” He was being honest there. Jake didn’t truly date, everything was casual with him, but in the public eye he was notorious for being handsy with the girls that he’d been seen with. The true test was if he was handsy. If he wasn’t, his fans read way too much into the lack of physicality, but apparently he always followed a predictable patter. Jake’s relationships never lasted long, probably because they were never relationships to begin with, he just made them seem like they were to save face with the public, and not to have to hear the lectures his mother still gave him about his actions. He’d moved his hand back around her waist, making sure to keep a smile on his features when they entered the restaurant. Asking to be seated near a window, the exact window that paparazzi was known to get good shots in. Jake pulled out Sugar’s chair for her, and took his seat across from her. As he looked across at her he realized they’d actually have to talk about something, what? He had no clue. “So….we’re going to be here a while so we have to…talk about shit…but…I’m at a loss here,” he still kept his charming demeanor even if what he was saying was anything but charming.
Sugar rolled her eyes at Jake's comment. "Your fans will be fine if they don't see pictures of you grabbing my ass. I don't like it, so can you please just not?" Sugar was glad when his hand went back to her waist, even if she didn't know if it were her words or nails that had convinced him. Once they were seated however, New problems arose since as far as Sugar was aware, they had absolutely nothing in common to talk about. Sugar dropped her camera ready cheerful demeanor for half a second as she tried to come up with something for them to talk about. "Um..I don't know. Want to talk about how lame our managers are?"
Jake features transformed, giving Sugar the more serious and genuine side, then one that she probably didn’t know he had. “Say no more. I have an image, but I am respectful of wishes. Like you or not, and I was also trying to annoy you a little too, I’ll be honest.” Jake watched Sugar’s demeanor for a second, and he outstretched his hand across the table, reaching for hers. He knew how to play a date, and feign interest. “I honestly, don’t know how they came up with this whole concept. James was so sure this was going to be easy and a gold mine. I on the other hand, I’ll believe it when I see it.” Jake held eye contact with Sugar, as if he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Jake knew that their conversations about their managers would only last for a few minutes max. When the waitress approached, it gave him the opportunity to think of what exactly he’d think of to ask her. This was going to be harder than he thought. As the waitress attempted to take their drink orders, Jake simply ordered water. “And whatever the beautiful lady would like,” he said after he ordered the water. Jake knew the staff at restaurants always talked. They always sold their stories anonymously for a quick buck.
Sugar took Jake's hand right away and smiled at him like he was the only guy in the world as he spoke. "Me neither. I mean, I'm totally used to having to hang with people for publicity stunts. But it's usually just weird fake friendships with people I just don't really know, Al's never made me go this far before. It's totes weird." Sugar said leaning in as if their conversation was even slightly engrossing. Which worked perfectly when the waitress arrived and rather clearly recognized them both. "I'd like a pink lemonade, thanks." Sugar said before turning back to Jake like she'd missed looking at him in the 4 seconds her attention went elsewhere.
Jake ’s brows rose at the fake friendships thing. He didn’t do those, and most of the time he killed any ideas of being fake. It was already enough that he had to be much more of a “hollywood badboy” than he really was. “Who are those fake friendships?” he asked, leaning forward just a bit, though his intrigue was real this time. “I’ve never done those, but I do have to amp up the whole douchebag, womanizing, badboy image that people seem to like so much.” It got him paid so he did was he was told, though he had no clue why he was going along with this. It practically took him off the market for the ladies he had been putting in work with. “You know we have to act like we like each other on set now, right?” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the waitress returning with their drinks and his thumb caressed the soft skin over Sugars knuckles. He caught the slight smile the waitress gave as she sat down their drinks, and mentally pat himself on the back.
Sugar rolled her eyes yet again, only this time she did so playfully so no cameras would snap her making an unfriendly face. "Like I'd tell you. Besides, most of them are pretty old and not worth mentioning anyway." Sugar raised an eyebrow at Jake's admission that he had to play the badboy image up, even though she could definitely relate, after being encouraged to act ditzy and overly adorable her entire career, but she still couldn't resist insulting Jake. "Does it even count as amping it up if being a douchebag is how you naturally are?" I'm aware, but I think we could probably just get away with avoiding each other more now since we could just claim to want to keep work and our relationship separate." Sugar said with a grin as the waitress came back. "Jakey, do you want to order now or ask her to come back later?" Sugar asked Jake, smiling up at the waitress momentarily.
Jake smiled with amusement at Sugar’s comment. “And here I thought they had you being BFFs with the Kardashian’s of the word.” His smile never wavered when she mentioned him naturally being a douchebag. “Am I? Or am I simply acting every day? Something you’re obviously out of practice doing. I keep it fresh, since I do it every day,” he shot back. Jake knew that she was a decent actress. Some probably thought she was great, but he wasn’t going to tell her that she was, and boost her ego. Some people needed to be brought back down to the here and now. “That works for me, because I don’t want to be acting like I like you twenty-four-seven. That shit is tiring.” When the waitress walked back over, Jake’s attention was momentarily taken away from looking at Sugar. He shook his head. “Damn, I haven’t even looked at the menu. I was too busy staring into those beautiful eyes of yours, Princess. I’ve been here a couple of times, so I could go for the White Truffle Tortellini. What about you, Princess?” His eyes roamed back to Sugar’s then, as if he was drawn to her, needing to look into her eyes.
Sugar shook her head. "Nope. I mean, I'm totally friendly with Kim and Kourtney, but that's totally genuine." Sugar didn't bother even addressing Jake's criticisms against her acting yet again, it was the quickest way to tick her off and if she actually tried to argue, she couldn't guarantee that she'd be able to keep up her showface, instead she moved on to the next topic as if Jake had never said anything at all. "I don't want to either, that's why I just came up with it." Sugar almost laughed out loud at Jake's over the top excuse for not looking at the menu, he was totally verging on laying it on too thick and it was hilarious to her. "Um, I think I want the poached salmon." Sugar ordered in a voice that just barely disguised the laughter she wanted to let out.
Jake chuckled a bit when she said her friendship with two of the Kardashian sisters was genuine. “Now see, Khloe is more my style, but to each their own.” Of the sisters, he thought she was the coolest. He was never on a BFF basis with any of them though. For the first time that day, Jake’s smile was genuine as he picked up on the amusement in her tone at his response. “Chicks dig that, right? That over the top stuff that guys say in the movies when they are dating? Because you so just laughed at me, and I was being serious.” His dating her facade fell away, and he was being simply Jake.
Sugar shrugged. "Khloe's cool but she's a million times taller than me and I can't deal." Sugar answered simply. Sugar laughed openly at Jake's question that time since the waitress was gone. "What 'chicks' have you ever said that to?" Sugar asked putting air quotes with her fingers around the word chicks. "I've never met anyone who actually wants all the cheesy dialogue from movies. Especially not someone who's actually been in movies that cheesy, like I've been. And I so didn't laugh at you, I totally covered it up."
Jake nodded. “That’s right you are a bit pint sized. How’s the weather down there?” he joked, knowing the woman was almost a whole foot shorter than he was. “Have you never noticed the girls I hang out with? They are mostly easy, non actresses, some singers, socialites, so they will eat up whatever I say to them. That waitress was eating it up. I bet if I checked right now, social media will be blowing up with the story of Jake and Sugar being cute at The Modern.” He looked out the window casually, and he was right, the paparazzi line had grown. “So what lines do work on you?” he questioned, mainly out of curiosity.
Sugar glared at Jake, genuinely playfully for once. "Do you really want to start talking smack about my height while I have easy access to silverware that I could stab you with?" Sugar challenged with a grin before wrinkling her nose at Jake's response. "That is so sad. Whenever we can stop doing this, up the quality of the girls you bang." Sugar glanced out the window the same time Jake did and frowned like being caught out on a date with Jake wasn't the entire gameplan. Turning back to Jake after a few moments, Sugar shrugged at the question. "I don't know. But definitely not ones that sound like they came out of some weird lifetime movie before the guy turns out to be a stalker, rapist or pedo."
Jake eyed the silverware on the table and then turned his gaze back to her. “You’re a feisty munchkin, aren’t you? If I were to hold all the sharp objects out of your reach, you’d never stand a chance.” Jake couldn’t help but laugh at the mental image of Sugar trying to jump to grab the objects he was holding out of her reach. “The easy girls are…well easy. You don’t have to talk much. You don’t have to think much, and it’s relatively uncomplicated because they don’t want more than what you can offer. I don’t want all that what are we talk, the jealousy, and the feelings. That’s too damn much for me.” He’d coasted through life thus far with the easy girls, he didn’t even want to think of the messy situations love would get him caught up in. “Oh, c’mon! That was not a creeper line. That was one of those cheesy romantic lines. What girl doesn’t want to be told her eyes are beautiful and dude can’t take his eyes off of ‘em? I mean Lady Antebellum wrote a song about not being able to take your eyes off someone.” Jake only knew that because his best friend used to sing it regularly when it first came out.
Sugar narrowed her eyes at Jake. "If I kicked you in the balls first, I'm sure I'd be able to reach them. Want to try me?" Sugar dared, annoyed by the laugh."That's kind of lame. How many romances have you played out in your career so far? You seriously don't want the real thing for yourself someday?" Sugar asked, blatantly pitying Jake for finding real relationships and feelings to be too much. "It's a hundred percent a creeper line, no one actually talks like that unless they're trying to lure in an unsuspecting victim. I have no idea what song you're talking about, but it's totally different when it's a song or a poem and not just something someone said."
Jake ’s mouth fell open in shock that she’d said she’d kick him where it really hurt. He did laugh again, but this time it was because that was unexpected. As much as he’d never say it, he liked the feistiness he saw in Sugar, and enjoyed getting a rise out of her. If he was stuck in this fake relationship, he’d make it fun by getting a rise out of her. “Low blow, literally.” His shoulders rose and fell when she mentioned wanting the real thing someday. “I’ve played quite a few, but shit’s not really there in real life. That doesn’t happen. Like for instance boy meets girl, love at first sight? No. Best friends, love one another high school sweet hearts that Cory and Topanga love? Doesn’t last. Someone always cheats, falls out of love, something happens. Then you have those one night stands, that turn into love? No.” Jake’s seen first hand what love does to people. His mother was in love, and his father was in another marriage. Double lives, and he still bailed on him and his brother Puck. How a man could have had two women, two sons, and still wasn’t satisfied with either world Jake would never know. “If I had my guitar I’d play it for you. So you’re telling me if I quoted sappy love songs, the non easy girls would think I’m a creeper?”
Sugar smirked when Jake's mouth fell in shock. "I know, that would be the point." Sugar raised an eyebrow, a little stunned by Jake's bleak outlook on love. "That's totally not true though!" Sugar protested. "My parents were totally high school sweethearts and they're still happily married. They're basically soulmates. It may not be true for everyone, but it's totally a thing in real life." Sugar countered quickly. "If you quoted sappy love songs at non easy girls, they probably wouldn't think you're a creeper right away. But probably a giant loser, because who, outside of a seventh grade girl, even quotes songs as a pick up line?"
Jake ’s brows rose. “You believe in all that? Soulmates and stuff? Like there’s someone for everyone type shit?” He shook his head. “Happy and in love parents. How long have they been together? And still going strong?” It wasn’t unheard of, but where Jake came from it was. Not a single member of his family was in a happy marriage. They were all divorced, separated, and if he thought about his grandparents, sure they’d been together for decades, but they slept in separate rooms and argued all the time. That just was not the life he envisioned for himself, and if that’s how it ended, he’d just play it all out on tv. That’d be more than enough for him. “See you’re just trying to wound me now. But I don’t spit game at women, they just usually see this mug and I don’t have to say a word, which is why all I know comes from romantic comedies.” Which was pretty damn sad, now that he thought about it. The waitress had come back with their food, and he thanked her as she left.
Sugar nodded her head quickly. "Of course I do. It's totally real. They've been together for like twenty six years, not even counting the four years of high school before they even got married." Part of the reason Sugar still loved acting, despite how annoying and fucked up it made her personal life, was how often she got to play out so many different romantic scenarios. Having grown up with parents who were happy in love and worked together as a team, despite the fact that teamwork was usually a bit overly focused on Sugar's career, it was the ideal she'd been raised to admire and it's what she looked forward to having for herself one day. "If I was really trying to wound you, I'd point out that you're not really that cute and that probably explains how you only pick up skanks that let you say whatever you want to them." Sugar said with a giggle before the waitress came back with their food.
Jake just couldn’t wrap his head around it. Being with someone for not one decade but damn near 3. “But there’s like, all your life with one person. The same person at that. And then you…don’t feel like you miss out on something? Because you spent that long with the same person?” It was as if he were absolutely baffled by the thought. He’d never seen it, couldn’t even relate to it. “Let me just point out that the mug, the abs, and the eyes speak for themselves. I swerve when it proves to get too complicated. I’d just rather have my attention focused on easy, than worry that I’m fucking up someone’s heart. The easy ladies, they know what they are getting and know what this is.” He shrugged before bowing his momentarily and closing his eyes to say a silent grace, blessing his food. His mom never let a plate of food pass the table without saying grace. Jake always threw up a thanks to the Big Guy for the food he had. He remembered days when there wasn’t much or when his mom went without so that he could eat.
Sugar shook her head quickly. Having grown up with her parents, she'd asked that question a few times herself. "Nope, not really. When it's true love, you don't feel like you're missing out. Just being with that one person would be enough forever." Sugar answered sagely, before starting to cut up her salmon. "Your img is meh, I've seen better abs, and what's so impressive about about your eyes?" Sugar asked, stopping awkwardly when Jake suddenly closed his eyes. Sugar guessed he was probably praying, but she had no idea how to act while he did, so she just awkwardly glanced out the window at still growing paparazzi crowd.
Jake chuckled humorlessly. “We grew up very differently. Love is something I can’t get behind. Half the time I think most of the people in my life are fraud ass human beings, so loving ‘em? Nah. I’d rather not.” That included his father who he’d see on occasion. “Oh, Princess, we need to get you to an eye doctor stat. Something is very wrong with your sight. You’re also lucky that we’re in an upscale place so I’ll refrain from letting you get a better glimpse at these babies.” He gave his abs a pat. As for his eyes, he simply pointed to them. “Are you not looking at them?” He leaned closer so she could get a better look. When he was done praying, he cleared his throat. His first reaction was to apologize for the sudden silences but instead, he said, “Habit. I didn’t mean to grow all quite. Just thankful for every meal that comes my way.”
Sugar raised an eyebrow. "That's pretty bleak. Maybe you need better people in your life then?" Sugar suggested, as she finished up cutting her salmon into small pieces. "I got lasik for my sixteenth birthday so my eyesight is perfect, I don't need to see your abs ever again, and I honestly don't see anything that impressive about your eyes." Sugar lied easily, before taking a bite of her food. "It's cool. I figured what you were doing. I just didn't know how to react to it."
Jake shook his head. “Easier said than done, but I try. I really do.” Jake grinned when she said that she’d had Lasik at sixteen. “Um, you do know that as you get older your eyesight still gets worse right? Even with Lasik, it’s probably already fading if you didn’t notice that these eyes of mine are second best pair in the restaurant right now.” He hadn’t realized he said second best pair as he spoke and kept right on. “Hold up, everyone wants to see my abs. Really, honestly, Sugar, I know I saw you drooling last time I was shirtless. Make up artists had to reset and dab that drool away.” He winked before sipping his water around an amused smile.
Sugar shrugged and moved some of her food around with her fork. "Maybe one day you'll find someone that's not a total fraud." Sugar said, before rolling her eyes at Jake. "My eyesight is still perfect, you asshat and your eyes really aren't that impressive." Sugar said, raising her eyebrow the tiniest fraction of an inch when Jake said his eyes were only the second best. "I didn't drool, okay! I was trying not to vomit. The sight of you without a shirt made me hella nauseous."
Jake nodded. “It may be rare, but one day folks might be as true as they seem for once.” He wasn’t a glass half empty dude, but he was one that had lived a pretty hard life and knew that there would always be wolves in sheeps’ clothing. “Your eyes might be pretty, but the jury is out on whether or not the sight is perfect.” Jake snorted a laugh she said the drool was really vomit. “Keep it up, I will stand up right now and show the goods,” he warned.
Sugar nodded. "It'll happen at some point. You may be completely deplorable, but everyone deserves at least one true person in their lives." Sugar widened her eyes slightly in surprise when not only Jake said her eyes were pretty, but said it casually as he insulted the quality of her sight. "...The sight is perfect. Shut up." Sugar looked up at Jake challengingly, doubting that he would actually do it. "You really want all the cameras out there catching me barfing on you because the sight of you shirtless yet again, grossed me all the way out?"
Jake knew that the next words out of his mouth would probably make her wish she hadn’t said something nice, but he wouldn’t let her live down that she was actually nice to him for once. “That sounded like you actually cared. Princess, I’m touched!” He touched his hand to his heart as if he were actually overcome with emotion. When she kept the punches rolling about his abs, he pushed back his chair gently and stood. Jake lifted his shirt with one hand, uncaring about the paparazzi outside or the guests inside. “These babies, right here? They warrant only drooling. Look at ‘em.” He gestured to his abs with a smirk before taking his seat.
Sugar glared at Jake and rolled her eyes. "I have no idea how it sounded like I actually cared. Because I don't, I literally called you deplorable." Sugar couldn't help pointing out before dropping her jaw in shock as Jake stood up to flash his abs. While Sugar really did want to actually look at the great chest on display, her pride forced her to cover her eyes with her hands and play the part of a playfully embarrassed girlfriend, for their outdoors audience. " I feel ill now." Sugar couldn't help but lie after Jake sat back down in his seat.
Jake idly thought that the way she rolled her eyes was kinda cute, but he shook it off because this was Sugar Motta he was talking about. He and she never saw eye to eye and as soon as she spoke the whole “cute eye roll” thing was a thought of the past. “You did but the words around deplorable made my grinch like heart grow one time that day.” The fact that he’d successfully shocked her and had the people inside and out of the restaurant looking in their direction and at their interactions which they’d deem without a doubt “adorable” or Cute was comical to him. “Yeah, ill with the vapors. Ill because it suddenly got warmer in here, for six reasons.” He gestured to each ridge of his abs that his shirt now covered.
Sugar took a sip of her lemonade rather than respond to Jake again. Since she'd figured that she'd probably end up flipping him the bird if she tried talking some more. But she almost spit it out laughing when Jake continued to talk. "The vapors?" Sugar asked with a giggle. "What year is it again? I had no idea it was suddenly the Victorian ages again. But either way. I've still seen better, so you're not that sexy."
Jake playfully rolled his eyes at her. “Hey, I dig some of that Victorian Age shit. I half way read Pride and Prejudice, and filled in the gaps with Bride & Prejudice.” The actor smirked as he picked up on her words. “Not that sexy. So you do think I’m sexy though.” He knew what she’d said there was no way she could deny it now. From her lips to his ears.
Sugar raised an eyebrow slightly impressed by that since she really hadn't made it through Pride and prejudice at all, she only ended up watching some random modernized web series to get the gist of it. Sugar grimaced a little when Jake caught her slip. "I meant that as in you're not sexy enough to give anyone the vapors or whatever." Sugar stammered out before giving up completely and shrugging. "Whatever, we know it's your looks that keep booking you jobs." You're sorta sexy in certain lights, but that's it. Your personality is the real turn off."
Jake chuckled his eyes alight with amusement as Sugar stammered over her words. “Sure you did. I’m betting that’s exactly what you meant.” Sarcasm and disbelief evident in every word. “It’s my talent that keeps booking me jobs. My looks are just the icing on the cake. I am? Do tell what lights are those? My sparkling personality, and awkward charm is what draws people in,” he insured.
Sugar rolled her eyes, Jake was definitely right about his talent being the main thing that got him jobs. But Sugar still hated him for calling her out on calling him sexy in the first place, so she wasn't even going to start to answer him. Instead Sugar narrowed her eyes and aggressively stabbed a piece of salmon on her plate with her fork and pointedly jammed it in her mouth instead of continuing that conversation further.
Jake ’s smirk still remained on his features as Sugar opted to say nothing, but he had to admit that eye narrowing, stabbing food thing was kinda sexy. The thought made him want to take it back immediately, seeing as he’d spent most of his career disliking the woman. Before he could stop the words, he encouraged. “Now see, that aggressive behavior right there? Sexy. Oh please, keep it up. I like it when your eyes do that whole angry thing they’re doing right now.” It may have come off as sarcastic, but he actually meant it.
Sugar stopped immediately and widened her eyes in shock and confusion. Sugar quickly swallowed the food that was in her mouth and looked around assuming she'd missed someone walk up and he was putting on the real couple act again. Seeing no one in listening distance, Sugar turned around back at Jake and raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Huh?"
Jake furrowed his brows at the confused look Sugar wore now. “Huh what? Who are you looking for?” he asked when she looked around as if she was looking for someone. Jake looked around, but he had not a damn clue who he should expect. His eyes went back to Sugar then. “We expecting someone?”
Sugar was even more confused by Jake's confusion. "No, of course not. I'm not looking for anyone. I was trying to figure out why you just said that. Duh. I thought the waitress had come back or something."
Jake shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. “Um…I just did. You know? You look surprisingly hot when you’re mad. I might not say that ever again, so there ya go your one free, Jake said something nice about you moment.”
Sugar raised an eyebrow at Jake before shrugging. "Uh huh.." Sugar said awkwardly before turning her attention back to her food rather than be obnoxious and point out that she was usually mad when she was around him. Well she managed to for at least five seconds before an obnoxious smirk spread on her face. "How long have you been into me then. If me being pissed off at you is what gets you going, you must think I'm hot like all the time!"
Jake suddenly became really interested in the food in his plate, shoveling it into his mouth as if it was going to run off the plate. When she asked how long he’d been into her, he almost choked. After a series of coughs, drawing the attention of those around him, he held up a hand grabbing his water to help the food smoothly slide down his throat he shook his head. “Into you? No. I just said you’re hot when you’re pissed. Simple as that, but your personality, tends to mess up the hot as soon as the you being pissed…mostly at me, wears off,” he explained.
Sugar giggled as Jake started coughing on his food. Amused that her plan of just messing with him worked out even better than she'd expected. "Uh huh. Say what you want, Jake. Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much. But it's fine. I know I'm sexy, I cam see why you're so into me especially when I'm mad."
Jake tried to hide a hint of a smile at her giggle. It was cute even if she was laughing at his near death experience. It was something he didn’t think he’d ever heard from Sugar. “So you’re just going to laugh at my pain over here, Sugar? I see. A man is choking to death and you just laugh.” He pouted slightly before his features turned into a frown. “Hey, not protesting, but still I said that the anger was hot. Not that you were hot all the time. Which you aren’t. But if you think you’re sexy, then I suppose that’s good enough for the both of us.”
Sugar simply grinned and shrugged. "You're fine, Jake. It's not like you were actually dying. Besides, if you did die I'd get out of this, so yeah. It was pretty funny." Sugar replied before flipping her hair off of her shoulder once Jake started disagreeing with her. "Okay sure, Jake. Tell me how far that river of denial goes when you get back, Kay?" Sugar asked. She didn't actually think Jake found her that attractive outside of what he said he thought was hot. But she still thought it was kind of funny to tease him about.
Jake gasped dramatically. “How dare you say that I wasn’t dying? I saw my life flash before my eyes, and let me tell you, this was one of the lowlights rather than a highlight.” Jake simply smirked at her when she mentioned the river of denial. “It’s about as far as your river of denial about these abs.” Jake knew that maybe he and Sugar did not really think the other was hot, but if she teased then so would he.
Sugar giggled again at Jake's dramatics. "When you're choking to die, you don't make any sounds. Your throat gets too clogged for that. You were coughing so I knew you wouldn't die." Sugar explained, reaching for another sip of her lemonade. Once she was finished with her sip, she narrowed her eyes at Jake. "Nuh uh. Your abs are totes boring. I'm pretty sure there are Ken dolls with better abs than yours."
Jake pursed his lips as she informed him about choking to die. “I could have coughed to death. That’s an option too. What if I wasn’t getting enough air though?” Jake was being dramatic for drama’s sake. He knew that he wasn’t near death, not in the least. “You must like that I like when you narrow your eyes at me. Because you’re doing it so frequently. I think you need to take another look or let me schedule you that eye doctor’s appointment.”
Sugar rolled her eyes and shook her head. "As much as kind would've hoped for you to drop dead at this table we both know that wasn't going to happen." She told him, before sticking her tongue out at his next statement. "It's not my fault that you're into the thing that I end up doing the most in your presence. That's your own weird fault, Puckerman."
Jake shook his head. “If I’d dropped dead, you know you would have missed me. My mug and this body would be sorely missed by you. You’d probably even shed a few tears and wonder how you could possibly go on.” Jake playfully rolled his eyes at her poking her tongue out at him. “I think you do it on purpose actually. Since you do it the most in my presence.”
Sugar raised an eyebrow. "If you dropped dead, I'd be out of this thing and I wouldn't have to deal with you on set. If I shed any tears or would be because I accidentally got confetti in my eyes." Sugar let out a delicate snort and shook her head. "I do it in your presence because you piss me of more than anyone else ever does. I didn't even know you were into it until a few minutes ago."
Jake shrugged unfazed by her comment. “But you’d still be less favorable without me, so even dead I’d still win. All that popularity we gain together, you just wouldn’t achieve without me.” He knew the same went for him, otherwise they wouldn’t be doing this. “Now see what do I actually do to piss you off other than exist?” he actually legitimately wanted to know.
Sugar rolled her eyes. "I've been famous for much much longer than you have. Having a ridic number of paparazzi outside the window is nice." Sugar said gesturing casually out the window. "But with or without you, I shine." Sugar paused for a moment to figure out how to get why she disliked him into words, since she didn't often have the words to explain it to other people. "It's just the way you are." Sugar said with a limp shrug. "You're just kind of obnoxious and rude all the time. Plus I always got the impression that you never liked me much, so that kinda annoyed me too because that was before we even starting working together, so you really didn't have a reason to."
Jake listened to Sugar and disagreed with every word of what she’d said. “Of course, because that’s why our managers wanted us to do this stupid thing. Because you’re so popular. Obviously something is lacking.” He pointed out. “I’m obnoxious? And rude? I’m only that way because of you. First impressions, and mine of you was that you thought you were better than me. Which news flash, I might not come from money, and had to fight for everything I have, but that’s how I know I’m good enough to be where I am. People like you, the ones that had it all just right there at your fingertips, I don’t like because you look down on everyone else that have just as much talent.” Maybe Sugar wasn’t like that, but he had not a single clue. He never spent any time with her after their first meeting one another, which was very brief and at some social event.
Sugar resisted the urge to pull her go to move and and narrow her eyes like she always did when she was pissed off. But Jake was making it very hard on her. "I acknowledged that you help my popularity a little bit, when I referenced the paparazzi outside. But I don't need you, you're the one who benefits the most from this and my manager loves any opportunity for me to end up on the cover of random magazines." Sugar said, shrugging her shoulders again. "I'm not the one making you act like that! I barely do anything to you! And I have no idea why that was your first impression of me, I don't look down on people who don't come from money! Are you insane?" Sugar said lowering her voice to almost a whisper, because she was certain if she stayed on a normal voice level she'd start yelling at him. "My family doesn't come from money. Literally everything I have comes from how hard my parents and I have been working on my career my entire life. I may not had to have fought as hard as you to get to where I am. But I'd never look down on someone for just having a different journey than I did!"
Jake realized they needed to to keep up that fun date thing, so tried his best to look like this was a light conversation. “See, it’s not me thinking you have had money all your life it’s comments like that. The whole ‘you benefit from this more than me’, when in reality, I do just fine all my own. I look at it like this, Beyonce’s been in the game since she was a kid, but has Adele? But look at her popularity. You don’t have to be in the industry from childhood to have as much popularity, or fame. That’s the vibe I get from you. You look down on me and my talent because I haven’t been on the scene. Doesn’t mean I’m lesser, but with you that’s how it seems. How it seemed when we met. Hell maybe you don’t or didn’t notice that air about you. But it came off that way to me. Could be wrong but that’s always how you seem to me.”
Sugar started twirling a lock of her hair around her finger as she listened to Jake talk. "Jake. If you do just fine on your own, why the heck are we sitting here then? I know how fame and popularity works, I also know that I don't have a rep for being anything less than family friendly, Mr Womanizing Bad Boy. Being seen with me as your steady girlfriend does help you out more than it helps me. That's just a fact. I look down on you because you're a major jerk, Jake. That's all there is to it. I've never given a crap about how long you've been around. You're the asshole that said my acting wasn't as sharp as yours since I've been around longer. Remember?"
Jake ’s brows creased in a frown. “I could ask you the same question, because I’m 100 percent sure that this wasn’t a one sided decision. Maybe you have a rep for being too family friendly. There’s a such thing as being too goody goody for your own good,” he pointed out. “And honestly, they could have set me up with any family friendly face that was hot right now. Obviously there’s some benefit on both sides, and I don’t think it’s more on my side. Well your acting isn’t as sharp as mine. Just saying. Thought I’d point that out, since we were pointing things out, and all.” Was he being an ass? Maybe he was now. Jake was stubborn, and he didn’t believe he needed this more or less than her. He believed them to be equals in this need for this publicity stunt.
Sugar crossed her legs and tried to make herself look extra flirty when Jake started to frown in order for there not to be any photos that would give away their stunt. "I don't know. Free press never hurts anyone and for all I know, they just picked me because we're on the same show and it just made the most sense. I'm not too goody-goody." Sugar protested, trying hard not to glare at Jake. Sure, she wasn't into PDA or anything too racy even when she was in one of her rare genuine relationships and had a tendency to avoid being caught partying or getting drunk. But Sugar just figured that since her publicity and management was actually 100% run by her parents, that was only what was to be expected. But as Sugar considered the fact that it was those very same parents,her father/manager Al specifically, that had put her in this stunt with Jake, she couldn't help but wonder if there was actually a lot of truth to Jake's words about her being seen as too goody goody. Instead of continuing to dwell on that however, Sugar scoffed at Jake. "Your acting is about as sharp as my spoon and about as wooden as a tree. Stop kidding yourself, moron."
Jake had almost forgotten while he was here, why he was sitting across from this woman he absolutely couldn’t stand. “Oh, Princess, I’ve seen your relationships in the public eye. You’re kind of…frigid. Maybe loosening up, and letting go would do you some good.” Jake already knew his hang ups. He was too loose. He was all PDA and it was apparent that he was only in most of his relationships for the sex and the good time. Jake smiled when she said that his acting wasn’t sharp. He gently slid their plates aside so that he could reach across the table and caress her cheek. His eye gazing into hers, as if she was the only woman on the planet. “Princess, the only one kidding themselves here is you. I know how to make this look good. I know how to act circles around you on any given day, and I know how to look at you like you’re the only girl I see in this crowded restaurant. If you really want to sell this, you’ll loosen up. Because right now goody goody isn’t cutting it and neither is womanizer. Sharpen up and realize that we both need each other or else this will never work out.” His face was close to hers as if they were having an intimate moment. His thumb caressing the apple of her cheek.
Sugar couldn't help herself and glared at Jake for half a second once he called her frigid. "Not being as slutty as you doesn't make me frigid." Sugar replied frostily, before Jake moved their plates aside to caress her cheek. Even though the parts of Sugar that detested Jake and the parts of her that always recoiled from PDA, were practically working together to made her want to quickly back away from Jake. She really wanted to prove that she really was just as good if not better an actres than he was. Sugar smiled back up at Jake, gazing up at him as if he hung the stars in the sky by himself. "Just keep lying to yourself, Puckerman. I can pull this off just fine without having to loosen anything." Sugar said, sort of lying, since the very next thing she did was close up the distance between the two of them and kiss him right on the mouth. Although considering it was a completely closed mouth and very painless, it wasn't as if she completely managed to loosen up.
Jake smirked. Calling him slutty didn’t faze him at all. “No, but being as frigid as you are, makes you frigid, Ice Princess.” It was part of the reason he called her princess, he’d just never added the “ice” out loud until now. What he hadn’t expected was for her to close the distance or for her lips to touch his. Sure it was a closed mouth, quick kiss and of course right on time he reacted kissing her back before they parted. He smirked when they parted, his hand falling away from her cheek in favor of taking hers in his once more. “Princess, I didn’t know you had it in you. That was almost convincing. I’m sure from a distance, they bought it. Not bad though. Not great. But a solid…5 out of 10 for effort. By the end of this, you’ll loosen up. I’m not like those ice boxes you normally date. The keep you frigid. I know how to do affection, which is going to get us through this.” The world knew that these two didn’t like each other. It was common knowledge, and much to Jake’s dismay the had to really sell it. But he didn’t believe Sugar was as on board with selling the idea of them to the public the way he was.
Sugar frowned at Jake slightly once he started critiquing the kiss she'd given him. Being told that she was too cold was new to her, but considering how little she really was into PDA that wasn't included in a script that she'd had time to prepare herself for, the possible truth in Jake's words really made her perfectionist side and her desire to passibly sell her and Jake off as a real relationship had her actually willing to try and fix things. "Can you show me how to do affection right, then?." Sugar asked quietly, looking down as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment at her own question.
Jake hadn’t expected to to see a blushing Sugar, or that she’d ask him how to do affection right. His brain was already working with a plan on how to make this look believable. He lifted her hand and placed a light kiss on the back of it. “Here’s the plan, I’m going to beckon you over to sit in my lap.” He said as he beckoned her with his finger. “And you do the whole cute head shake thing you’re so good at. I’m going to pout a bit and try again, and this time, come over. I promise I won’t be gross. I’ve got a plan. And sit on my lap so that you’re facing the window.” Jake beckoned again for her to come over to sit in his lap. Having her show hesitance at first was believable to her image. Having her come closer to him, with actual physical contact was believable to his image. The tricky part was to come. They’d have to be a middle ground between their two very opposite images in the public eye. The actor would take this slow and talk her through the affection, hell and even ask her where he needed to put his hands because he’d always have his hands in the wrong places during pictures. Just as she didn’t do affection right, he did too much. He needed to push her a little and her job was going to be to bring him back from raunchy to cute.
Sugar widened her eyes at Jake as he told her his plan. It sounded a little weird, but Jake wasn't the apparent ice princess, so she let him be the boss. At Jake's finger beckoning, Sugar did what he said and resisted the initial advance easily, putting on the perfect little embarrassed face on for the paparazzi outside, which was hardly even acting considering what Jake was going to have her do.
As she resisted his advance perfectly. Jake did as he said and gave a bit of a pout, but tried once more. For her to come and sit on his lap. Still holding her hand he gave a gentle tug for her to come over and sit in his lap. “Just roll with it, and trust me,” he assured, waiting for her to do so.
Sugar sighed as if Jake's pout had completely won her over and got up to go sit in his lap. Sitting down facing the window like Jake asked, Sugar began tugging on the bottom of her super short dress to make sure she wasn't indecent looking and turned her face to look at Jake. "Now what?"
Jake smiled as if her being closer was the best thing in the world. “Well first, where do I put my hands that’s not “gross”, because I often put them in the wrong place.” One was a given around her waist, but the other he didn’t want to put to high on her thigh, so he placed it midways. “Is that good?” He asked to make sure she was comfortable with that. “Now, I’m going to kiss you. Once is going to be a quick peck, the next a little lingering, and the third we gotta sell it. You ready for the first?” he asked before placing a soft, but quick kiss to her lips.
Sugar watched as Jake put his hands on her. "That's okay." She answered, nodding limply. Sugar's brow furrowed slightly as Jake told her what would be next, but she nodded again as he asked her was she ready to kiss him. Sugar moved her face a little closer to his before he kissed her again.
Jake nuzzled his nose against hers. In his mind he kept having to pretend that it was not Sugar Motta that he was being affectionate with, but instead that they were simply acting. Idly he thought that this was comical. Two grown people, having to learn from one another how to show more affection and how to show a little less. He placed a lingering kiss on her lips then, without the warning that he’d given her the first time. Jake could sense eyes on them both from outside and inside the restaurant. “And we’ve gotten their attention now,” he commented, lifting the hand that was on her thigh to caress her cheek gently. One more kiss was all they needed to have headlines, vine and youtube videos, photos, tweets and all about how cute they were as a couple and how they’d had an intimate moment that perfectly contrasted their hate for one another. “One more, princess, this one has got to be the best.”
Sugar moved one hand to Jake's shoulder in be the first two kisses and resisted the urge to glance around when Jake mentioned the attention on them just before the third kiss. Just like she had with their very first kiss, Sugar initiated the last one and really kissed Jake with as much effort and passion as she was capable of in order to really sell the relationship
Jake matched Sugar’s passionate kiss, and hand to keep reminding himself to keep his hands were they were in safe territory. He resisted the urge to glance out the window, knowing the cameras were probably snapping pictures right and left. And he hand to hand it to Sugar, when she did loosen up, the woman really loosened up. “Hot Damn,” he exclaimed when they parted. “That’s how you show affection.” He smiled. “So you had that in you, and you started with that one?” Jake intertwined his hands at her side so that both his arms were wrapped around her.
Sugar giggled at Jake's reaction to her more passionate kiss and shrugged. "I didn't know." Sugar admitted honestly, smiling with slight embarrassment. "You're a good kisser so that probably helped. I think."
Jake chuckled when she said she didn’t know. “I’m still reeling over here, woman. You took me all the way off guard with that one. I was just following your lead. It was a good lead.” His praise of her very impressive skills was interrupted by the waitress refilling their drinks and asking if they wanted dessert. “Whatever Miss Motta would like is fine with me,” Jake answered. He refrained from adding in a line about having all the Sugar he wanted right now. He knew it was such a cheesy line so he fought back the urge to say it.
Sugar blushed again at Jake's praise, somewhat thrilled with herself for being better at a more passionate kiss than she'd ever expected. Once the waitress appeared, Sugar shrugged and wrapped her arms loosely around Jake's neck when the topic of desserts were brought up. "Um, we'd like the Green Apple Mousse please?" Sugar ordered with a tiny grin.
Jake smiled when she’d chosen Green Apple Mousse. “I was prepared to judge you on your dessert choice, but I can’t judge at all.” Jake thought for a second. “You know we’re going to have to know shit about each other and I only really know the basics about you. Like your name is Sugar Motta, and…see I’m drawing a blank here,” he said with a bit of a chuckle. It’s funny that he could despise her and he didn’t really know much about her at all.
Sugar laughed. "I have excellent tastes, Jerk. Of course you can't judge." Sugar nodded, Jake did have a point. It would be pretty awkward to have a fake relationship and not know anything about each other. "Well, for starters. Sugar isn't actually my first name. It's just some cutesy ass nickname my parents decided to make my professional name I got my first acting gig. My real name is Francesca-Christine, but apparently that was too long or something to be marketable." Sugar said with a shrug.
Jake laughed when she called him a jerk. “Hey, just because you can kiss well doesn’t mean I’m not going to still be just a tiny bit of a jerk. Since that’s my schtick and all,” he said lightheartedly and obviously jokingly. When she told him that her name wasn’t actually Sugar, he frowned. Information that he didn’t know at all. “And you just kept it? Even now that you’re grown? You can be Francesca-Christine. I actually like it. So Francesca-Christine Motta? Um, I don’t have any big secrets about me. Other than for the first few years of my career I went as Jake nothing more because I didn’t know how to tell Puck that he was my brother. We were friends and were cool for years. I was dancer on a tour he opened for and it took a while for me to tell him.” Jake shrugged too. His brother was a rock star and he looked up to him. But now he realized he was being completely foolish. “Okay what else? What do you like to do when you aren’t working?”
Sugar rolled her eyes. "That's a stupid shtick." Sugar pointed out just as jokingly, before shaking her head at the idea of going by anything other than Sugar. "I've been going by Sugar since I was two years old, it wouldn't feel right. I'm used to Francesca-Christine in legal documents, not regular life." Sugar raised an eyebrow once Jake brought up Puck, she was definitely familiar with the older Puckerman and had even drunkenly made out with him at a party once but she hadn't actually known that Jake hadn't gone by his real name at first because of him. "Oh wow, how'd he react to that one?" Sugar asked before pausing to think of an answer to Jake's next question. "It's kind of lame, but mostly I'm really into yoga or watching Netflix or doing both at the same time. But I'm usually working in some way, so I don't get to do it often. What about you?"
Jake “Well, do you like Sugar? I always wondered who would name their kid Sugar. but then I thought about said kid growing up with the name Sugar. But I thought about it in terms of not growing up in the public eye. People with that name would have gotten picked on at my schools for having that name. But apparently Sugar is a money maker, and you wear it well. Though, I’m going to hit you with many plays on words, and I’m not even sorry.” He’d even thought of a few just then and chuckled to himself about them no doubt she’d think that they were lame. “Well, he was mad, at me for not telling him. At our deadbeat for cheating on his mom. It was just an ugly situation. But it all worked out for the best. I got a big bro out of the deal. Granted he’s a worse douche than I am. But I guess it’s in the Puckerman blood to be an ass.” Jake chuckled imagining her doing yoga while watching Netflix. “So you like to Netflix and chill then? Or well Netflix and exercise. What do you watch? I watch Netflix a lot, but I’m dancing. I’m always working on choreography. Dancing keeps me sane. It’s what I used to do before acting came my way. I also like to dabble in music. But I’m not about to get into that. Puck’s territory there, and I don’t want to be following in his footsteps.”
Sugar shrugged. "I always figured it was a bit too sweet for me, but apparently I'm this huge icy goody goody, so who knows. Maybe it's fitting. I swear there's not a single pun you could make on my name that hasn't been done a million times before, but go for it." Sugar said, not even acknowledging the pun she'd slipped up and made herself. "Wow, that's intense, but yeah. At least you got your brother out of it. I'm gonna have to disagree with you on him being a worse douche than you, though. I can actually stand that Puckerman." Sugar couldn't resist pointing out. "I'm really into the tv shows on there. I've binge watched Buffy like four times and I'm on Jessica Jones right now. Dancing, music, and acting? Gee I never would've guessed that you're a triple threat. Have you ever considered going into musicals?"
Jake shook his head. “I mean you do com off as an icy goody goody, and I’ve always thought that the name was kind of ironic because you didn’t seem all that sweet. But maybe that was the image they were trying to make for you. Sweet and innocent. I believe it.” Jake really did believe she was probably way more innocent than him, but sweet, now he knew from all the shots about kicking him in his manhood that she did have a less than sweet side. “Oh whatever. that’s because he didn’t do his whole love ‘em and leave ‘em act with you. I’ve had to answer many different variations of ‘Jake why hasn’t your brother called or texted me’. He’s an ass. It’s where I get it from.” Or well their father that passed down the gene. “I know Buffy is the Vampire Slayer, but I’ve never seen a single episode. But Jessica Jones? Loved it. I binge watch The Office. I watched all 9 seasons then turned right around and rematched them again. It never gets old.” When she asked him if he’d ever thought about doing musicals, he shook his head. “I never thought I had the chops to cut it with musicals. And in high school I was in every one, but I never thought about it once I’d made a name for myself. I’d probably love the hell out of it. If I did try it. So do you have any hidden talents? Is Sugar Motta busting out an album anytime soon?”
Sugar smiled slightly when Jake made her stage name sound a little reassuring somehow despite still saying that she seemed like an icy goody goody. Then she laughed loudly at his criticism of his brother. "I know Puck's a huge slut too, but he's at least a likable one, that's all I'm saying." Sugar wrinkled her nose at Jake. "You've never seen a single episode? Oh my god. You have to watch it ASAP, it's one of the best shows ever and if you loved Jessica Jones, you're so going to worship Buffy. I've seen the office, but only once or twice, like in dentist's offices or something. Is it really that good?" Sugar started to answer Jake's question about her hidden talents and musical "prowess" but before she could start, the waitress returned with their dessert and Sugar remembered that she was still seated on Jake's lap with her arms wrapped around him during their entire conversation. "Should I get off of you now?" Sugar asked quietly once the waitress walked away.
Jake cocked his head to the side studying her. This was new to him. Usually he was found to be the more pleasant Puckerman. “How do you like him better? I’m normally the more pleasant brother!” he protested, in clear disbelief. “Never seen one. I might have to watch when I need something else to take up some time. At first, I was against it. I saw the first episode and I was offended by almost all of what Steve Carell’s character said. But then I realized that that was his charm, and I’ll even admit there were times when even I shed a real thug tear near the end of the show. It’s kind of perfect. Continuity is amazing. Everyone has some sort of storyline, or at least you know a little bit about everyone. When you reach The last episode of the series you’re just absolutely done. You are satisfied with it. There’s no what ifs, everything is wrapped up.” He could probably talk about The Office for hours, and he knew it so he stopped himself then. The waitress had startled him. He had forgotten his surroundings or that she was still in his lap. He chuckled when she asked if she could get off his lap. “Uh, yeah. I actually believe it or not forgot.” He forgot that his arms were wrapped around her and that hers were wrapped around him. It had been just that comfortable and easy that he hadn’t thought about it.
Sugar actually laughed at Jake's protests. "He's nice to me whenever I see him even though I've made it pretty clear that he's never getting into my panties and you know I think you're a dick. So yeah, the Puckerone wins." Sugar said, using one of Puck's nicknames for himself with a shrug. Sugar listened to Jake talk about The Office with mild awe at how much he had to say about it. It really made her want to check it out when she had the free time as well. Sugar laughed along with Jake as he admitted he forgot she was on his lap. "So did I." Sugar admitted as she got up to go back to her own seat, semi caressing his face with one finger, for the cameras, before she went.
Jake shook his head when she said she made it clear that his brother would never getting into her panties. “You know that’s like a challenge to him, right? With me if a girl says no, which I have yet to have happen, then I’m cool. A little bit of a bruised ego. But there are other fish in the sea. Puck? Oh it’s a challenge, and he’s relentless. Every time he sees you he’s going to go for it. Well maybe not now that he thinks we’re dating. Or maybe he would. I don’t put it past him.” He laughed at the thought but it was the truth. When Sugar caressed his face as she left his lap, Jake smirked. “I see you Motta, getting better and better at this affection. I refrained from groping you in anyway. I think we’re making progress here.”
Sugar rolled her eyes. "I don't do slutty guys. Relentlessness or not, Puck is no exception. So I'm not that concerned about it." Sugar grinned, pleased by Jake noticing her efforts. "We are! Yay us." Sugar squealed, clapping her hands a little before picking up her spoon to dig into the dessert.
Jake nodded. “I’ll relay the message next time he’s talking about how smoking you are.” Jake might have even participated in those conversations, agreeing. When she squealed and clapped, he smiled. “You know, You and that squeal thing is kinda almost cute.” He watched her dig into dessert. “How is it?” he asked.
Sugar simply giggled at that, more amused that Puck talked about how hot she was than flattered by it or any other reason most girls would've giggled at that particular tidbit. "Everything I do is cute, Jake. You don't have to point it out every time it becomes totally obvious to you." Sugar said, pretending his words didn't have any effect on her, even though a faint flush on her cheeks gave her away pretty quick. Once Sugar finished her first bite, she took another spoonful of the mousse. "It's really good, you should try it." She said offering her spoonful over to him
Jake playfully rolled his eyes when Sugar said that everything she did was cute. Hell it was and he wasn't mad at all that she knew it and he wasn't going to agree but he knew it too. "Cocky much, Motta? Maybe I have had to get past your personality a bit, to dig deep enough to realize that there were some cute things about you." He was lying his ass off, but he didn't say it in a way to offend. It had a light and joking air to it. That little blush she had was cute too. Jake tried the mousse from the spoon offered to him and she was right. It was good. "So you're so sharing, I hope you know. I mean...please?" He asked remembering his manners.
Sugar shrugged. "More like, honest much. I can't help that I know exactly how cute I am. My personality is pretty dang cute too, just give it time it'll grow on you." Sugar replied airily, before pushing the plate up so it was right in the middle of the table between the two of them. "I kind of already assumed I was sharing, so I don't mind."
Jake “That honesty is subject to your own opinion. I’m sure if we took a poll…” He stopped there because he knew if they took a poll everyone in the restaurant would agree with Sugar that she was cute doing every damn thing. Even when he despised her, he still noticed. “Now that I’ll have to see, but I suppose over time, you’ll grow to realize I’m not as much of an ass as you think I am. “Jake picked up the spoon from the cutlery that was folded in a napkin. As he took his first scoop, he grinned. “I’ve been known to have a sharing problem, being an only child for most of my life, so if I’m going at the dessert like it’s the first thing I’ve seen in weeks, my bad?”
Sugar smirked smugly when Jake's sentence cut off, it was strangers especially that found Sugar the cutest thing on earth. She knew that he knew just as well as she did that the poll would've come back in her favor. "Or over time I'll realize that you were a bigger jerk than I thought before." Sugar said, even though her opinion was already kind of changing about him. Now she was just saying that to be funny. Sugar's eyebrow raised at Jake saying he was going to have a sharing problem. "That's going to suck for you then because so do I and this is one of my fave desserts."
Jake ’s rolled in their sockets at the mug smirk Sugar wore. “You know what of all the Sugars I’ve seen. Smug Sugar is my least favorite. And correction, you are going to like this big jerk more than ever. I am willing to bet you will!” Though he couldn’t bet her because even if he did grow on here she’d probably lie and say he didn’t when in reality she wouldn’t think he was a jerk at all. “Hey, I’m watching you, and making sure this is a halfsies on this dessert.” He was joking of course. He enjoyed the tasty treat, but didn’t mind if she’d completely eaten 90 percent of it.
Sugar laughed. "Smug Sugar is still super cute though. And what would you bet if I did end up liking you more than ever? Not money either because that's totally boring." Sugar said always strangely eager to bet on things, even though Jake probably would win that one. "Fine, go ahead. I can control myself."
Jake shook his head. “Still Sugar, talking about Sugar. I never said it was super cute.” Of course it was, but he never would tell her that. “I’d bet…hmmm taking money out of the equation let me think. How bout if I’m wrong, you get one day, no asshole Jake that will do whatever you say. And will refrain from insulting you or your personality.” The minute he said it he wanted to take it back. he didn’t think that he could do that, not be a total asshole to her. Even if he did sort of think she was cool ish now, he didn’t know if that was an achievable goal.
Sugar rolled her eyes, still smiling. "You didn't have to. We've already gone over that I know exactly how cute I am and you're bad at disagreeing with me." Sugar's eyes widened atwhat Jake came up with. "Seriously? You think you could do that? For an entire day." Even though Sugar didn't believe she'd even win the bet for Jake to even have to do that, the possibility of having him do that was extra tempting.
Jake frowned when she said that he was bad at disagreeing with her. "How am I bad at disagreeing with you? Just yesterday I disagreed with you just fine," he pointed out. Jake nodded when she asked if he was serious. "If I put my mind to it I might be able to do that. Might. For an entire day, but I don't think I'll have to because I know my charm tends to work quickly, and without warning." It was his turn to smirk. He truly could be charming when he wanted to be. and if he was getting Sugar not see his asshole side, and to like him, he wouldn't have to be nice for a whole 24 and be at the beck and call of Sugar. "You know, you should get in on this too make it fun so it's not a one man bet."
Sugar rolled her eyes. "You're bad at disagreeing with me when I know you're lying through your teeth. Yesterday you weren't calling basically every single emotion I have cute." Sugar smirked as Jake nodded. "Uh huh. Sure it does. I could join in on the bet, but if I lost I don't see how that would be very fun for me." Sugar said slowly, measuring the pros and cons before ultimately deciding that if he did win and she ended up liking him more than ever, it wouldn't exactly make being at his beck and call a terrible experience. "But whatever, I'm in. If I lose, you get to tell me what to do for 24 hours with no insults about you or your sucky personality. Kay?"
Jake shook his head in disagreement. "But how do you know I'm lying through my teeth though? I could be truthing. I said your smugness isn't cute. Which it is not. Your smirk isn't cute. Because it's not either," he pointed out - even if he was lying right this second. "That's the beauty of it all. It's a win-win for someone, but it doesn't really have to be you." It was his turn to be smug. He was so sure that it could and would happen for him. "Oh, this is going to be so fun! For me...because well, I've got this in the bag. Already my sparkling personality and dashing good looks are planting the seeds to grow into a very beautiful win for me." He was getting all of the arrogant asshole out of his system now because from this moment on he was actually going to be nicer to win her over.
Sugar raised an eyebrow. "Well for starters, you just said truthing and I don't know anyone over the age of four who uses that word while actually being honest about something. Secondly, it totally is. Hush." Sugar allowed Jake to gloat for however long he planned on doing so, with only a slightly bored expression on her face. "Uh huh. You're totally going to win me over with that attitude." Sugar said in complete sarcasm.
Jake laughed when she pointed out what he'd said. "Well I was. I cannot tell too many lie," he sub quoted and put his own spin on the words of Honest Abe. Jake touched his chest palm resting over his heart. "From this moment on, prepare to be wowed." He didn't know how yet but he would wow her. He'd never attempted to get anyone to like or change their opinion of him so this would be new for him and Sugar.
Sugar shook her head and laughed. "You know I'm not going to believe you, right? I know you're lying." Sugar rolled her eyes and ate another spoonful of the dessert. "Alrighty then, I'll believe it when it happens. "
Jake winked at Sugar when she said she knew he was lying. “Are you 100 percent sure that I am?” he asked. Jake had found himself having a bit of fun on this fake date, there weren’t many awkward lulls that he’d had to experience and it shocked him. Hell, he said Sugar would be the one liking him more than ever when this was done, he might be joining her in that number.
Sugar rolled her eyes at the wink. "I'm like 300 percent sure you're lying." She said with a small laugh, that she cut off quickly. Even though she was already pretty certain how the bet would probably turn out, she wasn't going to make it super easy on him.
Jake let out a boisterous laugh when she said she was 300 percent sure. "You sound like those moms on Maury when they are 300 percent sure dude is the baby daddy, and then Maury pull out the card all 'You are NOT the father' so they start running around the studio crying as if they didn't know." Jake definitely watched Maury. He grew up watching paternity tests go wrong. Divorce Court with Judge Maybelline. Those were his shows. Jake caught that laugh, and he couldn't fight the smirk that was on his face. He knew she'd already started to like him a bit. Hell it was a mutual feeling.
Sugar couldn't hold in her laughter that time as Jake referenced Maury. " Shut up! I do not!"Sugar protested through her giggles. "I really do know you're lying!"
Jake 's brow rose. "Do I need to call the homie Maury? We need the lie detector out here to determine lies about lies?" he was kidding of course. She probably did know when he was lying. "Do I really have tells for when I'm lying?" he inquired, wondering what hers were. He hadn't yet figured her out.
Sugar rolled her eyes. "Nope. Why bother him when I know you are. You kind of have one. It's not a big one or anything, but you kind of use the same tone and pitch that you do when you're acting. It's not that different than your regular one, but I'm good at telling." Sugar said with a nonchalant shrug.
Jake couldn't help but think that maybe she could tell when he was lying because that was his go to. He convinced himself that he was acting and acting and lying were basically the same thing. He held up his hands in defeat. "Okay well fist off, damn. You're observant, and second off, how are you that damn good!" Maybe he just wasn't that observant because he never would have noticed that about people.
Sugar grinned when Jake held his hands up in defeat. "I know I am. It's a gift. Also, kind of a weird hobby I picked up, people are so fake to me all the time and even though it's totally my job to do it, I really hate lying so I started working on picking up on other people's tells and signs of lying. I've been doing it for years so I'm basically a human lie detector now." Sugar said proudly before realising that wasn't exactly a normal hobby to brag about and looked down as she blushed in embarrassment. "It's pretty weird, I know. But yeah, sorry."
Jake shook his head in complete and utter amazement. That a good ass trait to have being a human lie detector. It was better than him and the epic failings of seeing the good in people and getting let down from it. “No, don’t apologize, that’s impressive! It’s a good way not to get hurt. But do you always want to know if someone’s lying? What if you ask someone if you look fat in a dress and they say no but they are telling you a lie? I mean you never look fat in anything, but just an example question,” he added on so that she knew that he didn’t think she looked anything other than stunning in what she was wearing. He frowned wondering how the hell he’d just thought the woman he couldn’t stand at the beginning of the night now looked stunning.
Sugar looked up at Jake in surprise when he actually complimented her on something she usually got weird looks for talking about. "Yeah, I guess it is." Sugar admitted with a small smile. "I don't ask questions I don't want honest answers to. So yeah, I do always want to know if I'm being lied to. You're right though, I never look fat in anything so that's one question I don't bother asking."
Jake raised a brow, when she said she doesn't ask questions she doesn't want the answers to. "So you always want complete and total honesty, even if that honesty hurts feelings?" It wasn't a foreign concept to Jake, but he did know that this was also something that a lot of people didn't like. Total honesty. He for one as much as he'd been through with his dad coming in and out of his life, wanted to know but not really why his dad never stayed. But he didn't want the real reason. He wanted something fake. He didn't know if he could handle the honest truth.
Sugar shrugged. "Yeah, I do. I've had my feelings hurt way more by people lying to me about how they feel or what they think, just having the truth is kind of a relief. Clears out the BS, y'know?" Sugar said simply. A life growing up under a spotlight exposed her to all types of people pretending to like her just to get some kind of fifteen minutes of fame, part of the reason she kind of liked the deal with Jake was because even though they usually hated being in each other's presence they were at least real with each other and were both fully aware how make believe this relationship really was.
Jake completely understood where she was coming from, but for him it was the opposite. There were so many truths that could hurt him that he'd much rather deal in being blissfully unaware. He'd lived with the cold hard truth. His mom never lied to him, and although that left him always knowing where things stood, it also left a child with more questions than had she sugar coated some things. "I grew up with so many truths, at this point some lies would be refreshing. Which is odd, I know but it's probably why I only deal with the phonies. Jake was completely and utterly afraid of real. Real hurt worse than he could ever imagine. That's why he enjoyed this deal with Sugar so much. Fake relationship. He didn't have to get close to anyone for real. He put in the fake work, on their fake relationship, and when it was over, no one got hurt. No one had to tell any ugly truths that would only hurt one party. It would be over.
Sugar listened to Jake, strangely intrigued by exactly how much they were each other's polar opposite. It really was no surprise how they ended up hating each other practically at first sight, they hardly had anything in common. She was a pretty sheltered and innocent former child star that hated being lied to and he was the bad boy only a few years into the game that craved make believe. It was actually interesting enough to make Sugar just want to learn more about what they did and didn't have in common. "That's so crazy" Sugar managed to say finally, not really knowing how to appropriately respond to him.
Jake nodded with a bit of a laugh, he knew that his outlook on things never ceased to be a bit out there and not as normal as most are. He cleared his throat, lifting his spoon to swipe a generous bit of dessert on his spoon. "So you ready to head out of here in a bit?" he asked, wondering if she was ready for their first attempt at a fake to them, but real to others first date to end. For him, it seemed like a success, he'd learned a few things he didn't know about the woman across from him, but he knew there was much more. He still had to win that bet, and he still had to break Sugar from that shell she keeps around her. That right there was his mission. He may as well have a little fun since he had no choice but to be in this fake relationship.
Sugar shrugged and nodded, before pulling the dessert plate closer so that she could be the one to finish it off. "Yeah, sure. Want me to pay?" Sugar offered before taking a bite of the dessert.
Jake frowned when she offered to pay. "I'm pro feminism and all that, but no. If I'm taking you out, I'm paying. No matter where we go, when we're together, I've got it," he promised gesturing to the waitress to bring the check to them. Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out his credit car for the woman to charge the meal to.
Sugar rolled her eyes. "It wasn't a feminism thing, but okay whatever. Do what you want." Sugar replied, pausing momentarily to let the waitress come and take his credit card. "But this isn't real so I don't know why you're bringing the whole chivalry dude pays thing into this?."
Jake shook his head. "What was it then if not a feminism thing? Was it a money thing? Because, I do just fine with that, believe me!" Jake's frown deepened when she said that he didn't need to be chivalrous. "So, my mom taught me not to be a dick to people, and if we're going to pull this off, I can't be in the media looking like you're my pimp and I'm just with you for your money. So, I'm paying," he insisted.
Sugar frowned when Jake assumed that her offer to pay was a money thing. "Of course not. I've seen what you get paid, if it was a money thing I'd order three more desserts and make you pay for them all. I was just offering to be nice." Sugar giggled at the idea of the media seeing her as his pump. "Alright, I already said you can do what you want. But people seeing me as your pimp would be pretty hilarious too, we should let them think that. I could wear a cool pimp suit and everything!"
Jake laughed. "Where would you even put three more desserts?" He gestured to her tiny frame. "I appreciate the gesture though. Kind of emasculated me a little, but I appreciate it." Jake couldn't possibly picture her in a pimp suit. "The only pimps and suits that come to mind are a Pimp Named Slickback's and Money Mike's." Ironically both were played and/or voiced by the same actor. When the waitress brought back the card and receipt, Jake signed it, added a generous tip, and stood, holding out his hand for Sugar to take. The show was about to be on again as the paparazzi would be awaiting their departure from the restaurant.
Sugar shrugged. "Where I put the first one. Duh. I may be little, but I can totally eat a lot. Sorry for emasculating you a little though, I'll just have to keep that in mind for next time I actually want to annoy you." Sugar giggled when Jake brought up the only pimps he could think of. Sugar was actually familiar with both characters, so it was actually pretty funny to her. "What, you don't think I could rock a Katt Williams look? I'm probably the same height as him anyway." Sugar joked. When it came time for them to leave, Sugar had no problem taking Jake's hand as they left the restaurant and became the focus of all the paparazzi that had been waiting the entire "date" for better photos of the two of them together.
Jake playfully rolled his eyes. "Emasculation is your new annoyance tactic? Now that I know I won't let it bother me as much." He poked out his tongue at her. "True, you two are probably the same height. But I don't see you having the pimp swag that he has." It was almost effortless for Jake to walk hand in hand with Sugar out of the restaurant. He opened her door for her, and as he did, placed a kiss on her cheek that he knew the cameras would snap a picture of. When he got in on his side, he gave a sigh of relief. "We did it. Our first fake date, and it wasn't horrible like I thought it would be."
Sugar shrugged. "Maybe, but I'm going to use it when you're not expecting it." Sugar replied, sticking her tongue right back out at Jake. "I could totally have the same pimp swag as he does." Sugar argued back playfully, comfortably swinging Jake's hand as they walked to the car. Once they were inside, Sugar buckled herself in the seatbelt and smiled at Jake's sigh of relief. "Yep, no one got stabbed and it was actually kind of fun. Go us!"
Jake "I'll be sure to always keep my guard up then." He didn't have the attention span to keep his guard up. Holding onto the whole playboy, mysterious asshole persona was already tiring enough. Being guarded with Sugar was entirely too much to do. He chuckled as she poked out her tongue at him too. "You might be able to pull it off, might." He pulled out of the lot and headed back to Sugar's place. "Let's make that our goal for every fake date. No one gets stabbed, and we have fun?"
Sugar shrugged. "Try it then. You'll probably end up forgetting after a week. " Sugar looked out of the window as Jake drove, specifically looking for any paparazzi following them. "Not might, definitely could. But sure! No one getting stabbed and having fun sounds like a great plan." Sugar agreed before glancing over at Jake. "Don't think this is going to help you win the bet though. You're still gonna lose"
Jake chuckled but he knew that Sugar was probably right. He probably would forget to be on his guard. He playfully rolled his eyes at her quip about not winning the bet. "Oh, I'm going to win, regardless, whether or not our dates are all that civil." He drove with his eyes watching the road, but also scanning the rear view to make sure no one was following. Paparazzi had a habit of capturing in car moments from out of nowhere. Without being followed, he expertly parked outside Sugar's place once more. It was unnecessary since this whole ordeal was fake, but he left the driver's side to open his co-star's door for her. He'd even gone as far as walking her to it. "Well, surprisingly, I had a good time." Normally this would be the moment he went in for the kiss or the let me walk you in so we can take matters to the bedroom, but he stuffed his hands in his pocket instead.
Sugar giggled at Jake's reply and shook her head. "The overconfidence thing is cute but you're still going to lose. Hashtag sorry not sorry." She said with a smile. When they finally got back to her place Sugar was pleasantly surprised when Jake got out and opened the door and then even walked her to the door to her house. "Same here." Sugar said with a smile, before going to open her door. "My assistant will call your people to see when to schedule our next public hang. Later." Sugar said with some awkward pauses in her tone as she went inside.
Jake: So uh, hey, did you just get the fucked up news I got? Which if you haven't, believe me, you're not going to like it. Or maybe you would because I'm sure not a lady on earth would pass up a chance to date, real or fake, the Jakeasaurus. So let me ammend, I don't like it.
Shout out to Josie (sugmottzrps) for being a great Sugar player and a major cutie queen in general! Our Sugake was one of the funnest ships I’ve ever had.