Fake dating puts two characters into a pretend romantic relationship for practical reasons: impressing an ex, satisfying family pressure, winning a bet, fulfilling a contract. The fun is watching the performance blur into reality. As they hold hands and share inside jokes and present a united front, the question shifts from 'when will others find out?' to 'when will they admit it's not fake anymore?'
Fake dating is one of romance's most structurally elegant tropes. It gives you built-in forced proximity, escalating physical contact, and a ticking clock (the ruse will eventually end). Studying it teaches you how to use a situation to drive romantic escalation organically, which is useful in any romance setup.
A fake-dating arrangement between a grad student and a professor that launched a BookTok phenomenon.
A contract relationship to make an ex jealous, with the fake boyfriend becoming the real one.
Bringing a fake date to a family wedding, the most common fake-dating setup executed with charm.
Write the scene where two characters have to sell their fake relationship to someone who matters: a parent, an ex, a boss. One of them is better at the performance than the other. Through the awkwardness and the moments that feel surprisingly natural, show the reader that this fake thing is becoming real before the characters notice.