[mothered]

Should I just roll with the job gap and tell them or try and play it out

I've done this a number of times, and they didn't bother checking the timing. As long as the point of contact can be reached and Identified as relevant to your application, then you'll be fine.

Alternatively, you can use a legit company but provide your friend's landline number as a reference. I've also done this with success, however the background noise of the call, must be suited to the job's environment. For Instance, If It's at the office, you obviously can't have dogs barking or babies crying but rather keyboards tapping, workers talking and phones ringing. There's plenty of "office sounds" on YouTube.