Page 126 of Once Upon a Fake Date

I looked down at the bottom of the closet, finding a pair of sparkly gold heels. They reminded me of Ella’s favorite silver pair, and I couldn’t help my squeal. This morning, Ella and I had gone to the spa, where we’d been pampered all day, had our nails done, and then she’d taken me to get my hair and makeup done. Suddenly, I had a feeling I knew what all of this was about.

My stomach was full of butterflies in the best way, and I got changed in a hurry, thankful for the zipper so I could get the dress on myself before buckling the straps of the gold heels.

It was perfect. Combined with the makeup and hair, I looked like some sort of woodland princess. Maybe that was the idea. But it was some, and I felt so loved by the two most important people in my life. Of course, my boyfriend would get my sister in on this.

When I stepped out onto the stage, I expected to find Parker waiting for me, but it was empty. I frowned, looking around. This place had become my home over the last year, even though I still had my sights set on a bigger stage—one with my name on the marquee.

A few of the set pieces had been pulled down, but the only thing in the middle of the stage was a piece of paper on the floor.

I bent down to pick it up, looking over the words.

Once Upon A Fake Date

By Parker Maxwell

[AUDREY stands alone on stage while PARKER enters from stage left.]

What was he up to?

As if on queue, there he was.

Dressed in a suit with that damn light pink tie that I knew for a fact he only wore to match me. He had other ones—maroon, red, dark gray, but whenever we were going somewhere together, he insisted we match. He was so handsome. My Parker. The man of my dreams. I’d loved him before I even knew what love was, and now, here we were. Living in New York City together. I was working as an actress in off-broadway performances while he’d landed a great job as an architect at a prestigious firm in the city. He got to design some amazing high-rise buildings, and I knew his favorite part was showing them to me in all stages of the build, especially when they were done.

“Hey, Dream Boy,” I whispered, still holding the script in my hand. “What’s going on?”

He grinned. “Follow the script, and you’ll see.”

I cleared my throat, turning the page and starting to read from the top.

PARKER: There she is. The girl of my dreams.

There was no paper in my boyfriend’s hands. Clearly, he didn’t need one as he repeated the words from the page.

“There she is.” His eyes lit up, the gold inside practically sparkling with mirth. “The girl of my dreams.”

“Have we met before?” I read off the paper.

“Maybe we have,” Parker responded, holding out a hand for me.

I slid my hand into his, ignoring the weight of the moment. The words were reminiscent of us. Things we’d shared with each other before. There was meaning all around us. In every single thing he ever did.

“There’s something familiar about you.”

He hummed, guiding his hand over my head and giving me a small twirl. “You’ve known me all your life, Rosie Girl.”

I smiled. “So I have.”

It was cheesy—but in the best way—a way that felt so true to who we were.

“They say if you dream a thing more than once, it’s sure to come true.”

I didn’t say anything. I just nodded.

“Well, all my life, I dreamed about you.”

My eyes filled with tears as I read the next line.

[PARKER gets down on one knee.]

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