Page 2 of Once Upon a Fake Date

But I never forgot about the best friend who had held my heart in his hands.

And despite my vow to never feel that way again, I would get mine broken several times before I ever saw Parker again. When I fell, I fell fast andhard.

That was the curse of being a hopeless romantic.

CHAPTER 1

Audrey

Once Upon a Time…

I’d always dreamed about those words. Thought that one day, it would be the start of my story, and they’d be meant for me. That I’d be the girl in a glittering dress, with the man she loved standing in front of her with a bouquet of pink roses. So, I’d spent my whole life hoping and praying for my happily ever after. Imagining it like a dream.

But life wasn’t a fairytale.

Because I was just Audrey Rose Ashford, your typical college student. Sorority girl, lover of all things pink, and a theater kid. I wouldn’t get my perfect fairytale ending. Maybe that was okay. Life would still go on, just like it always had. True love or not, I was chasing after my dreams, the life I wanted so desperately.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” my sister, Ella, called, opening the blinds to the window in our shared room.

I groaned, throwing my pillow at her instead of moving. “Five more minutes.”

She clicked her tongue. “It’s Saturday.”

“Yeah, and?” I sat up, brushing my hair behind my ears as I narrowed my eyes at her. “Saturdays are for sleeping in.”

“Did you forget what we promised we’d do this weekend?” She quirked an eyebrow at me, popping her hand on her hip.

“Yes…?” Honestly, I had. Between classes and sorority activities, I’d almost forgotten that Halloween was creeping up on us.

“You reallyareexhausted, aren’t you?” Ella gave me that look—that older sister,I’m disappointed in you look—because even if she was only thirty minutes older than me, she was still the older, more responsible twin. I loved it, and I hated it simultaneously. “We’re supposed to finish our costumes.”

“Oh. Right!” Duh. We’d picked out the fabric last month on a whim of a shopping trip, and I’d fallen in love. Though that wasn’t hard, considering it was pink and sparkly, my two favorite things.

I was convinced anything could be fixed with a bit of glitter.

Halloween was next week. Which meant an entire weekend full of parties and the best excuse to dress up. One I wouldn’t be turning down. “Any chance we can get coffee before we start?”

“Already arranged.” She pulled a cup from behind her back, brandishing it towards me.

“You’re my favorite sister ever.” Ignoring the cup, I flung my arms around her neck.

“I’m youronlysister.”

“Semantics.” Grabbing my cup of coffee, I sipped on it, letting the caramel flavor pool on my tongue. After a quick shower and some caffeine, I’d definitely be ready for the day.

My twin was in a costume design program at Castleton University, which meant she made costumes for school, too. Though thankfully, she didn’t mind an extra sewing project or two. It worked out for me because I couldn’t sew to save my life. I’d tried a few times, but each project had only ended up in a shredded mess.

It was better that I stuck to the things I was good at.

Twisting my hair up into a clip, I blew my bangs off my forehead and went to the closet to change out of my pajamas. Our shared closet was full of pastel shades, though there was more pink and blue than anything else.

I was a sucker for all things pink, and I might have had a slight shopping addiction. Ella didn’t complain, though, benefiting from our overflowing closet.

After a quick shower and pulling on a pink Pi Rho Sigma crewneck with leggings, I came back to our room to find Ella already hard at work on her sewing machine. All the pattern pieces were already cut out, and she’d started constructing the bodice pieces last week.

She bit her lip in concentration as she fed the fabric through the machine.

“Can I help with anything?” I asked, fiddling with my fingers.

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