Page 29 of Once Upon a Fake Date

Fuck, I was an idiot. For offering to be Audrey’s fake boyfriend. For volunteering to prance around this stage and perform in a musical. How was I going to balance all of this?

No distractions.Coach’s voice ran through my mind. This was a giant fucking distraction, and I knew it.

But the way Audrey was smiling up at me as I stood in front of them… it was all worth it.

Maybe it was because of all my time playing lacrosse, but I didn’t have an ounce of nerves as I stood on stage, looking out across the room. Of course, it was empty, save for my best girl sitting in the front row with her director, but I knew better than anyone what performance anxiety could do to an athlete.

Still, I was out of my element. This wasn’t the same as running across the field or trying to get the ball in the net. And yet, I knew it was more important.

Not to me, but to the girl sitting in the front row, who was looking at me like I hung the moon in the sky. For her, I’d do it. I’d do anything. What she didn’t know was that she was my sunshine. The reason I looked forward to each day. Ever since she’d come back into my life, that had been the case.

So I sang.

I sang like I did when I was a child, sitting next to Audrey at the piano, back when we were carefree and without a care in the world.

“Thank you, Parker,” the woman sitting in the front row next to my best friend said with a smile as the song ended. “That was great. Now, why don’t you two sing something together?” Professor Woods looked between Audrey and me. “That way, I can get a feel for the chemistry you’ll have on stage together.”

I looked at Audrey, the question in my eyes.Do you want to do this?

Yes,hers seemed to say back as she joined me on stage, rushing over to the girl who sat at the piano accompanying us. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but I knew she was telling her what song to play.

“What are we singing?” I whispered to her as she stood across from me.

Audrey smiled, extending her hand. Wordlessly, I took it, the warmth of her palm relaxing me. “Ready?” she murmured, and I nodded.

The first few bars played, and I instantly recognized the tune.

Of course.

Of course, she’d picked this song.

I couldn’t look away from her. Not as she sang the first few words. God, she sounded like an angel. Looked like one, too, with the stage lights casting a perfect halo above her head, illuminating her blonde hair.

When we finished, we stepped off the stage behind the curtains.

“How’d I do?” I asked, running my fingers through my hair.

Audrey grinned. “You were great.”

“So were you.” I nudged her with my shoulder.

She gnawed on her lower lip. “Are you really sure you’re okay doing this? It’s not too much?”

“Audrey.” I laughed. “Don’t go trying to get rid of me already. I’min,okay? I won’t let you down.”

Her voice was hardly more than a whisper when she responded, “I know.”

“Shit.” I looked at my watch. “I gotta get to practice. Coach is going to kill me.”

Audrey winced. “Have you told him yet?” There was a frown on her face. Like she knew what I was doing. Delaying the inevitable. But she couldn’t know the real reason I was avoiding the conversation. After all, I hadn’t told her my stipulations for transferring onto the team. The shit I’d gotten into last year.

I cleared my throat. “No. I was planning on doing it today.”

“You got this.” She gave me a thumbs up. “You got this, Parker. Have a good practice.”

With a wave, I headed off in a jog towards the field, hoping like hell I wouldn’t be late.

“Hey, Coach.”

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