Page 28 of Once Upon a Fake Date

“You should date me. I’ll be your boyfriend.”

“What?” She grimaced. “Parker, you’re mybest friend.”

“How could I forget, sunshine?” I leaned over and flicked her nose. “I’ll be yourfakeboyfriend,” I clarified. “So Duke leaves you alone.”

“You want to… fake date?”

“Yeah.” I went back to eating my food, knowing she needed time to process this.

She bit her lip, worrying it in between her teeth. “I couldn’t ask you to do that.” Her food was completely forgotten in front of her, like she was so distracted she couldn’t even remember to eat.

I’d noticed that she got so busy that she forgot to eat during the school day last semester. It was one reason I texted her and asked if she wanted to get dinner almost every night. Our schedules might not always line up for lunch, but I was making sure she got fed.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “You’re not asking, Rosie. I’m offering. And besides, it makes sense. We’re spending all of this time together, anyway. And now I’m doing the musical with you.”

Assuming the audition went well. I still had to prove I could do it.

“How long would we even do this for?”

“Till the end of the musical, I guess.” Even if it was fake, at least I’d get to be by her side. That was what I was telling myself.

“Right. That makes sense.”

“Hey.” I rested my hand over hers, and when she looked at me, her eyes were filled with so much uncertainty. I hated that. “Are you okay?”

She shrugged, stabbing at a piece of pasta instead of responding to me.

“It’s okay if you’re not, you know,” I whispered. God knows I wasn’t okay, not after last semester. Maybe she’d understand why I wanted to help her if I told her. But I couldn’t make my mouth form the words. Not yet. It was still too raw. Too real.

“It doesn’t feel like that,” she admitted. “I feel like everyone expects me to be happy all the time.”

“You don’t have to be,” I insisted. “You don’t have to be anything with me other than yourself. You know that, right? I’m friends withyou,Audrey. Not whoever people expect you to be. I like the girl who loves wearing pink but also was never afraid to play in the dirt with me when we were younger. When we were biking, you’d cry when you scraped your knees, but it never stopped you from getting back. What’s stopping you now?”

“I don’t know,” she murmured. Something was holding her back. I knew it was. What had happened to make her draw into herself? To lose the sparkle in her gorgeous violet-hued eyes? I wanted to help her get it back.

Squeezing her hand, I let go. “I’m here. Whenever you need me, I’m always here.”

“Thank you.” Audrey relaxed, dipping her head. “Can I… think about it? Your offer?” Her voice was quiet. “The fake dating thing?”

“Of course you can.”

She nodded, and then finally dug into her plate of food. I was content just to watch her. Audrey was clearly going through something, and I’d show her I was here the best way I knew how: by being by her side.

“So. About that audition,” I finally said once she’d finished eating, clearing her plate.

Her lips tilted up in her first genuine smile of the evening.

And I did my best to distract her from thoughts of Duke, from anything that would take away from that smile on her face.

When wasthe last time I’d sung in front of an audience?Never.

But here I was. Standing in front of the director for the musical, Audrey’s professor—also the head of the theater department—auditioning to be in the show.

I had no fucking idea what I was doing. None. But how hard could it be, really? Maybe I’d never had professional voice lessons like Audrey, but I’d been in plays as a kid. And I’d been around for her lessons. Surely, I’d picked up a few things over the years.

Otherwise, all of that singing in the shower was for nothing.

Last night, I’d stayed up late, practicing the song I’d selected with Audrey’s help. If any of the guys in the lacrosse house had noticed that I’d been listening to the same song on repeat, they hadn’t commented on it. Even if they had, I’d deny it.

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