Page 50 of Once Upon a Fake Date

He nodded, and I scampered into the kitchen to find a vase and fill it with water. Dropping my purse on the counter, I opened the cabinet where we kept them.

Parker didn’t stay by the door—no, he followed me into the house, leaning against a barstool as I busied myself with the flowers.

Suzie caught my eye and mouthed,hot damn.

I know.Damn, but I knew. He washot.It should be illegal how good he looked like this, really.

“Ready?” Parker asked when I set the vase down on the counter, fluffing the flowers.

Suzie winked at me. “You two go have fun. I’ll put these in your room, Audrey.”

“Thank you,” I said, nodding to her.

I came around the island and grabbed my purse. Parker placed his hand on my lower back, guiding me out to the door. He opened it for me, and his hand didn’t drop.

Not until we got to the car, so he could open the door to his car for me. It was a practical car—nothing flashy, but it was nice all the same. He offered me his hand, and I slid into the seat.

Once I was settled, he closed it softly before rounding the car and getting into the driver’s seat.

But he didn’t buckle up and start the car. No. He reached over me, grabbing my seatbelt and dragging it over my body, clicking it in.

How was I going to survive the night when he was acting like this?

He grinned at me before buckling his own.

“Where are we going?” I asked as he started the car.

“It’s a surprise,” Parker said, keeping his eyes focused on the road.

His right hand rested on the center console, and I crossed my legs.

“You know you don’t have to take me on an actual date, right? We can just do stuff on campus.”

He glared at me. “Audrey Rose. You deserve to be taken on a date. So let me.”

There was no point in arguing with him. Not about this. So I just let him take me on a date, one that didn’t feel fake in the least.

He took me to a fancy teppanyaki place, where I ordered the shrimp and the chicken, as well as a bowl of fried rice. Not one person from CU was here, and we spent the whole night laughing, sharing our inside jokes. We had so many of them from childhood, but we were making new ones now, too.

I thought about the tree in his backyard—the one we’d carved our names into, because we were going to be friends forever. A big part of me wished we’d never lost those years after he moved, but maybe it was supposed to be like this. Maybe we needed to lose each other in order to find each other again.

We were different people now. I’d grown up. The rose-colored lenses I used to wear no longer applied to the world. Maybe I was less naïve now.

I still dreamed of a happy ending, of that great big love story I could only hope was out there waiting for me, but I also knew this was real life—not a fairytale.

Even if today felt a lot like one.

After we’d finished eatingour meal—which was delicious—and headed back out to the car, Parker pulled out a gift bag I hadn’t even before, placing it in my lap.

I raised my eyebrows. “What’s this for?”

“I didn’t get to take you out for Valentine’s Day, but I wanted to get you something.”

“Oh, I…” I hadn’t even thought about us getting each other gifts. Mostly because we weren’t in an actual relationship. Still, how could I turn him down?

He had a faint blush over his cheekbones, and I found it adorable.

Opening the bag, I pulled out a piece of white material. Parker looked away, scratching the back of his head. “It’s a jersey. My jersey. For you to wear.” Sure enough, the back read Maxwell with his number—59—stitched onto it in light blue. “My girlfriend should wear my jersey when she comes to my games, after all.”

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