Page 6 of Once Upon a Fake Date

Smoothing a hand over my face, I crumpled the can of beer in my hands. “I’m gonna go find the bathroom.”

“There’s one upstairs. Normally the one down here has a line.”

“Cool. Thanks, man.”

He nodded, turning towards the kitchen. “I’m gonna go see if I can find some food in this place. I’m starving.”

The path up the stairs was empty, and that was when I heard it. Singing. A beautiful, melodic voice. I was entranced. A flash of pink. Bouncy blonde hair. And then she was gone.

Back down the stairs, into the throes of the party. Where did she go? I pinched my eyes shut— if only to hear it again—but the only sounds came from the party downstairs.

Damn. The girl had sounded like an angel. I wondered if I could get her to sing for me again.

Slipping into the bathroom—which, thankfully, was empty—I splashed some water on my face before taking care of business and then washing my hands.

The water was a wake-up call. I needed some air. Needed to not think about the beautiful blonde who I’d only caught a glimpse of. Was it her I’d heard?

It was like something I’d heard in my dreams, and I was dying to hear it again.

Needing a break from the party,I headed to the door that led into the backyard that I’d seen earlier, only to find someone else had the same thought as me. It was the girl in pink I’d seen inside. The beautiful girl who had been singing to herself upstairs before I’d lost her. She was leaning against the rail, illuminated by the moonlight.

Sliding the door open, I joined her outside, copying her position on the other side. I leaned against the railing, staring up at the stars. The air outside was crisp, given the temperatures this time of year, but I wouldn’t complain. I had my flannel and a pair of jeans on, besides. It had been colder up in New England, so I was used to it.

That was when she noticed I was there. “Oh.” She sounded surprised.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Shaking her head, she said, “No. You didn’t. I just didn’t expect anyone else to be out here.”

That voice… I stepped forward, wanting to be closer to her. To ask her to sing for me again.

The girl in pink froze, her eyes growing wide.“Parker?”

That stopped me. Her voice. I knew that voice. Knewher. She stepped closer, and my heart felt like it had stopped beating. She was here. The girl of my dreams. “Rosie? Is that you?”

How long had it been? When I’d moved away, I’d planned on keeping my promise to my childhood best friend. Keep in contact. Go back and visit. But it’d been hard. We’d moved states away, and I’d had lacrosse and school to keep up with.

“Hi.” She whispered the word, her cheeks still the prettiest shade of pink I’d ever seen. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“You go here?” I blurted out. “To Castleton?”

Audrey nodded, leaning with her back to the railing. “I’m a junior. Majoring in drama.”

Of course she was. A smile spread over my face. This felt a lot like fate. Maybe the universe had brought me here for a reason. “I just transferred here this year. Architecture. I’m on the lacrosse team, too.”

“Wow.” Her eyes widened. “So much has changed, hasn’t it?”

I smoothed a hand over my face. Wasn’t that the truth? “Yeah.” But not everything. She was still the same Rosie Girl I’d known, down to her core. I could feel it. “What were you singing?”

She blushed. “Oh, you heard me?”

I nodded.You sounded beautiful.Words on the tip of my tongue. “Yeah. You always were an amazing singer, you know?”

“It was just a Taylor Swift song.” Audrey brushed me off. “I don’t even notice I’m doing it sometimes.” She brushed a lock of golden blonde hair behind her ear, turning towards me.

“Do you want to sit?”

She looked around the porch, her eyes landing on the patio furniture. “Yes.”

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