Page 85 of Once Upon a Fake Date

Parker didn’t even need to finish the thought before I answered, “Yeah.”

Because I liked sleeping in his arms.

And because I wanted to soak up these moments for as long as I had them.

Layingacross Parker’s bed days later, I twirled a strand of hair around my finger as I looked up from the notes I was studying for one of my upper division theater classes. They were written in my favorite pink sparkly pen, and I traced a manicured nail over the paper.

Parker was quiet and withdrawn tonight, and I didn’t know why. But I wanted to make it better. Wanted him to talk to me, so I could understand what was going on inside his head.

We didn’t keep secrets from each other. Not as best friends.

And not as whatever we werenow, either. We still hadn’t had sex, but that hadn’t stopped us from doing other things. Including kissing a lot.

“Parker.”

“Yeah?” He looked up from his architectural textbook. We were both studying on his bed, both unable to go even five minutes without touching the other. He’d play with my hair, or I’d rest my feet in his lap.

“What’s wrong?” I poked at his arm. “And don’t tell me nothing because I know you. Something’s on your mind.”

Parker sighed. “My old team is playing us in two weeks.”

“Oh?” I frowned, sitting up against his pillows. “Shouldn’t you be excited to see your old friends? You were with those guys for three years, after all.”

“Yeah.” Parker shut his eyes, dropping his head to my lap. “I was. But…”

Running my fingers through Parker’s hair, I massaged his scalp. He hummed, his eyes closed like he was enjoying my hands on him.

“Parker,” I murmured, keeping my voice low, like I was trying not to spook a horse. “What happened?” I’d suspected there was something, but he’d never told me. Even when I’d asked about his reason for transferring, he’d avoided the subject.

Was he… embarrassed? Because he didn’t need to be. I knew that whatever the situation was, he hadn’t told me for a reason.

He took a deep breath, his amber eyes blinking open to look into mine. “My ex-girlfriend cheated on me.”

“The fuck? She cheated onyou?”God, that fucking sucked. I’d been there, and it was the worst feeling in the world. But also onhim? He was the biggest cinnamon roll boyfriend on the planet. I couldn’t imagine why anyone could have him and look elsewhere for more.

He chuckled. “Yeah. But that wasn’t even the worst part. It waswhoshe cheated on me with.” His eyes were glued to the ceiling instead of on me.

“Who?” I hated to ask, having a bad feeling I knew exactly what he was going to say, but I wanted to keep him talking, so I just kept running my hands through his silky soft light brown strands.

“My teammate. We were close. Like brothers. And, fuck, I wasn’t even upset that she cheated.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “How fucked up is that? I was—still am, actually—upset that he’d broken my trust. We got into a fight on the field. Lost the game because of it. I cost our team the championship, Audrey.” He was choked up. “Because she wasn’t getting enough attention from me, so she turned to him, and I?—”

“Hey,” I reassured him. “It’s okay.”

Parker frowned up at me. “It’s not. I never should have let that happen. I should have?—”

I stopped petting his hair. “Parker, have you talked to anyone about this?”

His cheeks were dotted with pink. “I’m talking to you, aren’t I?”

“I mean like… a therapist, babe. Someone who can help you work through all your feelings.” I gave him a sad smile.

He shook his head. “No.” Parker sighed. “I know I should. I just…”

“I know.” Slinging an arm around his shoulder, I leaned my head against his. “But I’m here whenever you want to talk.”

“Thank you, Audrey,” he said, closing his eyes. “You have no idea how much I appreciate that you’re in my life.”

“Always,” I responded, meaning it. “No matter what happens, I’ll always be here for you, Parker.”

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