Page 92 of Once Upon a Fake Date

Maybe she was right.

I smiled. “Thanks, Ells. I think I needed to hear that.”

“Anytime, Ro.”

Her childhood nickname for me made the warmth in my chest expand even more, and we settled back in, watching the game and cheering when our team blocked a shot on goal by the opposing team.

Finally, the third period came to an end—luckily, we were still up by two, since neither team had gotten another goal in the last few minutes as we’d been talking.

Unfortunately, there was only a two-minute break before the next period started, so I couldn’t head down to check on Parker.

They won,luckily without too much incident. There was a point that I thought Parker and the same guy who had gotten the penalty before were going to get into a fight, but it was clear that he was holding himself back. I didn’t understand why they’d go after him. Parker was the one who got cheated on. He was the one that should be upset.

But maybe they were pissed that he’d left the team?

I picked at my nail beds as I headed down towards the field. Ella had given me a long hug before she left, promising to talk soon, and I’d needed that. Needed this moment with my twin.

It was strange to think that at some point, we’d part ways. We weren’t sharing a room anymore, but we still lived in the same house. Next semester, we wouldn’t even have that. She’d be living with Cam, and I’d… what? Still be living in the sorority house?

We didn’t have to live there, especially as seniors, but we could. Except, I liked the idea of having my own space. Liked the idea of Parker and I being able to spend time with each otheralone,without worrying about anyone hearing us. Without having to leave the door open or stay in common areas.

I hadn’t even thought about where I’d live next semester until Ella had brought it up, but suddenly, I was eager to make plans. Parker and I, though… it was too soon, wasn’t it? We hadn’t even talked about what we were. What this was.

Even if it wasn’t fake anymore.

I stood on the edge of the field, smiling as Parker ran over to me like always, dropping his helmet on the ground before picking me up in his arms and spinning me around. It was practically our tradition now, and I giggled, a giant smile filling my face.

“That’s my Rosie Girl,” he said, his gaze holding mine. “Thanks for coming.”

“Of course. You couldn’t drag me away. Especially since you taught me about the crease, and I understand what’s going on now.” I cupped his cheeks, looking at him in concern as I scanned him for injuries. “Are you okay? You got hit pretty hard.”

“I’ll be fine, sunshine,” Parker reassured me, setting me back on the ground but keeping his arms wrapped around me. “Nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”

Still, watching him get hurt wasn’t fun. Standing on tiptoes, I leaned in close to his ear. “I’ll make it all better later,” I murmured, pressing my lips against his neck.

He dropped another kiss to my lips. “Looking forward to it.”

Someone cleared their throat, and we pulled apart a few inches to see who it was.

A girl approached us, but it wasn’t anyone I recognized. She must have come from the other team because she was wearing their school’s colors. “Hey, Parker.”

From the way he stiffened, I had a pretty good idea of who he was. Parker’s ex.

“Millie.” He just dipped his head.

She was absolutely gorgeous, with dark hair that she had twisted back away from her face, wearing a black and purple jersey that I assumed belonged to her current boyfriend.

“Hi.” I stuck out my hand towards the girl. “I’m Audrey. Parker’sgirlfriend.”

“Oh.” She looked between the two of us for a moment. Like my hand on his chest and his wrapped around my waist didn’t spell out enough. “I see. I’d come over to ask if you’d gotten my text, but…”

A text? I looked at Parker, hoping the look of confusion didn’t show on my face.

“I did. But I don’t need to talk, Millie.” He looked at me. “I’ve moved on. I’m happy now.”

She sighed. “Look, you don’t have to forgive me. I know what I did was crappy.”

I scoffed. That was an understatement. “You think?”

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