Page 103 of Play Fake
When she pulls back, her eyes are warm and clear in the glow of the dorm lights.
“I haven’t been faking either,” she says softly.
For a heartbeat, everything goes quiet—no campus noises, no buzzing lights—just her standing in front of me, close enough that I can feel the warmth radiating off her skin. My chest feels lighter than it has in a long time.
I clear my throat, a small smile tugging at my mouth. “C’mon,” I say softly. “Let’s get you to your room.”
She nods, still holding my hand as we climb the steps the rest of the way. The dorm’s entry light spills across the walkway. She doesn’t say anything, and neither do I. We don’t need to.
When we reach her door, she turns to face me, that soft, searching look still in her eyes. I lean in, closing the small gap between us, and kiss her again—slow and sure. Her fingers brush lightly against my chest, like she’s memorizing the moment.
When we break apart, I rest my forehead briefly against hers. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I murmur.
She smiles, quiet and warm. “Yeah. Tomorrow.”
I take a step back, hands shoved into my pockets, giving her one last look before turning to head down the hall. I’ve barely reached the front doors when a muffled squeal echoes faintly from behind me, followed by the sound of her door closing.
My grin breaks free as I push through the doors and into the night.
Sophie Prescott was never part of my future plan, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s what I’ve been missing all along.
35
SOPHIE
The second I push my door open, I barely get a step inside before?—
“I KNEW IT!”
Ava’s voice hits me like a confetti cannon. She’s sitting cross-legged on my bed in pajamas, hair piled on top of her head, eyes practically glowing with anticipation. A half-eaten bag of gummy worms is open beside her, like she’s been waiting for this moment all night.
“God, Ava—” I start, laughing, but I don’t get another word out.
“Details,” she says, jabbing a gummy worm at me like it’s a microphone. “All of them. Right now.Now,now.”
I lean back against the door, cheeks still warm from what happened outside. “I just walked in.”
“Yeah, and I just heard yousqueallike someone got you tickets to a Sloane Swift meet-and-greet, so don’t you dare pretend nothing happened.” She narrows her eyes, bouncing on the mattress like an over-caffeinated detective. “Spill. Start at the beginning. Was there hand-holding? Kissing? Did he walk you up? Tell me everything.”
I try to play it cool, but the smile spreading across my face gives me away instantly. Ava gasps like she’s just confirmed a royal scandal.
“Oh my God, you kissed,” she whispers dramatically, clutching her chest. “You kissed him again, didn’t you?”
I groan, covering my face with my hands. “You’re insufferable.”
“And yet you love me. Now. Talk.” She pats the bed beside her like an interrogation chair. “Don’t leave out a single thing like you tried to do last time.”
I toss my bag toward the chair and kick off my shoes, knowing there’s zero chance I’m getting out of this. Ava has that look—the one that says she’s prepared to camp out until sunrise if that’s what it takes.
“Okay, okay,” I say, raising my hands in surrender. “But you have to chill.”
“Chill?” She presses a hand to her heart like I’ve offended her. “Sophie Prescott, you just got walked up to your door by Beck Harrison—while holding hands—and you expect me tochill? I’m practically living on crumbs here. Start talking.”
I try to hide my smile but fail miserably. “Fine. After the game, there was the party. You already know about that kiss.”
“Oh, Iknow,” she says, leaning forward. “The way he was looking at you all night? Please. Even a blind squirrel could’ve seen it coming.”
I roll my eyes but keep going. “Today, we met up to work on our psych project, and then…we ended up spending the whole day together.”
