11. Audrey

CHAPTER 11

Audrey

D rilling us hard the last week. Innocent words. And yet, why did I blush at them? Why did my brain go down a dirty path that he clearly hadn’t meant?

“Audrey,” Parker said, his voice deep, distracting me from my thoughts.

I looked up at him, wishing the earth would swallow me whole. “Huh?”

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.” I hid my face underneath my white fuzzy jacket, not wanting him to see how flustered I was. After we’d kissed the other day on his bed, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about his lips on mine. Wondering what I could do to get him to kiss me again.

To feel him—all of him—with his weight on top of me.

Even though it was wrong. We were best friends. He’d just kissed me as practice. It didn’t mean anything.

We got to the dining hall door, and Parker stopped in front of me to open it. He let me walk in first, then he slid behind me, hand on my back.

I didn’t know why my cheeks were on fire. Nothing about what we were doing was different than normal. It was just that I’d never gone to dinner with him thinking about him being my boyfriend, either. And suddenly, everything felt way more real. The way his hand burned through my sweater.

The way he’d slipped his fingers into my belt loops and tugged me closer to him.

He followed behind me in line as I grabbed food, carrying the tray with both of our meals after we’d ordered. Really, Parker would make someone the perfect boyfriend someday. But this was all fake. It was just an act.

After he’d paid and we found an empty booth, I slid into one side, expecting Parker to sit opposite me. Except… he sat right next to me, both of us sharing the same side.

He’d taken two bites before he said, “So… about my team.”

“Hmm?” I asked, looking up from my food.

He shook his head, a ghost of a smile forming on his lips. “My first lacrosse game is Saturday.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I know.” I’d written his games down on my planner at the beginning of the semester after he’d asked me to go. That was what best friends did, after all—they supported each other. “I’ll be there.”

But Parker just gave me a sheepish look. “We’re having a party afterward at the house. To celebrate the start of the season.”

“But what if you lose?” I wrinkled my nose in confusion.

“Rosie.” He pinned me with a stare that made me feel things I should not be feeling. “They’re horny college athletes. Do you think they care if they win?”

“Oh.” They probably just wanted to get drunk and hook up with girls. “I guess not.”

I tried not to think about Parker like that, too. If he fell into the same category. Was I keeping him from being with someone? Sure, we’d gotten dinner a bunch of times last semester, but it wasn’t like I was with him every waking moment.

And yet, the idea of sharing him, of him sleeping with anyone else, made me lose my appetite.

“Will you come with me?” Parker finally asked, and I looked back at him to see him anxiously watching me. Those amber eyes bore into mine, and I knew my answer before it left my lips.

I bit my lip. “It would only make sense that your girlfriend was there, right?”

“Right.” He gave a nod, like the matter was settled.

I cleared my throat. “You know… if there was someone else you wanted to, um…”

“Hook up with?” Parker finished my sentence for me, looking surprisingly indifferent. “There’s not.” He shrugged.

“But if there is?”

“There won’t be, Rosie Girl. Not for me. And while we’re doing this, I won’t even look at another woman, okay?”

That settled my nerves. I dipped my head, liking the sound of that.

He wasn’t mine, not really, but while we were faking it, at least I could pretend he was.

“I’ll be there,” I offered.

Parker seemed to relax. “Thank you.” He pressed a kiss to my cheek.

Like he was grateful for me, even though I was the one who needed to thank him.

There was one thing I knew for certain: I had no freaking clue how lacrosse worked. Still, the energy on the field was fun. And more than anything, I liked cheering on my boyfriend, even if it was all fake.

I stood in the student section, surrounded by hundreds of other Castleton University students, all cheering on our men’s team. It was the home opener and their first game of the season.

And maybe this fake dating thing was still new, but I wanted to be here to support Parker. Either way, I’d promised him I would be here as his best friend. So I was determined to be the best damn girlfriend I could be.

I’d pulled on my favorite Castleton University sweatshirt and a pair of jeans that had bows embroidered on the pockets. They also made my ass look great, though that wasn’t the reason I’d put them on. Well, not entirely . My hair was up in a ponytail, tied back with my favorite pink scrunchie.

Thankfully, he was easy to spot. Although I probably would have recognized him anywhere, regardless of his last name sprawled over the back of his white jersey, along with the number 59 in light blue. There was just something about his presence. He was tall at six foot three inches, towering over me even when I had heels on. Thanks to the short-sleeved jersey, his arm muscles were visible, and those biceps were on full display.

Damn, he looked good.

For once, I was out of my element. Though I knew plenty of the students surrounding me—it wasn’t that big of a school, and I was a naturally extroverted person, making friends easily—it was my first time at a sporting event. Would it be that obvious?

Parker had played sports even when we were younger, in middle school, but I’d had so many of my own activities back then that I’d never gone. Dance classes, vocal lessons, and even learning how to play piano. Sometimes I wondered if I’d done too much. If I hadn’t sat back and really enjoyed life.

Even now, my whole life was theater. I lived and breathed it.

Until Parker, I hadn’t taken much time for myself. He didn’t know how much our dinners meant to me. That it was the only time I felt like I could just be me instead of worrying about smiling and being the person everyone expected of me.

When the first period started, the opposing team gained possession of the ball, and then they were off. I tried to follow what was going on, but mostly, I just cheered whenever Parker had the ball or tried to make a shot on goal.

At the end of the first, we were up by two, and I watched as Parker wiped a towel over his sweaty forehead. There were only a few minutes of break before they started playing again, and I watched in fascination. I definitely regretted not researching lacrosse before the game to learn some of the rules. Parker talked about his practices and the team often enough when we’d hang out, but mostly I felt like it all went over my head.

Still, at least I could appreciate the well-toned thighs and arms the players had. Not that I was staring at any specific player. If my eyes lingered a little longer on Parker’s forearms and how incredible his ass looked in those shorts, well… No one else needed to know that. He was my best friend, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have eyes.

And Parker was hot. He was absolutely incredible to watch on the field, too. The way he ran around, keeping possession of the ball, was so confident. He had an air of surety—like nothing could phase him. God, that intense focus had me swallowing roughly, wondering what it would be like to have that focus on me.

After all four periods had finished—sixty minutes of game time total—our team had won, 15-8, and the energy in the student section was electric . Everyone was screaming, cheering for our guys, celebrating with the person next to them, even as the stands emptied.

I made my way down to the field, waving hello to some girls I knew from class or a few fellow sorority sisters I recognized. They probably were all wondering what I was doing here since I didn’t usually attend sporting events.

Soon enough, they’d all find out that I was here for my boyfriend.

A little rush of excitement ran through me as I reached the edge of the field, my stark white tennis shoes toeing in the grass.

Parker was with his teammates as they all high-fived each other, celebrating, and I held back. Would he want me to interrupt this moment?

But then he looked over, his eyes catching mine, and his face lit up. Like he was happy to see me. A few of his teammates slapped him on the back as he jogged over, holding his helmet and stick in one hand.

“You came to my game.” Parker’s voice was almost breathless when he reached me.

“I told you I would,” I said, fidgeting with my ponytail.

“Still.” He grinned, running a hand through his damp hair. “It was nice to see my girlfriend here.”

I felt warmth creeping into my cheeks. “You’re welcome. You were awesome out there, you know.” He’d scored the winning goal. That was my favorite part to watch. Even I’d jumped from my seat to scream my lungs out for him. “I didn’t really know what was going on, but I had fun.”

He did his best to look bashful. “Thank you for coming. You still coming to the party later?”

I nodded. “If you want me there, I’ll be there.”

Parker leaned forward, pressing his lips to my cheek before pulling back. “See you there.” He looked towards his teammates and then back to me. “Text me if you need me, okay?”

“Okay,” I whispered the word, watching him head back across the field to the guys before they headed back inside to the locker rooms.

Audrey

I’m here.

I was standing in front of the lacrosse house, my eyes focused on the doorknob, but I couldn’t make myself move. Because I knew after this, everything would change. After this, we’d really be fake dating. Everyone would know. I’d be in another public relationship—this time with an athlete. He might have been new to campus, but after the game today, there was no mistaking who he was.

Was I ready? No.

But I needed to be.

The door opened, and there was Parker. He’d changed, wearing a pair of jeans that molded to his thighs and a red flannel that hid the delicious upper arms I’d seen at his match earlier.

He raised an eyebrow at me as I gawked at him. “What are you doing out here? It’s cold. Come inside.”

God, what was I even doing? “Okay.” I followed him into the house, the warmth immediately surrounding me. He stood behind me, slipping off my jacket before draping it over one arm.

“Hi,” I said when he turned around, fidgeting with my necklace pendant.

He pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Hey.” Parker looked me up and down, and I frowned, looking down at my shoes. “Is something wrong? Do I not look okay?” After the game, I’d taken off my sweatshirt, leaving me in a cute white long-sleeved shirt.

“You look great.” He tugged at a piece of hair I’d curled before coming over here. “But where’s your pink?”

I blinked. “I... What?”

He furrowed his brow. “You’re always wearing pink. Even if it’s just the scrunchie that’s always on your wrist.”

Oh. He’d noticed that?

“I’m still wearing pink,” I mumbled.

“Where?” He raised an eyebrow.

I blushed. “Somewhere you can’t see?”

“Is that a question, Audrey?” There was a hint of amusement in his eyes, like he knew exactly what I was saying. Like he had x-ray vision and could, in fact, see where the pink was.

“No,” I murmured, shaking my head.

Parker chuckled, grabbing my hand and interlacing our fingers. “Come on. I want you to meet the guys.”

“Okay.”

And then I followed him into the lacrosse house, holding tight to his hand, feeling like he was my lifeline in this brand new world.