15. Audrey

CHAPTER 15

Audrey

Parker

What are you doing?

Audrey

Nothing, why?

Get dinner with me.

Are you asking me as my best friend or my fake boyfriend?

Boyfriend.

Wear something that makes you feel pretty.

See you at six.

I blushed. He didn’t tell me to wear something nice . No, he’d told me to wear something I felt good in, and that made a world of difference. Because I knew that when it came down to it, it didn’t matter to him what I wore. Not when he made comments like where’s your pink and made me feel so seen.

Though I had no idea what he had planned, I pulled a dress out of my closet, wondering if he had any idea how he made me feel when he said things like that. How much the butterflies exploded in my chest.

It was only four, and I’d finished all of my classes for the day, giving me plenty of time to pull my hair up into a half-up, half-down up-do, swiping on my favorite shimmery eyeshadow and pink sparkly lip gloss. Since it was still cold outside, I pulled on a pair of warm-fleece lined tights under my dress before staring at the shoes in my closet.

Ella and I used to have all our clothes crammed inside, but when she moved out, she’d taken a lot with her. It was even more noticeable now how little variety I had in my clothes and colors. There was pink, a few pieces in purple, white, black, and tan. Sure, I had a few things in other pastel shades, but I liked what I liked.

Words Duke had said in the past came rushing to my brain. It’s too much. You shouldn’t wear pink all the time, babe . I rolled my eyes, thinking about how different the two men were.

How Parker had asked me where my pink was . Like he accepted it as a part of me. Like he knew it made me happy.

And it did. I smiled as I slipped my dress on over my head, smoothing out the skirt. It was a long-sleeved pink dress, with pearl accents on the sleeves and a tight-fitting skirt that clung to my curves, showing off my waist and hips. I’d bought it last year, but never had the occasion to wear it yet.

Maybe I’d just been waiting for an excuse like this. Our first date. Fake or not, we were going out.

After I’d finished getting dressed, I headed downstairs, pulling on my favorite white coat. I was really over the chilly weather. Spring couldn’t come soon enough.

A knock sounded at the door, and before I could head to open it, someone else did. It dawned on me that he could have texted me to tell me he was outside. But no. He’d come to the door, even knowing most of my sorority sisters would probably be home in the evening.

“Hey.”

And there he was. Parker, my best friend. Parker, my fake boyfriend. Dressed in a dark gray button up with black slacks, holding a pink bouquet of roses in his arms.

“Parker,” I whispered, my eyes darting back to the house where I was sure half the sorority was watching. “What are you doing?”

“Taking my girlfriend out on a date.” He grinned, a cocky smile that made my heart flutter.

Because damn, he was perfect. And one day, he’d do these things for someone else. I needed to remember that.

“These are beautiful.” I buried my nose in the flowers.

“Thought you’d like them. They reminded me of you, Rosie Girl.”

I blushed. “I should put them in water before we go.”

He nodded, and I scampered into the kitchen to find a vase and fill it with water. Dropping my purse on the counter, I opened the cabinet where we kept them.

Parker didn’t stay by the door—no, he followed me into the house, leaning against a barstool as I busied myself with the flowers.

Suzie caught my eye and mouthed, hot damn.

I know. Damn, but I knew. He was hot. It should be illegal how good he looked like this, really.

“Ready?” Parker asked when I set the vase down on the counter, fluffing the flowers.

Suzie winked at me. “You two go have fun. I’ll put these in your room, Audrey.”

“Thank you,” I said, nodding to her.

I came around the island and grabbed my purse. Parker placed his hand on my lower back, guiding me out to the door. He opened it for me, and his hand didn’t drop.

Not until we got to the car, so he could open the door to his car for me. It was a practical car—nothing flashy, but it was nice all the same. He offered me his hand, and I slid into the seat.

Once I was settled, he closed it softly before rounding the car and getting into the driver’s seat.

But he didn’t buckle up and start the car. No. He reached over me, grabbing my seatbelt and dragging it over my body, clicking it in.

How was I going to survive the night when he was acting like this?

He grinned at me before buckling his own.

“Where are we going?” I asked as he started the car.

“It’s a surprise,” Parker said, keeping his eyes focused on the road.

His right hand rested on the center console, and I crossed my legs.

“You know you don’t have to take me on an actual date, right? We can just do stuff on campus.”

He glared at me. “Audrey Rose. You deserve to be taken on a date. So let me.”

There was no point in arguing with him. Not about this. So I just let him take me on a date, one that didn’t feel fake in the least.

He took me to a fancy teppanyaki place, where I ordered the shrimp and the chicken, as well as a bowl of fried rice. Not one person from CU was here, and we spent the whole night laughing, sharing our inside jokes. We had so many of them from childhood, but we were making new ones now, too.

I thought about the tree in his backyard—the one we’d carved our names into, because we were going to be friends forever. A big part of me wished we’d never lost those years after he moved, but maybe it was supposed to be like this. Maybe we needed to lose each other in order to find each other again.

We were different people now. I’d grown up. The rose-colored lenses I used to wear no longer applied to the world. Maybe I was less na?ve now.

I still dreamed of a happy ending, of that great big love story I could only hope was out there waiting for me, but I also knew this was real life—not a fairytale.

Even if today felt a lot like one.

After we’d finished eating our meal—which was delicious—and headed back out to the car, Parker pulled out a gift bag I hadn’t even before, placing it in my lap.

I raised my eyebrows. “What’s this for?”

“I didn’t get to take you out for Valentine’s Day, but I wanted to get you something.”

“Oh, I…” I hadn’t even thought about us getting each other gifts. Mostly because we weren’t in an actual relationship. Still, how could I turn him down?

He had a faint blush over his cheekbones, and I found it adorable.

Opening the bag, I pulled out a piece of white material. Parker looked away, scratching the back of his head. “It’s a jersey. My jersey. For you to wear.” Sure enough, the back read Maxwell with his number—59—stitched onto it in light blue. “My girlfriend should wear my jersey when she comes to my games, after all.”

“ Fake girlfriend,” I reminded him.

He gave me a stare that I felt straight down to my toes. “No one else knows that though, do they? Wear it to the next game. Please.”

This felt like more than that, though. Like it meant something. Him giving me his jersey felt… special .

I dipped my head in agreement. No one else knew this was fake.

And part of me wanted to wear his jersey to the next game. Wanted to claim him as mine. Wanted the girls who sat next to me, talking about how much of a catch he was, to know he was off the market.

Because Parker Maxwell was mine. Even if it was just for a little while.

I nibbled on my lip. “Are you sure?”

He tugged a strand of hair, smiling down at me. “Of course I’m sure, Rosie Girl. I want you to wear it.”

“Okay then,” I agreed, hugging the garment to my chest. “I will.” Though I didn’t know why it was so important to him I wore it, I would. He was doing so much for me, and it was such a small thing to do for him.

Leaning across the center console, I pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you.”

He hummed in response. “Anything for you, Audrey.”

I had a feeling that he meant it. That he really would do anything for me.

Hopefully, Parker couldn’t hear how my heart was beating wildly in my chest.

“Want to head back to campus?” he asked, and I just nodded.

It wasn’t like I could tell him no; I want to spend more time with you, just like this.

Because tonight had been perfect. A fairytale of a date that I wanted to remember forever.

I hugged his shirt to my chest, knowing I was going to bury my nose in it tonight because it still smelled like him. Like the clean, crisp scent of his laundry detergent plus the woodsy, smoky smell that always clung to him. He smelled like a man , spicy in all the best ways.

But I couldn’t exactly sniff his shirt in front of him. That would not be very best-friend like. That was firmly crossing the territory into something else. Something that felt real.

And I couldn’t go there.

Not with him.

“Audrey!” a voice shouted behind me, and when I turned, there was my friend Sutton. I hadn’t seen her too much this semester—probably because of our wildly different majors and the fact that I’d been spending most of my time with Parker.

She was a culinary student, and every single thing I’d ever sampled of hers had been amazing. One day, I wanted to be the first customer in the door when she opened a bakery—wherever it was. Her boyfriend, Forest, was on the baseball team, talking about entering the MLB draft upon graduation.

No matter what else happened, I knew they were going to make it. Because he looked at her like she was his very reason for breathing, and there was nothing in this world that would keep him apart from her.

“Hey, Sutton.” I was quickly pulled into a hug by my friend.

Sutton White was wearing a pair of ripped jeans, an oversized red flannel, and a pair of Doc Marten boots, with her black shoulder length hair curled in loose waves. And while I spent most days doing a full face of makeup, Sutton always looked effortlessly beautiful with eyeliner, just a swipe of mascara and a bold red lip. I was jealous.

Today, I’d worn one of my favorite pink tank-top dresses, with a white turtleneck covered in little tiny roses layered underneath. It was cute and casual, and I’d left my hair down, just curling the ends before doing my normal makeup routine. “How have you been?”

“Good. What about you? Heard you’ve been spending a lot of time with a certain lacrosse player.”

“Not you, too,” I groaned. It had been a couple of days since our date, and it felt like everyone was abuzz with the news of our relationship.

She shrugged. “Athletes talk. Even more than sorority girls do.” Sutton cracked a grin. I tried not to dwell on her words. Of course, the boys did. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if her boyfriend and mine—fake, but whatever—had been in the gym at the same time. Especially since the baseball team and the lacrosse team both had spring seasons.

What I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall in that locker room… I shook my head to get rid of the thought. There was no part of me that should picture them shirtless and sweaty as they did reps. Even though I wasn’t really picturing them . There was only one guy who I wanted to see like that.

And I couldn’t have him like that.

“Where are you headed next?” I asked her, wanting to change the subject.

Sutton flicked her dark hair back. “I have a pastry class in Carthay Hall.” She pointed at the culinary building. “What about you?”

“Rehearsals,” I said, looking towards Grimm Center, the home of our theater department. My classes were over for the day, and I’d grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading to the four-hour practice.

In the past, I’d often forgotten to eat on long days like this, being so busy flitting from one thing to the next, but there was something about Parker’s presence that made it easier. Maybe it was the way he was always checking in on me. Bringing me food, snacks I’d loved back when we were kids, or going to dinner with me.

It was a small gesture, but it meant so much to me.

“Oooh. I heard the other lead in the musical is your new boyfriend.”

“Yeah.” I blushed.

She turned to me, raising one dark eyebrow. “You met on Halloween, right?”

“Oh. No. We actually met when we were small. Parker and I grew up on the same street until he moved away. We lost contact for a few years, but he was my best friend when we were younger. We ran into each other again at Halloween and, well…”

“That’s adorable, Audrey,” Sutton said, squeezing my shoulder.

“No more adorable than you meeting Forest on your first day of college orientation,” I mumbled.

They had the perfect fairytale beginning, and I was envious of how easy their relationship was. It was obvious spending any time with them how much they loved each other.

Sutton smiled. “Yeah, I’m pretty lucky.” The path forked to where we each needed to go, and I pulled my friend into a hug before we said our goodbyes.

Her words stayed with me as I headed into the rehearsal room.

I wanted that for myself. To love, and to be loved in return.

Maybe one day, I’d find it.