All Chapters of Off-script: My Accidental Fake Boyfriend: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Riley's POVWhat kind of outfit was considered appropriate for dinner with your fake boyfriend's parents when you knew absolutely nothing about them? I sprawled across the mountain of clothes covering my bed and stared at the ceiling.Exhausted.The day had already drained whatever energy I had left. The argument with Cole felt like the final layer of icing on a very unpleasant cake. I didn't have the mental energy to pretend tonight.Not just because of the fake relationship. Because deep down, I knew spending an evening with the Donovans would remind me of everything my own family wasn't. And that was the part I dreaded.There was something uniquely painful about seeing something beautiful, getting a glimpse of it, then realizing it could never be yours. Maybe I should cancel. Call in sick? Fake food poisoning? Would Cole even believe me?"Urgggg."I groaned into my pillow just as my phone buzzed beside me. A new message. From Cole.7PM. Don't be late.A second message followed imme

Riley’s POVTalking to Cole's mom was easy. The hard part was Mr. Donovan. It wasn't because of my own issues with my father. At least, not entirely. And it wasn't because of his intimidating presence either, though the man could probably make seasoned politicians sweat with a single look.It was because of the way he and Cole interacted. Or rather, the way they didn't. Every conversation between them felt like two people standing on opposite sides of a battlefield, pretending not to notice the weapons. And for some reason, that scared me.Still, I did my best to be cheerful. Mr. Donovan's responses were short and measured, but I refused to let that discourage me. Cole had warned me on the drive over."My dad enjoys intimidating people." Those had been his exact words. "If you survive the first dinner, congratulations. You're officially approved."So naturally, I squared my shoulders and put on my best brave-girl smile. Apparently, Mr. Donovan found that amusing. A small smirk tugged

Riley's POVThe dinner went better than I expected. Considering most of the chaos had been caused by me, that was saying something.At least it wasn't a complete disaster. Cole’s mom seemed happy. Mr. Donovan hadn't scared me into a nervous breakdown. And somehow, despite everything, I was fairly certain we survived the evening.Cole didn't talk much on the drive back, but that wasn't unusual. Honestly, I didn't have the energy for conversation either. Dinner had drained me.Unfortunately, exhaustion didn't stop my brain from replaying Emelia's phone call. I couldn't stop wondering what she'd meant.‘She has nothing to do with why I came back.’I had considered telling Cole what I'd overheard. Then decided against it. It wasn't my place. Still, a small voice in the back of my head kept asking the same question. Who was "she"? And why did I have the horrible feeling Emelia had been talking about me?By the time I got home, June was nowhere to be found. So much for binge-watching her fav

Cole's POV“Yo, Cole. I was just about to call you.” Tyler’s voice came through the phone the moment he picked up. “I saw the post on Campus Blog. It seems to be gaining a lot of traction. Is she okay?”I glanced over my shoulder. Riley sat on the bleachers with Noah, the afternoon sun filtering through the trees behind them. The tension that had practically swallowed her whole earlier seemed to have eased a little.“Red is fine.” I said then regretted it immediately because Tyler had certainly not missed it.“Red,” Tyler repeated, amusement dripping from every syllable.I pinched the bridge of my nose.“We can't make it back to the meeting though. Any way you can convince Stacy to move the meeting forward?”“Why can't you make it?”My gaze drifted back to Riley. Noah was saying something to her. The sight rubbed me the wrong way. I looked away immediately.“Take a hint, Tyl.”“Whatever.” He hung up.I stared at my phone for a second longer before slipping it into my pocket. What the

Riley’s POVIt had been five whole years since I last heard from him, yet his voice remained vividly trapped in my memory. As much as I wanted to convince myself the caller was a stranger, I was a hundred and one percent sure it was him.My phone lit up with a text after another string of ignored calls.‘Rileybear, please pick up. It’s Dad.’I couldn't deal with this, not right now. I needed a distraction, anything to snap me out of the spiral. Slipping into a pair of joggers, a sweatshirt, and a baseball cap, I grabbed my headset. A brisk jog was exactly what I needed to clear my head.A few minutes into my jog, June’s name flashed on my screen. I took a breath and answered.“Hi, baby girl,” I chimed, forcing my voice to clear.“Riles, thank God. I need your help, it’s an emergency.”“What’s wrong?”“I need runway models. Six of them, actually. Ideally a mix of guys and girls.”I frowned, checking the time. “How much cushion do we have?”“An hour, give or take.”How am I supposed to