Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother (Maya Scott) novel Chapter 51

KATY’S POV

I push open Allie’s door, leaning lazily against the frame. “Hey there.”

She spins around on her bed and her face brightens like she’s been waiting all night.

“You’re back!” she gasps, tossing her phone aside and patting the bed. “Come. Sit. Spill everything.”

I roll my eyes. “Do I have to?”

“Yes,” she says immediately.

I groan dramatically but still drag myself over, collapsing onto her bed like a defeated soldier. My hair falls into my face, and I blow it out with an exaggerated sigh. Allie’s already sitting cross-legged, her eyes wide, and she’s practically vibrating with curiosity.

Before the so called date with Braydon, she had made a whole PowerPoint-level list of predictions: fancy dinner, rooftop view, secret confession, maybe even fireworks. “He’s totally the romantic type,” she’d said.

And maybe a tiny part of me believed her. I mean, why else was I so nervous about picking out an outfit?

Now she’s watching me like I just came back from a life-changing quest, and honestly, it’s kind of cute how invested she is. But I also know she’s about to be disappointed when I break the news that out of her twenty guesses and thirty extra intuitive hunches, she was wrong. Painfully, spectacularly wrong.

“Well?” she asks, bouncing in place. “Don’t leave me hanging.”

“I’m not…”

“Where did he take you?” She blurts when she realizes I’m trying to figure out where to start.” How was it? Was it cute? Oh my God, did he ask you out?”

I raise an eyebrow. Isn’t she too inquisitive for someone who just got out of the hospital? Or is there no such thing as that?

“It was definitely something,” I finally say, because I can feel her tethering toward the edge of a curious explosion. Her eyes are already sparkling, like she’s seconds away from grabbing me and shaking the truth out.

“We… um…” I stall, twirling a strand of hair between my fingers. “There were flowers involved. Tulips, actually. Cake. And a lot of… opening up.”

Her eyes go wide. “I knew it!” she cries, throwing her hands up. “I told you Braydon Cooper has a crush on you. He’s been drooling over you for weeks. I’m never wrong about these things.”

Except… she’s wrong.

I pause for a beat, watching her grin stretch wider, and then I drop it.

“We went to a cemetery.”

There it is. Her bubble bursts so fast, I almost feel bad. Almost.

Slowly, her mouth falls open like her brain needs extra time to process what I just said. Then her brows pull together. “A cemetery?” she repeats. “Are you joking? Because I’m too exhausted to deal with you right now.”

I roll onto my back, facing the ceiling. “It wasn’t the kind of date you imagined,” I say softly,” but it was… heartwarming.”

For a second, she just stares at me, like I’ve started speaking a different language. Then she leans in and pokes my forehead twice.

“You’re serious?”

“Girl.” I scrunch my face, turning to her. “What part of this face looks like I’m joking?”

Her jaw drops again, and she slaps a hand over her mouth. “A cemetery?” she bellows, her voice echoing through the room.

“Stop being so dramatic,” I giggle, because honestly, she looks like I just told her Braydon took me to the moon or something.

“You know what,” she says after a long pause, shaking her head. “I take back what I said. I don’t think he’s into you. Maybe I misread him.”

I blink at her, trying not to smile. Allie has always been terrified of cemeteries ever since she got lost in one as a kid. So maybe this is less about Braydon and more about her brain revisiting old fears.

I let out a long sigh and start kicking off my shoes one by one, letting them drop to the floor and I pull my legs up onto her bed.

“He did say it wasn’t that kind of date,” I say quietly. “We both assumed something different, that’s all. It’s not a big deal.”

“Why?” she blurts. “Why would he do that? You know I’ve been binging those weird healthy cookies my mom bought, counting down to every juicy detail I thought you’d give me and this is what I get?”

I raise a brow, folding my arms. “You haven’t even let me tell you why.”

“Okay.” She exhales dramatically, crossing her legs and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Then tell me.”

“I can’t give you details,” I say after a short pause. “It’s personal to him. But today is his-”

“Wait,” she cuts in suddenly, holding up a hand. Her head tilts slightly. “Do you hear that?”

I stop talking and listen. The room falls quiet and then I hear three soft knocks at the door.

We both look at each other. Her brows knit and mine lift.

“Are you expecting anyone?” I ask.

She shakes her head slowly. “No. I kicked Sean out, so it’s definitely not him.”

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