BarbaraMasowska
Alex Carter and Sophie Bennett have been neighbors for as long as they can remember.
Their parents were best friends. They grew up side by side, building forts in the backyard, sharing secrets, and believing nothing could ever come between them.
Then everything changed.
After his mother's death in a tragic car accident, Alex became a stranger. His father drowned himself in alcohol and grief, taking his anger out on the only person left, his son. The sweet boy Sophie once knew disappeared, replaced by a rebellious teenager with a dangerous reputation and a crowd of troublemaking friends.
While Alex was falling apart, Sophie was moving forward. Popular, beautiful, and surrounded by friends, she became everything he hated and everything he believed he could never have.
Years later, they barely speak.
Until one disastrous breakup changes everything.
When Sophie is dumped by her perfect boyfriend and Alex finds himself desperate to prove a point to his ex-girlfriend, they make a deal: a fake relationship.
Simple.
Pretend to be in love.
Make their exes jealous.
Walk away when it's over.
But pretending becomes a lot harder when old feelings begin to resurface.
Because beneath the arguments, the heartbreak, and the years of distance, neither of them has truly forgotten the person they used to mean everything to.
And sometimes the craziest thing about love is realizing it was right next door all along.