Penalty for Falling // Dean Dilaurentis

Anya Williams has spent years proving everyone wrong about her friendship with Dean Di Laurentiis.

Sure, Dean is Briar University's star hockey player. Sure, he's a shameless flirt with a revolving door of ex-girlfriends. And sure, he's her best friend.

But that's all they've ever been.

When Anya's on-again, off-again boyfriend, Marcus, dumps her for the second time, he's finally honest about the real reason. He can't compete with Dean. No boyfriend wants to come second to the guy Anya calls whenever she has a problem, celebrates a win, or simply needs someone by her side.

Frustrated and heartbroken, Anya decides if Marcus is so convinced there's something going on between her and Dean, she might as well give him exactly what he wants.

Fake dating her best friend should be easy.

After all, Dean and Anya already spend most of their time together. A few staged dates, some convincing social media posts, and a little harmless revenge should be enough to make Marcus regret walking away.

The problem?

The more time Dean spends pretending to be Anya's boyfriend, the less pretending it feels.

And when Marcus suddenly decides he wants Anya back, Dean is forced to confront a truth he never saw coming.

Maybe Marcus was right all along.