Ground Rules

On a bright New England campus, a witty young woman begins junior year expecting parties, laughter, and anything but heartbreak. But when loss and longing upend her plans, she enters a pretend romance with a longtime friend-a safe bargain meant to soothe old wounds and stir a little jealousy. Instead, every glance, touch, and silence draws them toward something far more perilous. As grief, guilt, betrayal, and fragile hope press in, friendship blurs into devotion, and the one person who felt safest becomes the one she stands to lose most. Tender, heated, and achingly sincere, this is a college romance where pretending becomes truth.