20. Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty
Parker
“Okay! Let’s start the pairing process,” a thirty-something hipster in a fedora says over the microphone. My foot taps against the floor as I stand beside Amy, wondering if there’s some crazy chance that we’ll get paired. I mean, we’ve been paired before ... so it could happen. And that would mean I could keep her away from douchebags—and win the bet.
Because that’s all this is...
A bet.
“Amy Gibson,” the guy says over the PA. My heart jumps right out of my chest at the sound of her name. My hands start sweating.
What’s wrong with me?
“You’re going to be paired with...” His voice trails off as he fumbles with the paper in his hands. I hold my breath. “Bradley Tubbs. ”
My heart sinks to my stomach as Amy steps forward, not even looking back at me. I’m sure she’s got that same giddy smile on her face that she always does at these events, and I can’t help but size up the guy who steps forward to greet her.
He’s definitely her type.
Tall, all business in a suit and tie. His jet-black hair is perfectly styled, and I’m pretty sure I look like a freaking rugrat in comparison. He extends his hand to her, and the two make their way to a table. My eyes follow them. Amy is already laughing at whatever the guy whispered in her ear before she sat down.
It makes me feel sick.
“Parker Harris?” the guy says into the microphone. “You here?”
Oh, shoot.
I step forward, giving him a little wave. “Sorry.”
“You’re with Alice Watson.” He gestures to the petite dark-haired woman. She’s wearing a burgundy dress with Doc Martens. It’s an edgy, kind of cool look... I guess.
She smiles brightly and I do my best to smile back. “Hi. You’re super cute.”
“Thanks,” I say, letting her lead the way to a table. She picks one a couple of rows away from Amy. I take the back seat, which allows me to look right at her. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing—especially considering she’s already laughing with her date.
“So, your name’s Parker?” My date’s bird-like voice cuts through my thoughts .
“Uh, yeah,” I say, just as someone sets down a couple of waters in front of us. “And you’re Alison?”
She frowns. “Alice.”
“Right, sorry. Like Wonderland. I won’t forget again. It’s just a little bit of an off night for me.”
“Then why did you come?” Her voice is flat, unenthused.
“Because I don’t like to miss things I sign up for. I try to be reliable.” I look her right in the eye, meeting her hazel irises. She’s sizing me up, I can feel it. And I don’t blame her at all.
“Why do you think we matched?” Her question is thoughtful, not remotely insulting.
“I don’t know,” I answer. “Why do you think we matched?”
“Hmm. You look like a jerk.” She laughs. “And I always get matched with guys who look like jerks.”
Oh boy.
“Okay, well that’s good to know.”
“I’m hoping you’ll prove me wrong.” She nudges me with her foot under the table, and I kind of want to kick her back—but that wouldn’t be very nice. My eyes shift over to Amy, who’s sipping on a glass of red wine. Her thick lips are curled up in a smile, her entire expression bright with amusement and awe.
Whatever her date is telling her, she’s all in.
She’s not even looking at me. She’s forgotten I exist.
“You’re literally being so rude right now,” Alison—Alice—Ali-something says to me, her tone sharp. “If you want to just sit and stare at the chick you came in here with, then maybe you should be asking her out instead of dragging her along with you to these things. Like jeez . I’m so over men being jerks. I bet you’ve slept with her, haven’t you?”
Whoa. Big assumptions.
I turn to her and inhale a deep breath. “I’m gonna be honest with you. This is a waste of time. I don’t want to be in a relationship.”
She glares at me and swoops up her water glass from the table—and I barely see it coming before it hits. “Screw you.” Oh no, no, NO.
Ice water connects with my face, soaking my T-shirt.
I suck in a sharp breath from the shock.
“Have a good night, Parker .” She slides off the stool, flips her hair over her shoulder, and storms right out...
And everyone is gawking at what just happened.
“ Ouch. G uess that date didn’t go so well,” the guy says over the PA. Everyone laughs.
Well, except for Amy. She’s just staring at me, her eyes wide with shock as droplets of water drip from my face to the table. I wipe my face with my sleeve, knowing I somewhat deserved what just happened.
Yeah, I was a jerk.
I don’t know what’s wrong with me.
But I do know one thing: I need a stiff drink to deal with this.
I slide off the stool and wring out my shirt. Everyone has seemingly gone back to conversing with their dates as I weave my way through the dim-lit room .
“Parker.” A hand grabs my arm. “What happened?”
I stop, turning toward Amy, who’s looking more concerned than anything. I hold her gaze, feeling the eyes of the guy she’s with on me. “I was a jerk tonight.”
Her brows furrow, her hand still gripping my arm. “Why?”
And I don’t have an answer for her.
“Bad night, I think,” I finally say, lightening up my voice. “It happens. You know I hate this dating stuff.”
“I get that, man,” a deep voice cuts in, and I whip my head around to meet her date. “It’s way easier to avoid these stupid events... But I think I got pretty lucky tonight.” He shoots Amy a wink that makes her blush.
He’s shmoozing her.
I open my mouth to say something about it but then clamp it shut. I don’t want to get drenched for a second time tonight.
“Let’s get some coffee after this?” he offers, eyeing me eyeing him.
“Okay.” Amy beams, her focus on him.
And I walk away.
She’s into him, so who am I to stand in the way?
I always seem to get in the way. It’s time for Amy to make her own decisions. She’s never asked for my opinions. She doesn’t want them. Obviously.
I slip out of the bar, opting for somewhere else to go. I don’t even want to entertain the idea of staying and seeing where things go between Amy and Bradley—or whatever his name is.
I’ll just go home .
Except I don’t wanna go home.
My head is a wreck right now, and I don’t even know why. I got doused with water because I was staring at Amy, and I don’t even have an excuse.
I was just ... curious.
That’s it. That’s got to be all it is.
I pull out my phone, scrolling through my contacts until I get to Weston’s name. I hit the call button and lean against the brick exterior as I wait for him to pick up.
“Hey man, did you find your match made in heaven?”
“Nope. I screwed up tonight,” I say, running my hands through my hair. “Got water thrown in my face.”
“Yikes. You must’ve been acting like a real jerk.”
I glance back toward the entrance. “Something like that. What’re you up to?”
“I’m actually with Derek at Kerk Dive.” He chuckles. “You want to come chill for a while?”
“Yeah, I’ll head there.” I push off the wall and start the five-block walk.
“You’re leaving Amy?”
“Yeah, I don’t think she needs me. She already agreed to a coffee date with her match. He seems like a jerk, but she’s gotta work that out herself. I can’t protect her from it every time.”
“I don’t think she’s ever asked you to.”
He’s right. And I’m not usually one to meddle in other people’s business .
“I’ll be there in a few minutes.” I hang up and shove the phone back into my pocket. I know I should’ve paid more attention to Alice tonight...
But I’m always trying to look out for Amy.
I quicken my footsteps, the chill in the air making my wet shirt feel icy against my chest. By the time I make it to the bar, I’m shivering under my coat, and I push through the stale smell of smoke, welcoming the warmth that comes with it.
“Hey, man!” Weston waves at me from the back, sitting next to Derek.
I give them a nod and weave through the crowd to get to them. “Hey.”
“We got you a drink.” Derek nods to the glass sitting in front of the empty seat. “Weston said you sounded like you needed one.”
“Yeah, I definitely do,” I grab it and down the liquid, welcoming the burn that comes with it, setting a fire in my stomach.
“Oh boy.” Weston eyes me. “You must not be having a good night. That’s the only time you can down a drink like that.”
“Nah, I’m good.” I hand the empty glass to a waitress.
“You want another?”
“Yeah,” I say without any hesitation. “And make this one a double, please.”
“No problem.” She gives me a flirty smile.
I ignore it and turn back to Derek and Weston. “I hate dating.”
“Me, too,” Weston grumbles. “I keep hoping that I’m going to make something happen one of these days ... never works out. ”
“What about Brittany?” Derek asks.
I shoot him a glare at the mention of my sister. “That’s a hard no.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s my sister . That’s just freaking weird.”
“He’s got a point,” Weston says. “I’ve known her forever, too, and yeah, I think I’ll probably always have a crush on her... But... I don’t know. She’s going through things, anyway.”
“No kidding,” I say with a grunt as the waitress sets my new drink in front of me. I swoop it up, but just sip this time. “I think I’ll be the happiest if I stay a bachelor for the rest of my life.”
“You know,” Derek begins, stroking the dark stubble on his face, “that sounds great and all, but you say that so often, I’m starting to think it might just be a front.”
I snort. “It’s not a front.”
“Okay.” Derek’s voice is full of disbelief. “Whatever you say.”
My eyes drift around the bar as I try to decipher what’s going on with me. I mean, I’m always a little dry, but right now ... I feel ... bitter. My mind flickers to Amy, her eyes starry-eyed and focused on Brad, or whatever his name is.
Am I jealous?
The thought is unwanted. So I push it away.
If I’m jealous of anything , it’s just her uncanny ability to try over and over again, never letting her previous bad experiences prevent her from going after what she wants.
It’s admirable, really.
Yeah, that’s probably it .
My phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out, expecting to see a work email or something, but instead, it’s a text from Amy.
Amy: Where’d you go?
Me: Out with my friends.
The three dots pop up on the screen, staying there for what feels like forever. I wait for her reply. Finally, it pops up.
Amy: Okay, have fun. Going on a coffee date with Brad. 3
My stomach knots up at the message and I close out of it, not bothering to reply. I don’t even know what to say to it, and when I look back up, both of my friends are staring at me.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Weston smirks. “You just look so ... intense .”
I shake my head. “Nah. It’s all good. Amy’s just going out with the guy she met tonight.”
“And you’re wishing that guy was you,” Derek deduces.
I laugh. “No way.”
Except ... the words don’t quite sit right in my chest.