Chapter 33
Lily
One thing about me is on a normal day I can’t control my thoughts or when they come out. On a road trip I’m fifty times worse. My brain has a lot of time to conjure things up. Plus you can see some weird shit on a road trip.
“Parkour seems crazy dangerous, and not even fun,” I say after watching a video on my phone of someone jumping from building to building like a freaking superhero. “Your name kind of sounds like it, though. Parker, parkour. Like a French version of your name.”
“Maybe it is,” he entertains, looking way too attractive, leaning against the door while controlling the wheel with his wrist draped over it.
I slept for a large portion of the drive, but now I’m awake and harassing Parker.
“Perfect, your name isn’t Parker anymore. I’m only calling you parkour from now on.”
He smirks, glancing over at me. “You can call me whatever you like, as long as you scream it when you come for me.”
I turn on the bench seat, resting my back against the door, and kicking his hips jokingly. He snatches my ankle and starts to rub his hand along my calf. Even though sitting like this isn’t the most comfortable, there’s no way I’m moving with him doing that.
While he’s focused on the road, the music plays through the old car speakers softly, I just stare at him.
I take in his arm muscles straining against the sleeve of his T-shirt.
The backwards cap on his head. His profile, so similar to when we were younger, but more matured.
His jawline is sharper with scruff on it.
The mustache I feel I may be becoming a little obsessed with.
The way he cares for me. The way he was always my best friend, one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. And while I’ve spent years thinking he changed so much, taking full advantage of being single, he didn’t.
He waited for me.
He waited when he didn’t even know if I would come back.
He waited even when I was a jerk to him at every turn.
Even now, he’s never made me feel bad about anything that’s happened. He’s still Parker, my best friend. My first love. Maybe my only real love.
I come back to reality with a question for the sexy as sin firefighter. “Did you really stay celibate the entire time we were apart?”
He shifts slightly but refuses to let go of my legs. “Yup. I told you Lil, you were my first and last.”
“That’s crazy,” I blurt.
“You make me a little crazy.” He smiles, but I furrow my brows. “In a good way.”
“Right.” I nod. “So did you just jack off a lot?”
He chuckles. “You want every detail?”
“Yeah, I’m nosy.”
“Of course I did, but I also got into reading, mostly audiobooks, though.”
“You did?” I gasp. “What kind of books? The sexy kind that I like?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“I would, actually. Did you learn some things?” I wiggle my eyebrows.
“I had to make sure I wasn’t too much out of practice when I inevitably got you back.”
“Mission accomplished,” I murmur. “What’s your favorite book you read in your continued education?”
“Not telling.”
“Why not?” Embarrassed?” I taunt, poking him with my foot.
“Not at all. I just feel like I tell you everything and think we should have some mystery in our relationship to keep it interesting.” He smirks.
“Relationship, huh?”
“What else would you call it?”
“Hm, I would say more of a situationship, maybe a friend with benefits. I’m not totally sure I want to keep you around quite yet,” I tease.
“You’re lucky I’m driving right now because I’d make you eat those words if I could.”
“Make it up to me later,” I joke.
“I plan to.”
“Can’t wait.”
We get to my old apartment, and it feels like I’m looking at my old life. Which is wild considering it was supposed to be my future. Amity was going to be my past, and now it’s the opposite. Everything I thought I left behind for this place is what I’ll be running back to for my future.
“Are you sure about this?” Parker asks, looking over at me.
I meet his gaze, and the comfort he brings me so easily is amazing. “Yeah, let’s get it over with.”
Parker reaches over, hooking his hand between my thighs, and pulls me over to him. His other hand slides up the back of my neck, into my hair, tangling in the strands, pulling to angle my head how he wants before his lips are on mine.
I love when Parker kisses me, everything about it is perfect. From the way his lips fit against mine, the perfect pressure, how he always knows what to do with his tongue. It’s never sloppy, messy. Even when we’re out of control it’s in the best way.
We break apart, and I sigh, my eyes finding his. “Now I’m not because I’d rather do something else.”
He huffs a laugh, dropping another quick kiss onto my mouth. “After we’re done, we can do anything you want.”
“Damn right we will.”
We get out of the truck, and I pull out my keys, unlocking the front door.
I do everything I can to hide the way my hands are shaking as I do.
I don’t want Parker to see that I’m worried Aaron may be here.
I don’t want to see him, and I really want to avoid a confrontation between him and Parker. Again.
I just want to get my things and get out.
“I mostly want my clothes. If you want to start grabbing those from the closet, I can grab the other smaller stuff I want to take.” I look around the familiar place that once was where I lived.
Now, it feels like some foreign apartment.
I don’t know how I ever lived here. It feels cold, empty, and sad.
Even though it looks the same as it did, the vibe is different. Off.
“You’re going to trust me to just get your clothes and not throw his in the garbage?” Parker asks, amused.
“Oh, no, you can do whatever you want to his. As long as you grab mine.”
Parker wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me into him for a quick deep kiss. “Be quick.”
“With that motivation, I will be.”
We go our separate ways; I find a plastic tote, dumping out the useless shit Aaron had in there.
I don’t care about any of it, I just want to use for myself.
I’m mostly packing stuff that can’t be replaced.
Luckily, I left all my important documents at my parents, so I don’t have to worry about tracking those down.
Because who knows where I would’ve kept them.
I collect the few pictures I have in frames from college, and from Sutton’s wedding.
When I pick one up, I notice something I never did before.
It’s a candid shot of Sutton and I with our heads thrown back laughing.
I like how genuine the picture is, how carefree we look.
In the background I see Parker looking at us.
He has an easy smile on his face, and the way he’s watching I know he’s looking at me.
It's how he always looked at me when he thought I didn’t notice. The look of so much admiration and dare I say love. I’m so focused on the picture I hardly hear the unexpected commotion of a door closing.
“What’s going on?” Aaron’s voice booms, and I freeze, dropping the picture into the tote and rushing out to prevent a possible murder.
Parker is already standing at the doorway of the master bedroom; arms folded across his chest.
“I’m just getting my stuff. I didn’t think you’d be here,” I say quickly.
“I could’ve shipped it to you.” His tone is curt.
“I wanted to do it myself.”
“Yeah, well it’s not just you, is it? You have your little guard dog with you.”
Parker chuckles darkly. “Guard dog? I’ll show you a fucking guard dog.” He starts to step toward Aaron, but I get in front of him to prevent him from getting too close.
“You should probably keep him on a leash, Lily, he’s clearly got some issues.”
“You mother fuc—”
I cut Parker off before he can escalate things. “Just leave. I was going to leave my key on the counter, and you never have to see us again.”
“I figured I wouldn’t have to see you again after I left that shit hole town of yours,” he scoffs. “I was looking forward to it, along with never having to hear the stupid random shit you spew all the goddamn time.”
Parker is at my back, pressed against me completely. I sigh because I know I’ll actually be useless to stop him if he wants to kick Aaron’s ass. He’s a full foot taller than me. But this doesn’t feel threatening, this feels protective. Of me.
“That’s the last time you say something negative about my girl and my town.”
I roll my lips together, and start to turn back toward Parker. He stops me with a possessive hand on my hip, holding me in place with both of us facing my ex.
“Your girl.” Aaron laughs. “Yeah, I saw that coming. Good job even pretending like you cared about me, Lily. Just used me to help your aunt and then got back with some small-town trash.”
Now it’s my turn to defend. “Oh, fuck off. I don’t even know what I saw in you, but trust me it was not to use you. And if anyone here is trash it’s you for how you’ve treated me.”
“Yeah, your life here was so horrible, right?”
“Face it,” Parker starts. “You were just a replacement. You were never going to be the one for her.”
Aaron fixes me with a glare. “And you were just a bullet dodged for me.”
I can feel the anger radiating off Parker. I should probably turn around and comfort him. But I don’t think I want to. I kind of want to see how this is going to play out. Parker’s grip tightens on me, and I think it’s the only thing holding him back.
“Good thing you never have to see me again. Let me finish up here, then we’re gone.” I place my hand over Parker’s, intertwining our fingers together.
Aaron’s jaw tightens, and I see that he’s not done with this confrontation. I also know if he doesn’t end it peacefully Parker is going to end this one way or another.
“I’ll stay right here as you finish.”
I scoff, “What? You don’t trust me?”
“No, I don’t.” He looks up at Parker. “And I especially don’t trust him.”
“Lil.” Parker’s voice is gravely it has a shiver running down my spine. “If you don’t want me to fuck this guy up you need to say something in the next five seconds.”
Aaron throws his hands up. “I’m calling the cops.”
“No!” I exclaim. “No one wants us to leave more than me.”
There are a few tense seconds where I’m not sure who’s going to move first; if Aaron is going to pull his phone out and call the cops, or if Parker is going to throw a punch.
“You have five minutes,” Aaron grits. “Then I call the cops.” He walks into the kitchen, facing away from us.
“Five minutes isn’t enough time you fucki—”
“Okay.” I turn around, and communicate to Parker with just my eyes to let it go.
I work quickly to put my books and pictures in the tote, making sure to step on whatever I dumped out of it that’s lying on the floor. Satisfaction runs through me at the crunch of something under my shoe.
Parker manages to get my clothes, and if I’m leaving anything behind I don’t even care. It was a dumb idea to come here as it is. I should’ve just let it all go and bought new stuff. But this was also about making a point.
I don’t know if I made it, but I made something.
“I’ll be right back,” Parker says after loading everything into the truck bed.
“What’re you going to do?”
He holds up my key. “Just making sure to leave this.”
I nod, but as I watch him go back to the door, I know that’s not all he’s doing.
When he comes back, I take one look at his knuckles, and my suspicions are confirmed. He starts up the truck with his battered hand, and I shake my head.
“What?” he asks, stretching his arm out on the back of my seat to look behind us as he reverses.
“Do you feel better?”
“Surprisingly yeah.”
After he shifts into drive, I take his hand in both of mine, running my lips softly over his busted knuckles. “You didn’t need to stick up for me, you know?”
“I’d do it all over again. Plus, he clearly didn’t learn the first time not to talk to you like that. I hope he gets the message this time.”
I lean back, keeping his hand in mine. “You’re hot when you’re all protective and a little violent.”
He glances over at me. “Yeah?”
I move his hand toward the spot between my thighs, “Yeah. But you’re also hot when you’re sweet to me too.”
“Sounds like you just think I’m hot.”
“Yeah, smash, obviously.” I move his hand higher. “And I think you should find somewhere to pull over so I can properly thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me, Lil.”
“Oh, you don’t want me to suck your dick then?” I smile innocently.
He adjusts in his seat. “I guess I can find somewhere.”