17. Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
Amy
“You sprained your ankle?!” Eliza’s eyes go wide on the other side of the phone. “Why didn’t you tell me? Is that why you’ve been MIA for almost two weeks?”
I stare at the calendar. January 23. I only have three weeks left to find a boyfriend before I’m stuck buying Parker tickets to a stupid jazz concert...
Even though I haven’t seen him in a while.
Not since he helped me home after ice skating.
To his credit, he did reach out a lot at first, checking in on me, but then he backed off when I forgot to respond to the hundredth text of him wanting to know how my ankle was.
I hope I didn’t hurt his feelings...
“Amy? ”
“Yeah, sorry,” I say. “I just have a lot on my mind.”
“Like what?”
“Um, so ... I never got around to telling you ... But Parker kissed me on New Year’s Eve and—”
“OH. MY. GOSH.” Eliza’s voice booms across my apartment. “So, are you seeing him?!”
I shake my head. “That’s the thing ... he only did it because he felt bad after ruining my New Year’s Eve date—which you already knew that part—but I don’t know. I guess when he found out that I was hoping to get my first kiss that night, he wanted to be a good friend and help me check off a box.”
“Right...”
“And then when I sprained my ankle, he took me to the ER and didn’t leave my side until I got settled in at home—but ever since then ... I don’t know. We haven’t really talked.”
“Do you like him?”
“What?” I stop. “No way. He hates me.”
“So, let me get this straight. Parker kisses you, walks you home all the time, pays for things, and takes you to the doctor. But you think he hates you? Mmm, I don’t think so. Amy, it sounds like he likes you.”
“No. I’m pretty sure he just feels sorry for me.” I plop down on my bed, relieved to spend the evening at home. I haven’t done much at all while my ankle’s been healing up.
It’s finally starting to feel better, though .
“Amy, from where I’m sitting, it doesn’t sound like that at all. It sounds like there’s a lot more going on between you two. People don’t go that far out of their way for just anybody ...”
My cheeks flush at the thought of him actually liking me. “I don’t know.”
Eliza shakes her head on FaceTime, and just as she does, a message pops up across my screen.
Parker: Lunch tomorrow?
I stare at the text.
“What is it?” Eliza asks, curiosity filling her expression.
“Parker just texted and asked if I wanna get lunch tomorrow.”
“He’s asking you on a date!”
“No, he’s not,” I argue. “I really don’t think things between us are like that.”
“Come on , Amy. I think he has feelings for you. Do you think about him?”
All the time.
“Sometimes,” I say carefully, my stomach fluttering as I open his text. “But I also forgot to text him back the other day when I was in a meeting. I don’t think people forget to message people back when they like them.”
She laughs. “Uh, yeah, they do. You were busy. How was the kiss? ”
“Like fireworks on the Fourth of July,” I blurt out before I can even think about what I’m saying, so I quickly add, “But I’ve never been kissed before—or by anyone since—so, who am I to say...”
“You like him,” she squeals.
I do.
I do like him.
But I don’t smile at the thought. In fact, it makes me feel a little ... sad.
“It doesn’t really matter if I like him, Eliza. Parker doesn’t want a relationship—I mean, we literally have a bet going over it. He doesn’t want me to be with anyone, either.”
“ Of course, not! That’s literally proving my point.”
“Okay, but it’s not like that,” I continue to argue. “He’s got a painful past, and I think he’s been heartbroken so badly by it that he no longer believes in love—and he’s made it very clear to me that people don’t change.”
“But they do, Amy. They do change. I changed after I met Nick.”
I sigh. “Maybe. I’m not sure. I think it’d probably be better to just count him out. Besides, I don’t want to ruin our friendship. He’s one of the only friends I have here in the city—and I already know he’d run if I told him I had any sort of crush on him.”
Eliza’s quiet for a few moments. “Well, maybe you could just wait it out and see.”
“But then I might lose the bet,” I reason, facepalming myself. “And like I said, Parker has made it super clear that he’s not into relationships. He doesn’t want one. And it’s probably going to take someone really special to change his mind.”
“You could—”
“Can we just talk about something else? Maybe I should be focusing on finding another event to go to. Because, like I said, even if I have a crush on Parker, it’ll never go anywhere. I’d much rather try to find a guy who wants me—not someone I have to convince to like me.”
“You do have a point.” Eliza’s voice drops. “If he wants you, he’ll have to put in the work to get you. I agree with that. I guess I just got excited, you know, because you said the kiss was so good.”
I shrug. “Well, I’m not really the best judge. For all I know, every kiss might feel like that.”
She laughs. “As much as I hope that’s true for you, that was not my experience. There are some terrible kissers out there. Well, they may not be terrible to the right person ... but they were terrible to me.”
I burst into laughter, shaking my head at her. “Ugh, at least you’ve gotten the opportunity to have those kinds of experiences. I’m jealous.”
“Oh girl, don’t be. With every past relationship comes a little more experience, but it’s not always good experience. Sometimes it turns out like Devon .”
“Ah, yeah, I guess that’s true.”
I text Parker back, agreeing to join him for lunch. But as I type my response, I can’t help but wonder...
Could this be more?
“So, how much longer do you have to wear the boot?” Eliza asks, changing the subject. “That has to be such a pain.”
“It is, and because of this stupid thing, I haven’t been about to walk to work. Parker offered to drive me to work, but can you imagine if we did that? He’d never get to work on time. I’d never expect that of him.”
She grins. “Right back to Parker.”
My face heats up. “Oh my gosh, you’re right. I’m sorry. But anyway, I just have to wear this thing for a couple more weeks. I should be able to walk normally again in time for Valentine’s Day.”
“Well, I hope you win the bet,” she says.
“Me, too,” I chime. “It’d be so cool to see The Band Allen live in such an intimate venue. I just hope the tickets don’t sell out before then.”
“Uh, at those prices, I seriously doubt they will. I looked them up as soon as you told me about it, and I swear, Parker’s gotta be loaded to agree to a bet like that.”
“You know...” I pause. “I actually have no idea about his finances. I don’t even know where he lives. He told me his apartment was somewhere near mine, but I have no idea where. But now that you mention it, I’m going to ask him. I’m dying to know.”
“Me, too. Maybe he’s a secret millionaire or something.”
I laugh. “Doubt it. ”
“You never know,” Eliza reasons as I pull back the covers and climb into bed. “Sometimes people can surprise you—in a good way.”
“And in a bad way,” I grumble, glancing down at my ankle. “The guy I was ice skating with when I sprained my ankle literally laughed at me when I fell.”
“What a jerk,” Eliza mutters. “Guys can be so cruel sometimes. Well, actually, people in general can be cruel. It’s an epidemic these days.”
“No kidding. Parker almost fought him.”
Eliza giggles. “Of course. Did Parker also sweep you off your feet and carry you to the ER like a knight in shining armor?”
I freeze, my mind replaying the way he picked me right up off the ice and held me in his arms. “Actually... He did. He carried me like I weighed nothing.”
“Oh my gosh, you’re kidding.” Her eyes go starry. “That is seriously the sweetest thing ever. What a good guy. I think Parker has a heart of gold beneath all that tough exterior. I’ve never met him, but based on everything you’ve said about him, I just have this strong feeling that he does.”
“Yeah, he’s not so bad.” The words come out awkwardly, and I suddenly realize there’s a lot more weight to them than I originally thought...
Am I falling for him?