24. Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Four
Parker
“What’s going on with you?” Weston narrows his eyes at me from across the table. “You’re acting weird.”
“Wow, thanks,” I mutter, shaking my head. My eyes fall to my phone as a new text pops up on the screen.
Amy: I’m going to be late getting home tonight.
I fight to hold back a smile, and I don’t even know why. Maybe it’s the fact that she calls my apartment home. I guess I find it endearing ... or something.
“Dude,” Weston snaps. “Why are you avoiding my question? ”
Oops.
I send her a quick thumbs-up and turn back to Weston. “Sorry. I just got distracted. There’s nothing going on with me. All is good. My sister found a new place. And now that she’s not seeing—”
“I’m not asking about Brittany.” There’s something in his voice that makes me wonder if he already knew about my sister ... from another source. But I don’t push it. “I’m asking about you .”
“There’s not much going on with me. Amy moved in, but other than that—”
“Wait, what?!” Weston nearly comes across the table. “Amy moved in ? Why? Why would she move in with you? What the... Are you two...?”
I shake my head. “No, we’re not together. We’re just friends,” I force the words out, and the more I have to say them, the more they’re starting to not sit right with me.
Maybe I do have a little crush. It’s hard not to when she looks the way she does in the morning with her messy hair, sleepy eyes, and eccentric pajamas.
“Then why is she living with you?”
“Her apartment flooded. I don’t know how long it’ll be before they can fix it or move her to another unit. I told her she could stay with me until it all gets sorted. I have plenty of room.”
Weston nods, but then shakes his head. “You like her staying with you, don’t you?”
“I like having my own space...” I hesitate. “But she did make breakfast this morning. That was pretty cool.”
Weston bursts into laughter. “From the moment you laid eyes on her, you were into her. I knew it.”
My mouth drops open. “Heck no I wasn’t.”
“Heck yes you were, and you are,” my best friend corrects me—well, he thinks he’s correcting me. “No matter how self-aware you are about all your problems, you’re completely blind.”
“Shut up. I’m not blind. Even if I did like her—and I’m not saying I do,” I quickly add, “I wouldn’t pursue anything with her. I spent an entire afternoon teaching Amy about red flags ... and I am one. Considering my upbringing, I’m pretty much a walking red flag—and I still really want to win the bet. You know I’m competitive.”
Weston is quiet for a few moments. “You’re not a walking red flag, Parker.”
“Yeah, I am,” I argue, growing annoyed. “I know I am. If she went out on a real date with someone like me, whose entire spiel was about how terrible love is, I would tell her to run. That’s a big red flag.”
Which is all the more reason I need to get these feelings under control. She deserves better than me.
He makes a face. “I guess.”
“Yeah, so anyway, what’s up with you?” I’m freaking desperate to change the subject. I knew that Amy staying with me might seem a little crazy in the eyes of my friends, but that’s only because they think we’re an item. Usually, my friends are spot on, but not this time .
“Same as always,” Weston says with a sigh, his entire demeanor changing. “I’m starting to think I might be more like Amy than I care to admit. I always try to come across like a player, but man ... I’m tired of the dating scene. I really just want to find someone I click with.”
My brows raise. “You’re not a player, Wes. It doesn’t suit you.”
“And being a cranky, loveless goon doesn’t suit you, either.”
I burst into laughter. “That’s rich.”
“Yeah...” Weston agrees and then grabs his drink. “Oh, what did Amy think of your place? I bet she was royally shocked when she realized you’re a secret billionaire.”
I shrug but can’t stop smiling. “She was definitely taken by surprise. It was cute.”
Weston nearly spits his soda out. “Did you just say cute ?”
Oh shoot. I did.
“Well yeah, but ... I meant cute like a puppy, you know? She was all wide-eyed and surprised. She probably expected me to live in a dump or something.”
Weston leans back against the red booth cushion, studying me for a few moments. I take a second to look around at the mostly empty café. We took a late lunch today, which was a great way to avoid the noon rush.
“I think you’re in denial.”
I whip my head back around to face him. “No, I’m not. I just admitted that I might have a crush on her. But that’s it. It’s not going anywhere. ”
Weston’s expression is completely blank. “You didn’t say anything about having a crush on her until now. But I knew it. Dude, just tell her. I bet she likes you, too.”
“No,” I say sternly. “We’re friends, and surprisingly, I don’t want to ruin our friendship by throwing in some mixed feelings. I know how love ends, and I don’t see the point in potentially messing everything up. I’m not cut out for a serious relationship. Amy wants a happy ending and some incredible love story—like her parents have.”
“And there’s nothing wrong with that. My parents have been together for over thirty years. Granted, it hasn’t always been so happy. They’ve had some major problems in the past... But...” His voice trails off. “I actually admire them for staying together and working it out.”
“Yeah,” I mutter, staring at my hands for a few moments and then looking up. “But what if they would’ve been happier apart?”
Weston gives me a thoughtful look. “Maybe at certain points, they would’ve been happier with some space. But they’re the first to say all the trouble was worth it. And now, they’re more in love than ever. So ... I believe them.”
I nod. I’ve heard all these stories before, and maybe indirectly, I’ve seen them play out—like with his parents—but in my own life and in my family’s life, I’ve never seen a relationship come close to lasting a lifetime.
And I’m still not sure I ever will.
Which is exactly why a crush should stay just that.. .
A crush.
“I wonder what her dinner plans are...” I ask myself aloud as I step into my apartment. My late lunch with Weston didn’t leave me dying of hunger or anything, but as I glance at the clock, I figure that, more than likely, Amy will be hungry after work. The woman always comes into my apartment on a mission for a snack to tide her over until dinner.
And I highly doubt today will be the exception.
I kick my shoes off, leaving them by the door, and then hang up my coat on the rack. Ever since I spoke with Weston about Amy ... I feel off . Ever since I admitted out loud that I might have a crush on Amy, the world feels like it’s shifted or something.
Doing my best to push the thoughts away, I focus on dinner. I pull out fettuccine—because I know she likes that—and then google how to make Alfredo sauce. It takes some digging, but I just so happen to have all the needed ingredients.
Perfect.
I watch the clock, knowing that she’ll be home from work any minute, and move as efficiently as I can. Nerves rattle my chest as I wipe the sweat from my brow.
Why am I so worked up?
I’m just making her dinner.
No, I’m making my dinner.
She’s just going to eat some of it ... hopefully. That’s it. That’s all this is. Which becomes harder to convince myself of as I set the dining room table—one I never use—for us. I’ve just laid out the final plate along with some garlic bread when the apartment chimes and in walks Amy.
“Whoa!” She gives me a strange look. “Are you having a dinner party or something? It smells amazing in here.”
“Um...” My voice trails off as I take in the sight of her in her tight black dress pants and cream-colored sweater. Her dark hair is a little disheveled from the wind, but it suits her. Like really suits her.
Her brow furrows as she sets her bag down on the entryway table. “Am I not invited or something? You can just tell me. I won’t be offended. I get that I’m kind of invading your personal space and all that.”
I shake my head, a forced laugh slipping out. “No, it’s not that at all. I, uh, I was just making dinner for myself—and I thought you might be hungry, so I set a place for you, too. I know this is the time that you usually make it back...” I feel like I’m rambling, but if I am, Amy pays it no mind.
She smiles. “Aw, thanks.” Her eyes light up as she heads to the sink, rolling her sweater up and turning on the water. “I’m starving , so this is perfect.”
“Cool.” I run my fingers through my hair, inwardly cringing at the mess I made while cooking. “You wanna eat now? I just finished cooking, so it’s still warm.”
“Talk about perfect timing.” She dries her hands on the towel and follows me into the dining room. Her footsteps stop behind me and I turn around to see her gaping at me.
“What?”
“I had no idea you had such nice china.”
“Uh, they were an Amazon special, but yeah, okay. Thanks.” I laugh, pulling out her chair for her.
She eyes me as she sits down. “Is this another mock date or something? I don’t think I’ve ever had a man pull out a chair for me in my life.”
I clear my throat. “Yeah ... well, they should. It’s just habit, I guess.”
Amy pauses, her expression shifting like she’s about to challenge that idea, but she relents. “So, how was work today?”
Sitting down across from her, I reach for my water. “It was fine. The usual. Weston and I went out to lunch today.”
She nods. “Is he doing well?”
“I suppose so.” I chuckle. “He thought the fact that you’re living here was pretty funny.”
Her head tilts as she twirls her fork in her pasta. “Why’s that? Am I a burden or something?” The worry on her face makes my heart sink.
“Oh no,” I say quickly. “I wouldn’t have invited you to stay if I thought you’d be a burden. ”
“Right.” She frowns. “Because I feel like you might’ve just done it out of sympathy—just like when you walked me home that night after the singles event.”
I carefully consider my response, because I still don’t really know the answer as to why I ever walked her home that first time. It’s best to avoid the topic altogether. “If I was just being sympathetic, I would’ve bought you a hotel room.”
“Touche.” She giggles, taking a bite. “This is amazing . It tastes like my mom’s homemade sauce.”
I laugh. “Well, if your mom uses Google to find her recipes, it might be the same one.”
Amy smiles, her baby blue eyes making my chest feel tight. “I don’t know if she does, but honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me. Thanks for sharing dinner with me.”
I nod. “It’s kind of nice to not have to eat alone.”
Her lips twinge downward for a split second. “Yeah, wouldn’t it be nice to share a meal with someone like this every night? It’s the little things like this that make me want a relationship.” She sighs, brushing her hair from her face. “I think the small moments are the most special.”
“I agree,” I say without thinking, but then shake my head. “But you still have to wait until after Valentine’s Day.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Well, I’ll have you know, I still think you’re going to lose.” Her voice takes on an air of confidence that makes me smile .
“Oh yeah? And why’s that? You got a date or something?” My chest tightens at the idea, but I ignore it.
She smiles. “As a matter of fact, I have one tomorrow night. Nellie set me up with one of her friends.”
I can barely bring myself to swallow my bite of garlic bread. “Great,” I choke out. “That’s just great.”