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Parker sits across from me and gives me a tentative smile. “I feel like I should warn you, I’ve never done this before.”
I pause with my water glass halfway to lips. “Cooking for someone? Or a date?”
“Dated,” he replies, his cheeks turning a cute shade of red. “That’s probably pretty uncool to mention right now.”
“No, it’s really not.” I wasn’t going to admit this to him, but I want him to feel at ease with me, so I say, “This is actually my first real date.”
His eyebrows lift. “Seriously?”
I nod. “I’m sure that must sound strange given what I do for a living, but it’s the truth.”
He’s quiet for a minute, and I start eating. It tastes fucking amazing. I’ve eaten Italian before, but this is better than most.
“You didn’t even date when you were a teenager?” Parker asks abruptly.
“Oh…um, no.” I don’t want to tell him that I’ve been working for Tony since I was fifteen years old. I never had time to date. “You didn’t either?”
“No.” He gives me a small smile. It’s sad, like the question hurt him. “I didn’t really want to, if I’m being honest. I moved in very abruptly with my brother when was fifteen, and everything was very chaotic for a while. By the time I realized I should’ve been dating, I was about to graduate high school. I fast tracked through college, so I didn’t have time then. And now here we are.”
I desperately want to ask him why he moved in with his brother so suddenly, but I don’t. I’ve gotten very good at being able to tell when someone wants to talk about something and when they don’t. I don’t want to ruin this by pushing him.
It’s strange to be here with him. To spend the majority of our time talking instead of doing anything else. To only share another kiss before leaving his place after dinner. It makes me ache for things I have no business wanting. But I’m already looking forward to seeing him again.
Four
Parker
Rhys is on my mind for most of the next few days. I wish I could see him again before Tuesday, but he said he didn’t have time until then. He said he had to work. I hate that he’s doing that for a living. I’m no one to judge; it’s not about that. It’s the fact that I can tell Rhys hates doing it. He didn’t say it, but I heard it in his voice when he talked about it.
I spend more than I probably should trying to think of a way to help him without it seeming like an insult. I considered offering him money for his time, but that felt strange. Like I would be expecting something from him. And that’s not the way I want him to look at me.
By the time I leave the office for my lunch break, I still haven’t come up with anything. I wish I could talk to Cameron about it, but he’d probably freak out if I tried to explain everything to him. After he found me that day, when Dad was beating the shit out of me, Cam became even more protective. No, if I were to tell him, we’d have a huge fight because he wouldn’t want me getting involved.
I’m headed into the In-N-Out closest to the office when I spot Rhys on the sidewalk. He’s in jeans and a white T-shirt. Once again not wearing a jacket even though it’s chilly out.
“Rhys.”
His head jerks up, and fear flashes across his face before he relaxes his expression into something neutral. “Parker. Hey.”
I come to a stop a few feet from him, but I can feel the unease coming off him. I don’t know if he’s scared of me or something else. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” The word comes out hoarse, but he gives me a small smile. “I’m just—”
“Who’s your friend?” An older man appears at Rhys’s side, cutting him off. The man looks to be about thirty years older than Rhys, and I don’t miss the way he puts a hand on the small of Rhys’s back.
“He’s not a friend,” Rhys says. “Just someone I met at a party. We need to go if we’re going to meet Derek on time.”
The older man stares at me for a few more seconds before turning and guiding Rhys away.
I watch as they walk away, a heavy feeling of worry settling into my stomach. I tell myself it as probably just another one of Rhys’s…clients with him, but that wasn’t what Rhys’s posture said. He was standing similar to the way he was when I saw him with Phil. Right after Phil had hit him.
I’m not a stranger to violence thanks to my dad, but it bothered me a lot when Phil hit Rhys. I hate the thought of it. It’s not just because I like Rhys, even though I do. It’s because it reminds me of when I lived with my father. How helpless I always felt. I don’t want Rhys to be experiencing the same thing.
But I also know I could scare Rhys off if I push too hard. Just because I spent a few hours with him doesn’t mean I know him. Still, I’m not incredibly surprised when he sends me a text later to cancel our date tomorrow.
I stare down at my phone screen as I sit at my desk, trying to decide what to do. The smart thing would be to let him go. That guy with him was definitely someone Rhys is around a lot, and he was obviously trouble.
But I know that’s not going to happen. The part of me that wants to get to know Rhys more is going to win out. And I don’t want to waste time trying to fight it.
