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Eva’s eyes were glued to a performance in front of Macy’s. “An hour, maybe”
“I thought you knew everything?” I teased.
That pulled her gaze away from the dancing for a split second. “Don’t be ridiculous, RJ. I can’t control the traffic patterns. Though I did send Vi a better route than the one on the GPS. She said she’d tell Soren, but he’ll probably take the slower roads just to spite me.”
Her attention returned to the screen, and I smiled into the steam from my cup. Soren sounded like someone I could appreciate. I knew who he was, of course. Former tight end at TU, drafted by Houston in the second round.
He was the one who’d taken down the last coach, with Parker’s help. Without them, and Coach Gordon, I wouldn’t be here now. I had a lot to thank him for. Parker too, though I suspected my gratitude would make them uncomfortable.
The last thing I wanted was to make Friendsgiving awkward, but I wasn’t sure what role I wanted to play. Friend or lover? Parker hated holding back, and I’d lived so long with my secrets I had trouble sharing the smallest part of myself.
I’ll take a tarnished rep if I get you…
But would he if he knew how much I hadn’t told him?
21
Ivegged in the living room with Eva until Parker came in the door arguing with Mac, laden with bags hung over his arms.
“—sharks aren’t the same. You can’t make that comparison.”
Mac swallowed the food he’d been chewing and pointed his burrito at Parker. “It’s a hypothetical. Obviously, you wouldn’t want either choice. It’s about deciding which you’d hate less.” He dropped the groceries on the floor in front of the door and pulled something out of the last bag.
Parker spotted me on the couch, and his grin widened. My heart sped up, and I almost missed the foil-wrapped burrito Mac threw at me. I unwrapped the food and the scent of eggs, bacon, peppers, and cheese wafted up into my face. Parker flopped down next to me while I tried not to shove half the burrito in my mouth.
Mac wound up like he was going to toss a burrito at Eva, but her laser-like glare convinced him to walk across the room and hand it to her. I needed her to teach me that skill. Maybe Professor Declann would finally get off my ass.
I’d made a lot of progress since our weekend meeting, again, thanks to Parker, but she still looked down her nose at me every time I dared to open my mouth in class. We only had a few weeks left, and unless I royally screwed up, I’d end up with the B I needed.
Parker absently laid his hand on my thigh as he finished his argument. “I’d hate them equally, so I choose option C. Nothing.”
Mac shook his head in disappointment. “Nothing doesn’t teach you anything about yourself.”
I strongly disagreed, but voicing my opinion would mean I’d have to stop eating. The burrito easily won that battle.
Parker’s thumb rubbed my leg in tiny circles, and I realized how comfortable we’d gotten touching each other inside his apartment. And Eva had been right, we spent almost all our time here, where we didn’t have to hide.
My anxiety over the upcoming festivities sky-rocketed—my heartrate picked up, and a band of uneasiness squeezed my chest. Parker and I hadn’t discussed how we’d play it in front of Soren and Vi, but maybe we should.
I finished eating and balled up the foil to throw at Mac. “How much do I owe you?”
“They’re on me,” he mumbled around his second burrito.
Shouting came from the screen and Eva sighed. “They’re wasting their freshman talent if that’s the best they can offer on national television.”
I glanced over to see a cheer squad performing, but the stunts didn’t look nearly as complicated as the ones I’d seen her watching in our living room.
Mac snorted. “I could do better than him.”
On cue, the guy holding up the cheerleader bobbled her, and she almost smashed her face into the ground. Thanks to Eva’s influence, our little group erupted into criticism, including Parker, and I saw my chance to escape.
“I’ll be back.” No one responded when I got up and walked into the hallway.
I leaned against the wall next to Mac’s door in the dim light and took steady breaths. Parker would find me soon enough—I wasn’t exactly hiding—but I wanted a quiet minute to gather my thoughts.
Today would be our first real test since the night at Johnny’s a few weeks ago. I frowned as my adrenaline didn’t spike with the acknowledgement. Yes, I was concerned about being outed, but Parker trusted Soren and Vi. The risk there was minimal.
Still, my chest felt heavy, and I couldn’t relax.
