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Once I’d gotten well outside of the park and within a strong cell signal range, my phone did its usual thing of going crazy with notifications about what I’d missed all day. I’d always hated the stupid thing, but that day I found myself hoping that Parker had texted me more. I was delighted to park in my driveway and find that he had, and I couldn’t resist reading and responding right away.
Parker: What’s the best hike you’ve ever been on?
Travis: You know, I’m probably supposed to say something cool, like Red Rocks in Nevada or Half Dome in Yosemite, but truthfully, my favorite hikes are right here in Virginia. I love being so close to the Appalachian Trail. Shenandoah National Park is pretty close to DC and it’s beautiful.
Before I had a chance to see how he’d respond, my phone rang. I answered it immediately once I saw who was calling.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, honey, how are you?”
We exchanged pleasantries briefly and I indulged her, waiting for my chance to ask why she was really calling. “What did you need, Mom?”
“Oh, I was just wondering, are you interested in meeting my friend’s son?”
“Your friend’s son?” I repeated, trying to stall for time and figure out how to let her down gently once again.
“Yes, his name is Russell and he’sveryinterested in meeting you.”
“Mom, I—”
“Now listen, Russell is handsome and wealthy, and I know money isn’t everything, but it doesn’t hurt. He has a stable job and he loves his parents. Big family. I think you have a lot in common.”
“Mom, I—”
“I don’t know why you always have to turn these invitations down, Travis. Give him a chance, why don’t you?”
“Mom, seriously. I’m not saying no. I should tell you though, I’ve been talking to someone.”
“You have?”
Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. I was terrible at letting her down. “Sort of. His name is Parker Lowe. Do you remember him?”
“Oh my goodness! Parker Lowe? You were quite the pair back in the day. In third grade, you two spent the whole summer pretending to get married. You insisted it was real and when your birthday came around, you told us it was your wedding reception.”
“I did?” I hadn’t remembered that part, not at all.
“You can do worse than Parker Lowe, at least, if he’s the same kind of person he used to be. Are you two an item?”
“Mom, first of all, nobody says “item” anymore. Second, no, we’re just reconnecting as friends.”
“Good, then you can meet Russell after all.”
I was cornered. “Gotta go, Mom.” I ended the call as quickly as possible, trying to both not be rude and not commit to anything.
I stared at my phone for a while. I hadn’t remembered the part about the weddings, but since she’d reminded me, it was definitely coming back. The more I thought about it, the more memories came flooding through my mind. We’d even promised that if we turned thirty—absolutely ancient in our ten-year-old eyes—and were still single, we’d get married to each other for real.
My mouth went dry and my heart skipped a beat, but I shook it off. It was just a silly marriage pact. Something kids promised to each other. Nothing to think twice about. Right?
Chapter Five
Parker
I’dbeenmessagingwithTravis practically nonstop for two days, and by Thursday night, I had the itch to see him in person. It wasn’t that I wanted anything from him other than friendship, at least I didn’t think I did, but I still wanted to hang out with him again, see if we still had that friend-energy that had run so deep with us as kids. I wavered, worried he’d think I was too pushy or weird or something and would go running for the hills. After a solid half hour of internal debate, I decided to just go for it.
Parker: Hey, this might seem out of the blue, but do you want to get coffee sometime? As friends, obviously. I’d love to see you and catch up in person.
Travis responded almost immediately and for whatever reason, my heart fluttered seeing his name pop up.
