of my bedroom. He finally let go and walked out the door, leaving me to wonder if Parker had just witnessed that scene, which appeared far more intimate than it actually was.
I took a deep breath, and walked towards my bedroom, my heart pounding harder with each step. When I finally got there, Parker had his back towards me and was staring at the wall with his hands on his head. I could see that every muscle in his body was tense and it was more than apparent he was fighting for control.
“Parker, it’s not what you’re thinking.” I closed my eyes as I heard myself speak, remembering how painful those same words had been when Jake said them to me.
Parker didn’t move from his stance, just asked two simple words. “How long?”
I started to get nervous, as I knew he was jumping to the wrong conclusion. “It’s not like that. There’s nothing going on,” I pleaded.
Parker turned around and his face showed an emotion I had never seen before. He was mad…really mad. “How long?” he asked again, his voice getting louder.
When I didn’t answer, he clarified, “How long has it not been what I’m thinking? Huh Avery? How long have you not been hanging out with him ALONE in your apartment, watching movies together in your pajamas and doing God knows what else?” His voice kept getting louder each time I deflected the question, and I felt my hands start to shake as I realized this was a much bigger deal to Parker than I thought it would be.
“We’re just frien…”
“HOW LONG?” I jumped when he yelled and answered before I even had the time register what I was saying.
“Since Issy’s accident,” I whispered.
I saw Parker’s face change as he processed the information. I watched as he relived every conversation, every touch we had had since that night and the magnitude of the betrayal hit me as I watched it hit him. He fell back, sitting on my bed for support. I felt sick to my stomach as I watched the pain on his face.
“I knew something was wrong,” he whispered, his voice quivering a little. “My instincts were screaming at me, but I never imagined it was him.”
His heavy sigh hung in the room and the silence felt crippling. Finally he spoke under his breath, but I had to strain to even hear his voice. “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.”
I had no idea what he meant, but felt the words must have been significant because he put his head in his hands when he said them. His resigned tone stung at my heart and I reached for his hand, begging, “Parker, please.”
He jumped away from me as if my hand had seared him and walked to the other side of the room. I could see his body shaking, and I felt real panic for the first time that I was going to lose him.
“Why? It just doesn’t make sense after how much he hurt you. Two months ago you couldn’t even be in the same room with him without shaking.” His body was still rigid and his voice still hard, but I could sense the hurt was starting to replace the anger.
“When Issy was in the hospital, we were there for each other, and the past just seemed to disappear,” I explained.
He didn’t like my answer; I could see that right away.
“I wanted to be there for you…tried to be there for you a million times. You pushed me away, wouldn’t talk to me and completely shut me out,” he reminded me, his exasperation resonating across the room.
“I didn’t mean to shut you out, Parker. I just didn’t know how to let you in. He offered friendship, and I took it.”
Parker let out a stunned laugh as if I had lost my mind. “Avery, you can’t be friends with him! And if you believe you can, you’re lying to yourself as much as you are to me. He’s your first love; the only guy you’ve ever had a sexual relationship with.” We both flinched as he said those last words, hurting him almost as much as they did me. I watched him close his eyes as he fought to regain control again.
“Did you even wait five minutes before inviting him over after I said I wasn’t coming back tonight?” he asked after a few seconds of silence.
“I didn’t even know he was coming over. He just showed up.”
“Are you sleeping with him?” His voice was