face with his hands.
“I don’t know what we are either,” he said intently looking at me. “But I know one thing, I have no desire to kiss anyone else, and I definitely don’t want you kissing anyone else. Why don’t we start there?”
I looked at him and smiled, feeling the tears bombard my eyes. “That sounds great.”
He leaned in and his warm lips softly covered mine, sending electricity all the way to my toes. There was no desperation when I kissed Parker, only sweet comfort. We stayed locked together until he pulled away and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, guiding us back into the living room.
“So, are you going to take me to a movie, or what? Because you bailed on me today, and Sheila wasn’t there, so I had no choice but to study in silence the whole time. It was pure torture!” He was back to his old self and I laughed, so happy that things felt normal.
“Quiet in a library? Oh, the horror!” I teased as we walked out the door. Maybe I didn’t hate today so much after all.
“Lord, we all fall and make mistakes. I pray she turns to you during those moments and knows that you are her wonderful counselor and prince of peace…”
13. MOMENT OF WEAKNESS
It was finals week at Winsor, which pretty much meant the world came to a screeching halt. The library was packed, and I even saw Issy reading on the couch this morning.
“Oh my Gosh! Is that a book in your hand?” I teased as I made myself a bowl of cereal. “I did not think you owned a textbook.”
“Shut up,” she said throwing her highlighter at me. She tossed her body across the couch as if she was fainting and sighed. “I HATE FINALS!”
“Don’t we all,” I agreed laughing. My mood had been nothing short of chipper since I got back from Thanksgiving. I had a wonderful guy who adored me and everything just seemed to be going perfect.
“Your mood is almost annoying, you know,” she said as she sat back up. “I think Parker’s a bad influence on you.” I knew she was teasing, because Parker had charmed her too just like he did with everyone. “Speaking of which, are you two rendezvousing again tonight?” She had a devilish tone, and I threw her highlighter back at her.
“It’s not like that, and you know it,” I said. Parker had been hanging out with us every night, but he never stayed over. In fact, he wouldn’t even let us go in my bedroom alone. I asked him why and his response was, “You’re a beautiful woman, and I’m a guy. There’s only so much temptation I can handle. I want to take things slow with you…enjoy the little things.” He nuzzled my neck affectionately after he said that, making me feel like the most valued person in the world.
The only dark spot in the last two weeks was the bond I still felt with Jake. It seemed that no matter how hard I tried to push thoughts of him out, they would come back the minute I spent any time with him. He didn’t come over as much with Parker being here so often, but the late nights with Issy never changed. They would get in at two in the morning and Jake would crash on the couch. He would still be there in the mornings when I got up to run, and I would watch him sleep, taken by his ability to look confident and vulnerable all at the same time. As much as I tried to deny it, he still had an effect on me.
It took a week before Jake talked to me again after our night at Diana’s house. It was another late night with Issy and earlier that evening he had ignored me when he came to pick her up, a situation I was getting used to by now. I sighed as I remembered the conversation.
“Avery, are you awake?” Jake asked as he sat on my bed. It was three in the morning, but I had woken up when I heard him and Issy come in the apartment.
“Yeah, I’m awake. Are you ok?” I was uncomfortable with him in my room, mostly because I knew there would always be a part of me that missed him being there.
“I wanted to explain the other night…and this week,” he whispered. The light from the living room allowed me to make out his face, and the