Rugged Guard - Jason Collins Page 0,47
I looked into his eyes, I felt my heart beginning to race inside of my chest, the thumping so loud that it seemed like it was echoing in my ears, pulsing through my fingertips.
And I realized that I couldn’t do it.
I couldn’t break it off with Parker. I couldn’t walk away from him, even if I wanted to.
“What about last night?” Parker still seemed nervous about the conversation. “Derek, what’s going on—”
“You had it right the first time,” I interrupted him with a lie. “I was just… worried about people hearing us. I don’t think you’ve ever been that loud before.”
Parker blushed. “I thought you liked it when I was loud.”
“I do,” I replied. “I was just worried that you wouldn’t be ready with an alibi, just in case a few curious guests were wondering why you were screaming my name last night.”
“Oh. I’d probably just tell them the truth.” Parker chuckled. “Or… maybe I’d tell them that I wasn’t even here last night, and maybe they were just imagining things.”
“It’s all in their imagination…” I smiled at his idea. “That’s not a bad alibi.”
“Is that really what you wanted to talk to me about?” Parker pressed as he poured himself a bowl of cereal.
“Yeah. That’s it.”
“Okay…” Parker’s words trailed off before he looked over at me again. “Because… last night… for a moment there, it seemed like…”
“It seemed like what?”
“Like maybe you were done with me,” Parker muttered. “Like maybe you were done with this.” Parker took in a heavy breath before he went on. “And… if that’s how you feel, it’s okay. I don’t… I understand that you don’t want things to get too complicated—”
Just then, Parker’s phone rang out from his pocket. He pulled the phone up toward his face as his eyes scanned over the screen.
“Sorry. It’s a local vendor in town, probably asking about convention space at the Bed & Breakfast, if we’ll have enough rooms available for his team.” Parker frowned even as he brought the phone up to his ear. “I should probably take this.”
“Do what you need to do, Parker,” I replied.
And Parker flashed me a bright smile before his footsteps headed out of the kitchen as he made his way down the nearest hall.
“What are you thinking about?” I idly asked Iris as I approached her behind the Bed & Breakfast. I’d been checking the perimeter and the building’s cameras as usual when I noticed Iris standing in a small patch of flowers, her knees and elbows covered with dark dirt and small remnants of pebbles and stones.
Typically, I wouldn’t have been interested in striking up a conversation while on the job, but after my conversation with Parker that morning, it felt like there was something heavy sitting right in the center of my chest and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I was desperate for a moment of distraction from the feeling, even if it came in the form of small talk with Iris, whose focus seemed to be somewhere else.
“How to bring flowers back from the dead,” Iris replied, without looking at me.
Confused, I glanced down at the flowers by her feet. The flowers appeared to be filled with life, and I even watched as a few bees buzzed from within their colorful petals.
“These flowers are dead?” I asked.
“Not right now.” Iris waved a hand. “Soon enough. And then, my only options are to either start all over again or figure out a form of flower witchcraft, some kind of petal necromancy.” Iris snapped her fingers a few times as her face lit up with a grin. “You know what? I know exactly who to call about this.”
“You know someone who does flower witchcr—actually, you know what? That makes perfect sense.”
“I know a lot of people, Mr. Lavine, which means that I know at least one someone who does just about everything,” Iris explained before she turned toward me. “I also know you, too. Which is how I know that you must have something quite heavy on your heart or your mind if you’re willingly striking up a conversation with the likes of me.” Iris grinned again as she brought her hands up to her waist. “So, come on. Out with it. Tell Iris what’s weighing you down.”
“I think I’m falling for Parker,” I admitted, and as I spoke the words, that heavy feeling in my chest started to lift. “Fuck. I’ve never said that out loud before.”
“Well, I figured that much,” Iris grumbled. “And what’s so