When We Fall

by Madeleine Labitan

  My squeals quickly turn to moans when he starts kissing me, his hand cupping my breast, tweaking the nipple with his thumb. Things are just getting heated when a ringing sound pierces the air.

  We both ignore it, too lost in each other to care. But when the phone rings a second time, Parker pulls back and groans. Muttering a curse, he sits up and reaches for his phone on the nightstand, drawing my eyes to the wide expanse of his back.

  Heat flares up in my core as they roam over the scratches caused by my nails. My body still feels sore but I'm ready to go again. He better get rid of whoever is on the other line quickly.

  Slow down, girl. You had sex one time and suddenly you can't get enough.

  "What?" Parker goes rigid, his voice on high alert. "Where is she?"

  "Parker?" I prod.

  His attention remains on the person he's talking to. "I'll be right there," he says before ending the call.

  "What's going on?"

  He glances over at me, his face grim. "Something's wrong. Aria is in the hospital."

  I freeze. "What?"

  But he's already off the bed, grabbing his clothes and putting them on.

  My heart starts to pound fast, worry gnawing at my gut. What the hell happened? Why is his sister in the hospital? Has she been in an accident?

  But I know I won't be able to get answers from Parker right now. Not when he's overcome by worry. So I get dressed quickly to accompany my boyfriend to the hospital. He needs me right now.

  When we step outside and I offer to drive his Lexus, he doesn't even hesitate and quickly hands the keys to me.

  The drive over to the hospital is tense and quiet. Parker is staring out the window, and I can make out the deep crease on his forehead. As if he needs another problem to worry about.

  Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, I reach out my other one to grab his, squeezing it, silently letting him know that I'm here for him. That he can lean on me.

  I keep my eyes on the road, but I can feel his gaze on me. He squeezes my hand once then lets it go.

  We reach the hospital in no time, and without a word, he's quick to get out of the car, leaving me to find an empty spot to park.

  A few minutes later, the hospital receptionist directs me to the waiting area where I find Giovanni, instead of Parker, sitting on one of the couches. But what's he doing here? Then I remember the phone call that had Parker and I racing here. Was he the one who called?

  Giovanni lifts his head, as if sensing my presence, the haunted look in his eyes pinning me to the spot. "Hey."

  "Hey. Um, where's Parker?"

  "He's with Aria."

  "What happened to her?"

  "She's been hurt, Sawyer." He exhales a shaky breath, shoving his fingers through his already unruly hair.

  "An accident?" I choke out.

  He shakes his head, his fists clenched, anger flickering through his eyes. "Her boyfriend beat her up."

  The color drains from my face. "Oh my God."

  Aria wasn't hospitalized because she got into an accident. She was assaulted by her boyfriend.

  I'm going to be sick. Swallowing back the bile in my throat, I sink down on the couch.

  Giovanni sits next to me.

  "How's she doing?" I whisper.

  "She was unconscious when I found her, but she's awake now."

  I snap my eyes to him. "You found her? Did you see him—"

  "I was driving home when I spotted them on the side of the road. I saw him punch her," he grinds out. "I think that blow knocked her out. He ran back inside his car and drove away as soon as he saw me." Anger flashes in his eyes. "Her face got really busted. She needed a few stitches."

  I screw my eyes shut. "Jesus."

  Two police officers walk past, and I know they're heading for Aria's room.

  Anger boils in the pit of my stomach. I really hope she presses charges. I can't believe this happened to her. And I thought she already broke up with Michael Payne? But then, maybe he wanted her back and she refused to accept him. Whatever the reason was, that guy deserves to be in jail. He shouldn't walk away freely.

  After what feels like hours, Parker finally comes out to the waiting area, anger and something else dragging at his handsome features.

  "How's Aria?" I ask in a soft voice. "Is she…"

  "She's okay. Just taking some rest."

  "We saw the cops," Giovanni tells him. "Are they going after that son of a bitch?"

  "They are," Parker nods, his nostrils flaring.

  "Thank fuck." Giovanni stares at Parker. "We can get him too, you know. Just say the word."

  My eyebrows pinch together at his words. Surely, he can't be suggesting that they beat Michael up?

  But the look on his face tells me that's exactly what he means.

  Dread fills my chest.

  "No," I blurt, drawing their attention. "Whatever the two of you are thinking, don't. Let the police handle it."

  Giovanni grits his teeth. "Sawyer, he hurt her."

  "I know that. But violence won't solve anything. You do that and you're going to get yourselves in trouble. Aria doesn't need that right now." I turn to Parker. He's a level-headed guy. He'll agree with me. But his jaw remains set, the look on his face making my stomach sink. "Parker, you know I'm right."

  "You should go home," he says so quietly that it takes a moment for me to register his words—and the fact that they're directed at me.

  But why is he sending me away? "No, I'm staying."

  Ignoring me, he turns to Giovanni. "Drive her to my house. She left her car there."

  "Hey, I'm right here," I protest. "I can decide for myself, and what I want is to stay here."

  Let me be there for you. Don't shut me out.

  "Sawyer, please. I have no time for this."

  That's when I see it. Right now, in this moment, he's not my boyfriend. He's Parker Holloway, the boy who carries the weight of responsibilities on his shoulders. He needs to be with his family, and my stubbornness—despite my intentions—is getting in the way, adding to his burden. No wonder he wants to send me home.

  "Okay," I say softly, finally acquiescing, trying not to take offense at the relieved look on his face.

  He cuts his gaze to Giovanni. "Make sure she gets home safe." Then without another word, he turns on his heel and walks away.

  I stare after him for a beat, my chest heavy, before turning to Giovanni who's looking at me with sympathy. "Let's go."

  "Don't take it personally. Parker is just dealing with a lot of stress right now. I'm sure he'll call you later."

  "Yeah." But something tells me he won't.

  CHAPTER 33

  Sawyer

  "Sawyer?

  "I don't think she's listening."

  "Sawyer!"

  "What?" I blink, finding Quinn and Brayden staring at me, concerned looks stealing their features. Why are they looking at me like that? "Were you saying something?"

  "Since lunch started? Yeah. And you haven't paid attention to any of it. What's going on with you right now?" Quinn narrows her eyes at me. "Is it Parker? Is he still making you wait?"

  "No," I glare, my cheeks burning. I can't believe she brought it up so casually.

  Brayden almost spits out his drink, which tells me Quinn already shared that particular tidbit.

  Only they have no idea the information they have is already outdated. Too bad I'm currently not in the mood to share the update. Not when something's troubling me.

  My eyes dart across the cafeteria to where Parker and his friends always sits. But he's not there with them right now. He didn't even come to school today.

  And I have no idea where he is—if he's still at the hospital with Aria or if they already went home. Like I'd suspected, he didn't think to call.

  I haven't called either. Even though I've been tempted to do a few times, I don't want to intrude. His family needs his full attention. So despite the fact that I badly want to check up on him, to see how Aria's doing, to know if the
y need any help, I've stopped myself. But more than the privacy issue, I'm worried he'll turn me away when I try.

  There's that nagging sense that, for some unknown reason, he's shutting me out. That he's erecting a wall between us. A wall that'll be hard, if not impossible, for me to go through. And that's what scares me.

  Still, I keep that thought to myself, hoping it's just my insecurities talking. That there's really nothing to be worried about.

  But then a couple more days pass and Parker still hasn't come to school. He's still nowhere to be found. And I haven't heard once from him since the hospital—not even a single text.

  Aria is also absent, but that's understandable, considering what she's gone through. The incident already made the rounds in school and everyone's talking about it. I haven't seen Michael Payne, but I'm glad to hear he's been expelled and subsequently arrested by the police.

  For a moment, I'm worried that Parker and the guys still went through with what Giovanni suggested. But when I seek Giovanni out, he says Parker ultimately decided against it. That gives me immense relief. Getting in trouble is the last thing Parker needs right now.

  But I can't stand the radio silence any longer. So when my last class ends, I drive over to Parker's house instead of going home. I'm determined to see him even though my stomach is knotted with apprehension.

  I don't know what kind of reaction I'll get from him, if he's going to be happy to have me there or not. He didn't need me at the hospital, but I'm hoping now he does, and he's just waiting for me to appear at his doorstep.

  I really, really hope he wants to see me.

  How many times are you going to keep telling yourself that?

  Until I start believing it.

  Pulling up in front of the Holloways' sprawling house, I let out a nervous breath, fighting the urge to turn my Audi around and do this another day. Why does this suspiciously feel like the time I rushed over to confront Parker about his feelings for me? Just like that day, I'm anxious about what's going to come out of this.

  Walking up the front steps, I'm about to ring the doorbell when the door swings open and someone steps out.

  "Parker," I say.

  "Sawyer." Stark longing flickers across his eyes when he sees me, but then it's gone in the next second. His face has turned into an impenetrable mask. "What are you doing here?"

  "What am I doing here?" An incredulous laugh bubbles out of me. "I haven't seen my boyfriend in days. Isn't that enough reason for me to be here?"

  He wrenches his gaze away, remorse filling his features.

  A bad feeling churns in the pit of my stomach, but I soldier on. "You've been absent from school for three days, and I was waiting to hear from you. Why didn't you even call?"

  His eyes drift back to mine, but he remains silent.

  Please, give me something. Anything.

  I force a smile. "How's your sister? Is she already discharged from the hospital?"

  "Yes. She's already home. She just stayed there for a night."

  "That's good to know," I say.

  Silence trickles by, awkward and heavy as it hangs in the air, stretching the distance between us.

  How did we come to this? Just a few days ago, we were in a happy place. But now...It feels like everything is crumbling around us. He's slipping through my fingers, and I'm powerless to stop it.

  "Aren't you even going to ask me to come in?" I croak.

  His throat bobs as he swallows. "Sawyer, we need to talk."

  Sawyer, not Peaches. And there's not even an ounce of warmth in his voice.

  The bad feeling inside me grows, making my pulse race, my breathing ragged. "Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like what you have to say?"

  Why do I have a feeling you're going to break my heart?

  "Fuck." He screws his eyes shut, his jaw clenching like there's a struggle inside of him.

  "Don't," I whisper. "Whatever you're thinking, don't say it. I don't want to hear it."

  "Peaches," he says gruffly.

  Tears pool in my eyes, but I hold them back. "You need time for your family, right? Then I'll give you time, however long it takes. I know you need to focus on them. They need you right now, I understand that. I'm not going to get in the way of that. But don't shut me out, okay? I want to be there for you." When he doesn't say anything else, just continues to stare at me with a pained look on his face, my heart squeezes tight in my chest, making it hard to breathe.

  "You know where to find me." I swallow hard, drawing courage, then, "I love you." Leaning up on my toes, I press a soft kiss on his lips and walk back to my car, not giving him time to react.

  It'll be okay. We'll be okay.

  We have to be.

  *******

  "Sawyer, you have a visitor," Mildred announces from the doorway of my room, striding off before I can even ask who the visitor is.

  I sit up on my bed in the next second, turning off the latest Katy Perry song blasting through my bluetooth speaker.

  Is she talking about Parker? Is he downstairs? When I left his house this afternoon, I didn't expect him to seek me out so soon—even though I confessed my love for him. In fact, I thought he'd…

  Oh, why am I overthinking this? He's here. He came to see me. And that's what matters.

  We're going to be okay.

  Heart pounding hard in my chest, I climb out of bed and race down the stairs, almost tripping over a sleeping Duke on my way to the front door.

  But when I step out on the porch, I realize it's not Parker who's waiting for me.

  "Liam?"

  "Hey." A faint smile forms on his lips. He's in his letterman jacket, his blond hair looking damp.

  Did he come from football practice? I can even smell traces of his shampoo. But what is he doing here? I thought he was done trying to win me back.

  "Um, Liam, why are you here?"

  "I just...I heard what happened to Parker's sister. I just wanted to know how Aria is doing...and Parker, too."

  I cross my arms over my chest, conscious of the fact that I'm just in a thin white tank and sleep shorts. Good thing I'm wearing a bra. "Why didn't you go to his house to personally check up on him?"

  "I didn't think he'd be happy to see me."

  He's right. Still, I say, "You don't know that."

  He huffs out a laugh. "Wanna bet?"

  My lips twitch, but I don't comment.

  "So, you and him are doing great?"

  "Not at the moment," I find myself saying. Why I'm telling him this, I have no idea.

  Maybe because I'm frustrated with Parker and talking to my ex-boyfriend about it is just my way of venting. Or maybe it's simply because I feel so helpless about the situation, and I just want someone to talk to.

  "Why?" His brows pinch together in a frown. "What happened?"

  I heave a sigh. "I shouldn't even be telling you this. It doesn't feel right."

  "Would it make you feel better if you imagined me as Quinn or Brayden?"

  I hold in a smile, shaking my head. "I don't think so."

  Liam smirk. "Can't fault me for trying."

  It amazes me how easy it is to talk to him. Not that I still have feelings for him—they're already long gone. It just feels like I'm talking to an old friend. But I guess it makes sense. Aside from being the guy I dated for two years, he'd also been my best friend. He used to be the first person I talked to whenever I had a problem, and the same went with him. If we had broken up on good terms, maybe we would still be friends.

  But as much as I'm tempted to open up to him, I can't. It really doesn't feel right. Like I'm betraying Parker somehow.

  "So, um, how are things with Peyton?"

  His eyebrows shoot up. "You really want to know?"

  "No," I say honestly. "But I need something to distract me." Even if it means talking about my ex-best friend.

  "Okay," he nods, tucking his hands into the pockets of his letterman jacket. "Nothing's really changed though. Peyton and I are still very much don
e."

  "You know she still has feelings for you, right? She wants you back."

  "I know. But the thing is, I've done a lot of thinking. About what happened, about what we did to you and Parker. And I realized how toxic we were together." He chuckles humorlessly, rubbing the back of his neck. "That was really fucking shitty of us to do. We both had these awesome relationships that we just threw away without a second thought. We took you and Parker for granted. I took you for granted." His lips curve into a rueful smile as he stares at me. "Look what happened. I lost the best thing that ever happened to me to someone else."

  I cut my eyes away, not knowing what to say to that. Should I feel guilty that I'm actually thankful it happened? That I'm happy he cheated on me because it led me to Parker?

  "I'm not saying this because I want you back. I'm not gonna lie, I still do. But I'm no longer delusional to believe that's going to happen." He swallows hard, regret looming over his features. "I'm really fucking sorry, Sawyer. I'm sorry for making you cry, for causing you pain—hell, for being a shitty boyfriend. You deserved better."

  I take a deep breath to ease the sudden tightness in my chest. I thought he already gave me closure that day in the coffee shop. Turned out this was the closure I needed.

  My smile is tinged with a little sadness as I stare back at him. "I told you I've already forgiven you, but thanks for saying that, anyway. It's nice to hear it from you."

  Liam gives me a tight smile, letting silence fall between us before saying, "I should probably go. It's getting late." Then he surprises me by wrapping his arms around me to give me a brief hug.

  He's already walking back to his car when I call after him," You can always text him, you know?"

  "I'll try." He smirks over his shoulder before getting into his car and driving away.

  With a soft laugh, I turn around to step back inside the house when a voice stops me.

  "What the hell was Liam doing here?"

  Parker's here. He found me.

  Happiness and relief swirling in my chest, I whirl around to face the boy who owns my heart.

  Only for my smile to fade when I see his stony face staring at me, his dark eyes full of accusation under the porch lights. Why does he look angry?