by Lexi Banks
Parker laughed again as he stepped into my apartment. “It isn’t laziness. You work your ass off.”
He walked into my kitchen as if he belonged there, which in a way he did. I was seventeen years of age when the cancer came back and finally killed my mom. I could have remained living in the home I’d grown up in my whole life, but there were too many memories there. I needed the clean break, or I wouldn’t ever have moved on. Another family lived there now, and it was a home filled with happiness. I went past it every now and again just to see it having more life within it to make me feel good. So, with the money from the house, I used some of it to buy this place for myself, and Parker was one of the first people who came inside, so it made sense that he felt at home here. It wasn’t anything like his own, massive home, but he seemed to like it just as much.
“I’ll just get some plates and do you have anything to drink?” He spotted what he was looking for. “Oh, don’t worry I’ve found it. You go and get your butt back on the couch, find something good to watch.”
After all the promises that I had just made to myself about being productive flew out the window as I did exactly what Parker commanded. I flicked through the channels until I found a crime drama that was something Parker would enjoy. I liked this sort of thing too when I’d watched it from the beginning, but Parker could happily watch something from the middle and not care at all. He could pick up the storyline easily.
“I have a favor to ask,” he admitted as he came into the room. “If you have some time later on?”
“Sure. I do. What is it?”
“I need some new furniture for the house, and you’re so much better at that sort of thing than me.”
“Yeah, I really am.” I gave him a giant smile. I was always making him change the things in his house because he didn’t really care how the interior looked. Or, it wasn’t so much that he didn’t care, just that he didn’t really think about it. He didn’t so much look at what was around him at home. “I’ll give you a hand for sure.”
“Good.” He nodded seriously. “Because you’re right about the dining room table. It has to go.”
“No worries.” I felt some enthusiasm burning in the back of my throat. “We can go today if you want?”
He nodded and started to dig in so I did the same and the food felt wonderful. It brought me back to life once more. I ate fast, without caring if it slurped down my chin at all. Parker had seen me eating messily enough for me not to care. It wasn’t exactly like we were on a date or anything, so I felt just fine about it.
“How’s your research going?” he asked me, genuinely wanting to know. Parker was always one who didn’t ask questions if he didn’t want to hear the answer. “You still in the middle of testing that experimental treatment?”
“Well, I’m not conducting it personally,” I smiled and laughed. “I don’t quite have the scientific knowledge for that, but I’m really glad to be on the team, to do whatever I can because I think it looks good.”
I never wanted to get too excited about anything because I knew it could always go either way, but this I really did have a good vibe about. I had a good feeling that this could at least do some good.
“Good, that’s great news. I always knew that you would do something great.”
“Oh yeah?” I shoved him playfully. “Back when we were like, what, twelve? When I was dorky with a metal mouth filled with braces, and I wanted to be a model? Did you think I would do well then?”
That was after my mom got sick the first time. She beat the disease the first time around, giving me the feeling of invincibility. I assumed that she would be around forever, so I started focusing on wild unattainable dreams. I didn’t ever think I had what it took to become a model, but that was the dream for the day.
“You could still be a model now, if you wanted.” Parker, as kind as ever, reassured me. “You have the looks you know, so yes, I still believe in you. Of course I do! You could be anything you wanted.”
He really meant it as well, I could recall him telling Billy as much at the time. Billy was the hot guy in high school, the one who everyone wanted to be with. Not so much me, I didn’t really see the appeal in him at the time, but it still hurt to have him make nasty comments about me. Thank God, I always had Parker!
“Yeah, you probably actually believe that as well.” I laughed and rolled my eyes. “You’re nuts.”
Things had been a little weird when I first mentioned the bachelor auction thing, mostly from me of course, so I was glad that it hadn’t come up again. I found it much easier not to think about. I wasn’t sure why I reacted so weirdly to the idea of him being put up for a date and I preferred to ignore the idea completely. Although, every time I darted my eyes towards Parker, I got this funny feeling inside. It was as if I knew there was something going on inside of me, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Not just yet.
“This food is delicious by the way. Don’t let me forget to give you the money for it.”
“Oh no.” He shook his head vigorously. “I brought it, I don’t want your money.”
“It’s my turn to pay though.” I cocked my head to one side to give him a look. “You got it last time.”
I braced myself, expecting a row from him about how he could afford things that I couldn’t, but as usual, I didn’t get it. Thank God the money hadn’t changed Parker; I would have hated it if his success changed him as a person. I guess there was a time when I really thought that it might do so... we’d been lucky so far.
“Alright,” he relented, thank God. “Sure whatever. I’ll take your money from you.”
I moved over to the table and grabbed my wallet and pulled a bill from it. As I handed it to Parker, I could tell that he didn’t really want to take it, but he did anyway. He folded it carefully and stuffed it into his pocket.
“Right, are you ready for the world? Do you think you can come out like this?” He looked me up and down seriously. Okay, so I was normally a little scruffy, but this was off the scale. “For shopping?”
“No, of course not.” I rolled my eyes in an over the top dramatic fashion. I also flung my hands onto my hips and smirked. “I’ll need to get changed, but that will take me about five minutes, you know me.”
Parker grabbed the remote control and turned the TV up, settling down to watch a few more minutes of the crime drama while I got dressed. All the way into my bedroom I had this weird smile on my face, which I couldn’t place. It got even wider when I reached my room, and I stared up at the picture of me, Parker, and my mom during a ‘good time’ in between her illness stages. I guess it was just really nice to have someone there who understood me and knew me from all of that period of time. It meant I didn’t need to forget about it.
I ran a finger down my mom’s cheek, brushing my hand over her hair that was almost the same color as mine, if not a little browner. I got everything from her really; there wasn’t any physical evidence that I really had a father at all. The pictures of her always got me choked up, but the fact that I was doing something positive and turning her death into something meaningful made it easier. I just hoped that she was up there somewhere looking down on me and knowing that I was trying my hardest.
“Right, Mom,” I muttered to the image like I sometimes did. Maybe it made me look a little like a crazy person, but it helped me to keep calm. It was something I had been doing ever since she passed away and I didn’t think a time would come where I could stop. “I’m out. With Parker. I’ll see you later on.”
In my head, I could almost hear a response from her, but I ignored it.
Chapter 5 – Parker
(One week later) – Thursday
“Oh my God, dude, can I never get rid of you?” Buster teased with an eye roll. “I swear to God; you are the person who is in my office most of all. I can’t seem to get rid of you, however hard I try.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. You love me being here.” I took my seat. “How’s it going?”
“I don’t
have another report all ready for you,” he warned. “I could get the computer to sort it out, but I’m not going to unless you tell me why you’re really here because I can tell it isn’t for the numbers today.”
“Oh yeah? And what makes you think that exactly? You know me so well, do you?” Buster simply gave me a look, suggesting just that was exactly it. “I’ve just come in to say hey, that’s all. Nothing more.”
Buster raised one eyebrow at me. “Either you’re bored...” Yep, that was partly it. “Or you have something to talk about. Or maybe you have something you want to ask of me? A favor, perhaps?”
“Yeah, okay, it kind of is.” I had to be honest; there was no point in lying. “I wanted to know if you wanted to come out for lunch today with Madison and me? She’s running some charity thing, and she needs...”
“Cash?” he joked. “Because surely, she can get plenty of that from you. She knows you’re rich, right?”
“Oh yeah, very funny. No, it isn’t that at all. She’s running this, I don’t know how to explain it, bachelor auction thing; do you know what I mean when I say that?” Buster nodded. “Yeah, and she needs guys for it.”
Buster sucked in the sort of breath that a mechanic makes when you take in a car with a problem. That noise that generally means you’re about to be stung for a whole lot of money. Then he shook his head. “No can do, actually. I know this is hard to believe but I’m getting serious with someone, so I can’t.”
This literally knocked the breath out of me. I didn’t know what to think! The idea of Buster having an actual girlfriend was crazy; he was the most well-renowned bachelor that I knew. I didn’t think he ever wanted to settle down. Even when women stuck around for a while, he always knew they would leave eventually.
“Who is it?” I pretty much demanded. “I can’t believe it. You... and commitment. It just doesn’t go.”
“Oh, I know, but I’m almost over the hill. It’s about time, isn’t it?” Under the joke he was making, I could tell that there was something serious going on here. “And Lola... well, she’s something else. I mean, she’s special, you know.” He had this odd misty-eyed look about him. “She’s the one.”
“The one? As in marriage material? Oh my God, what are you on about, Buster?”
“I know right?” He tossed his head back and let out a bellowing laugh. “I can hardly believe it myself, but when you meet her, you’ll understand.” He shivered, almost as if it was an involuntary action. “She has this power over me. She affects me in ways that I can’t really explain. She’s... special.”
Something about Buster’s words had me floating, as if I had lost the one thing that anchored me to the planet. I wasn’t sure why, but this big change in my friend’s life left me more than a little confused. It didn’t directly affect me one bit, yet I felt like I had been sucker punched by it. I didn’t know why.
“You’ll find someone soon,” Buster continued as if he could see right through me. “And when you do, you’ll make a wonderful wife for someone. You are very handy in the kitchen, aren’t you?”
His words echoed what Maddie had told me once upon a time, back in the days when I was unhappy because I didn’t think anyone would ever like me. Well, not exactly like that, she didn’t put it in a jokey way, but the sentiment was there. A warmth filled my chest as I recalled her saying that to me.
“You know, it is the twenty-first century,” I giggled back. “Gender stereotypes aren’t a thing anymore.”
“Come on then.” Buster stood up. “Let’s go to lunch with this lovely lady who isn’t yours.”
Isn’t yours... Maddie wasn’t mine, not in that sense of the word, but it still felt odd to hear him put it in that way. Or maybe his announcement about Lola just had me all weird. Either way, I ignored my brain.
Madison was already sitting in the café before me and Buster got there, surrounded by paperwork, just like she always was. If she didn’t have her head buried in some work, it was almost like she’d explode. I wanted to laugh to myself and make some comment to Buster about her, but I didn’t. His idea that there might be something there between us made things strange when they didn’t need to be. I’d only invited him to come for lunch because I thought that he would do the bachelor auction thing, so I didn’t have to. Now I was regretting it.
Maddie’s face lit up as she looked up to see Buster and me. Then she indicated for us to take seats in front of her. She gathered up her papers quickly to make room for us to actually eat if we chose to.
“Hey, guys!” she called out gleefully, her happy tone immediately rubbing off on me. “How are you?”
“Oh, well I’m very good thank you.” Buster shot her an award-winning smile. “Parker has just been telling me all about the new fundraiser that you’re running. The bachelor auction. Sounds interesting.”
I shot him a warning look. What the hell was he doing bringing that up when he had no intention of taking part in it himself? It was almost as if he was trying to torture me or something. Of course, my glare was ignored.
“Yes, I sure am.” Maddie nodded. “Why, do you think you might want to do it? A handsome guy like you is sure to drum up a whole bunch of attention? Am I right?”
“Unfortunately for you, the timing couldn’t be more wrong.” Buster gave her a false apologetic shrug. “I’m off the market these days so I can’t be auctioning myself off, even for charity. I’ll donate though.”
“Oh.” Maddie’s face fell, but I could tell that was so much more to do with the loss of Buster as a potential bachelor than anything else. I gave her a sympathetic smile which she returned. “Oh well...”
“But I wouldn’t worry about it.” Buster patted me on the back. “Parker will do it; he’s happy to.”
“What?” I could feel my cheeks heating up with embarrassment. “I never said that.”
Maddie’s eyes turned into a puppy dog look. I could tell that losing Buster was a big blow and she needed someone to make up for him. She was probably counting on that spot and now she needed someone new. I had the horrible sinking feeling that she needed me now, and I found it hard to say no to her.
“Oh, I don’t know.” I tried my hardest to say the dreaded two-letter word. “I don’t think I can.”
“Oh, don’t be like that.” Buster shook his head in a bemused fashion. “You can do it, Parker.”
“Please, Parker.” Maddie actually grabbed my hand, her skin adding to my desire to give her whatever she needed. “I’m having a bit of a hard time putting this together. I need your help.”
“How can you resist it when she asks like that?” Buster dug the boot in. “Come on, Parker.”
“I’ll only do it if you bid for me,” I blurted out to Maddie, without much thinking about what I was saying. My brain was darting all over the place, my heart hammering against my rib cage, I felt all messy and raw.
“Oh, right sure.” Maddie’s eyes darted up into her hairline. “I’ll bid on you. Why, is that why you’re so freaked out because you don’t think anyone will bid on you? They will for sure. I will anyway.”
I nodded, silently admitting that of course, that was my issue. I had no idea who these other guys were, but they were bound to be more personable than me. More attractive, better company, God this was like high school all over again. I felt like the dorky kid who got overlooked every single day.
“Oh, my goodness, you really don’t see yourself, do you?” Maddie smiled. “You’ll be the best one!”
I wasn’t convinced, but I allowed her words to wash over me anyway, to make me feel good. It felt nice to have someone like Maddie being so complimentary to me. I suppose that swayed me into agreeing.
“Oh wow, thank you so much, Parker.” Maddie wiped some imaginary sweat from her forehead. “That saves my life. You’re a legend.” She scraped back her chair. “I’m just popping to the bathroom. Be right back.”
As she left, I could feel Buster’s intense eyes upon me. I ignored him for a moment, studying the menu int
ently as if it contained something fascinating, but it wasn’t long before I had to turn to see him.
“What’s the matter?” I asked him wearily. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Do you want Maddie to bid on you because you’re frightened that no one else will bid on you, or because you want her to win?” He gave me a very knowing look. “Because I don’t think it’s the first one.”
I shook my head, refusing to acknowledge him and his stupid question. My ears did burn brightly under the weight of it all, so I turned away. Why did Buster continue to try and make thing difficult between me and Maddie? Everything always was and always had been fine between us, so why did he insist on changing it?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s your fault I’m stuck in it in the first place.”
“Oh right.” Buster sounded amused, as if he was sharing a joke with himself. “Sure, you don’t. I believe you. I’m sure that thousands wouldn’t. And I only put you in it because you want to be really. You’ll thank me.”
I couldn’t ever see that happening, there wasn’t any universe in which I would thank him, but I couldn’t get into that with him right now. It was pointless to do so. Once Buster had his mind set to something, he was stubborn. I silently wished his girlfriend luck with that personality trait; she would need it!
As Madison came back out of the bathroom, I could feel my heart hammering against my rib cage. But that was only because of the upcoming event that I had unwittingly given myself over to, nothing to do with Maddie. The only reason I would even consider that as an option was because of Buster and his confusing words.
Ignore him, I scolded myself. Just focus on Maddie as the friend that she’s always been.
But I couldn’t keep my eyes on her for too long; it was like staring into the sun. If I kept looking at her for too long, then my retinas would end up burned.
Chapter 6 - Madison