Defending Parker

[Chapter 11]

Chapter 11 (Jillian's POV)

That night had really opened my eyes as to who Parker was as a person. He wasn’t as closed off as people believed, but he also wasn’t the monster that so many made him out to be. He was just a guy with a past, and although I knew he didn’t tell me everything about his past, I trusted him enough to know that he’d tell me when he felt comfortable enough to share it with me.

I wasn’t going to push him anymore, I was going to let the cards land where they may and just enjoy his company.

The only problem with that was, I didn’t quite know how this particular deck of cards was going to be shuffled.

As we sat in each other’s arms, letting the beauty of silence linger around us, I felt my brain start to overanalyze the situation.

‘Why did he put his arm around me in the first place?’

‘Did I really just kiss him on the cheek?’

‘What the hell is going on?’

My brain just wouldn’t shut up, but as the minutes passed and the night started to come alive, I slowly started to let myself enjoy the comfort. Even though I would’ve liked to just stay there with him for as long as I could, I knew that when my eyes started to feel heavy, and a yawn or two were able to escape me, that I should get going.

It seemed as though Parker had picked up on these things as well because, just a few seconds had passed before his arm moved away from my shoulder and he hauled himself up off the ground, offering me a hand to hold. “I think it’s time to go,” he had stated, helping me up as I intertwined my hand with his.

And I didn’t let go.

I kept my hand in his as we headed back to his house, talking about random things that popped into our heads. When we did reach his driveway however, I had completely forgotten about the fact that I had driven here with Saige.

“So let me get this straight,” he started, looking at me with an amused smile on his face, “You chased after me on foot, which could’ve taken you who knows how long, when you could’ve just hopped in your car and drove?”

“I was in a hurry okay,” I mumbled, an embarrassing blush lightly colouring my cheeks.

“Don’t worry, I think it’s cute that your mind went blank when all you were doing was thinking about me.”

My embarrassment turned into a glare as I saw a playful smirk grow on his face. “Hey!” I said, acting somewhat offended as I slapped his shoulder lightly, “I could’ve just let you wallow in your sorrows, but I thought that I’d make things better so the next time we talked it wouldn’t be awkward.”

Although he was laughing at my response, I could tell by the way his eyes lit up that he was appreciative for the fact I had gone after him. “I know,” he said, his laughter dying down as he continued. “And I’m glad you did.”