Find me in Stonebrook

Twenty

*Parker's POV*

"No that wasn't in the rules Nate." Jayde prodded the cue into his chest as they began arguing. I don't know why Silas hasn't banned us from playing in here. It always turns into Jayde and Nate arguing over something and nothing. Tess was joining in today though which didn't make anything better, just a hell of a lot funnier as she dragged everyone else into it. I took my chance to escape, heading to get another drink.

Apparently Wells made a huge difference to Tessa. She was an entirely different person tonight, dancing with him and singing the lyrics to some random country song from the juke box. He knew them all as well, you could see they were honestly as close as close gets. She wasn't even like this with Jayde or Jules but I wasn't concerned. She kept looking over at me, the whole night. That look in her eyes that told me she was happy right now. It wasn't how it was last night. This look was more like it had been Wednesday before it took a turn.

"She's something isn't she?" I turned my head, standing at the bar with my head in the clouds.

"Tessa?" Wells nodded. "You could say that."

"I wasn't supposed to come down until Sunday. But I spoke to her yesterday and I knew something was off and she wasn't telling me over the phone. There's a lot of things she hasn't been telling me apparently." I nodded. "I'm gonna be honest Parker. I haven't liked you from the moment Tessa knocked on my door with a paper in her hands asking me for the room in my apartment with mascara down her cheeks. 7 years I've been watching Tess go through everything and helping as much as I could but nothing ever quite fixed it all."

"So, you followed me to the bar to tell me you don't like me? Nice one."

"No. I followed you up here to work out how I get her away from my fuck wad of a brother."

"Wait, Ben's your brother?"

"Unfortunately, yes." He snarled. "I've known somethings been off with them for a while but she only told me when I got here last night and I managed to get everything out of her. I'm trying to not drive back home and rip his head off his shoulders for what he did but she's specifically asked me not to so I won't."

"Looks like she ended up with the wrong brother."

"Oh, god no. I love Tess but not like that." He shook his head quickly. "I'm dating one of her co-stars anyway."

"Lina?"

"Logan." Ah. I nodded quickly. Not his type then apparently. "He was going to propose to her on that trip. She ran when she found out. She doesn't want Ben, thank god. She's gonna need some convincing if you want her Parker. She needs a reason to take the risk. Ben isn't a risk. He's trying to make up for what he did and he has her convinced no one is going to support her like he does. Financial wise, she's fine. I can sort her bills, that was never an issue. She wants physical support. An A grade cheerleader. That's the only thing I cannot fault Ben on. He isn't at every show but when he is you can hear him screaming her name at the end. He's the first one to stand and applaud her, the first one to throw roses on stage and celebrate with her when she gets a part she really wants. That's something apparently no one here has been able to give her."

"I've told her-"

"Telling her and showing her are 2 different things Parker." He turned, nodding his head for us to go back to the packed outside room. We stood along the back wall, watching her celebrate a win with Jules and Jayde, dancing with the cue stick. "I've face timed her at least once a day since she came down here and I can't say she isn't happier here. I can tell when she's seen you, even when she's been arguing with you. She's just more relaxed. You're what she wants Parker. She thinks she's an expert at hiding it but if you look hard enough it's blatantly obvious. She just wants someone that's proud of her. Wants to show her off and not judge her for whatever has happened."

"Do you honestly think I have a chance at turning the tide on her?"

"I don't think you just have a chance. I know for a fact you do. My advice? Get her like you got her the first time. Stop caring what everyone else is going to say even if she's worried about it, tell her to get out of her head. Sometimes she just needs a good push."

I sighed, taking a swig of my beer and watching Tessa as she broke the next game into play. I never got the chance to teach her how to play and this was something we could have had a shit tonne of fun doing.

I don't know how I even got my first chance with Tess. It just happened. One minute we were 13 year old friends riding around on our bikes, the next thing I knew I was kissing her on her doorstep and she didn't stop me. She never stopped me. No matter what I did, what I said as a stupid teenager, Tess would take a day to breathe it out and come back perfectly fine.

"Why are you helping me if you don't like me?"

"Because Tessa does and that is the one thing we both have in common. Wanting what's best for her."

"You think I'm what's best for her?"

"Lots of questions." Wells rolled his eyes. "What's best for her is for her to be happy. However, that is, whoever it's with. She's barely taken her eyes off you tonight, hasn't stopped talking to me about you since I got here. About how you want to do whatever for her and the life you've got her planning. The entire time I've known her, she's never been able to give me any more of a future plan than get to Broadway and when she got there she fizzled out. She didn't know what was next or where to go. She was lost. That girl over there doesn't look lost to me. Does she?"

"No."

"Because you've given her a future she can see herself living in. But here's the warning I'll only give you once Parker. She doesn't have a big brother or a dad so that falls to me. You hurt Tessa again. Unintentionally or intentionally. You tell her she can't do a single thing, make her feel like anything less than phenomenal, I will make your life a living hell." He stared at me. The guy wasn't the least bit threatening. He has the softest looking face I've ever seen. And yet, I knew he wasn't joking.

"Noted."