Parker

Chapter 22: Aggie

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The next two weeks passed by in a rose-colored haze.

Aggie had heard once that being in love was supposed to make you feel like you were drunk, but that wasn't how it was with Parker. Being around him steadied her; grounded her. It was as if the rest of the world was pure maddening chaos, but the second he stepped into view, lopsided smile directed at her, everything stopped spinning. It all made sense again. It was safe.

She met him at work every evening after that first night, jumping into his arms the second he came into view. It was as if his arms were a prescribed medication-seeping into her skin. They talked about everything and nothing. She could have listened to him repeat every childhood story he had in his memory, and she wouldn't have gotten bored. Sneaking him into her bedroom became a nightly routine. Her horrid memories and dreams weren't so bad with him holding her as she slept.

Their evenings were often spent in his room. Her, lying with her back against his chest, book in hand. His arms around her shoulders, sketchbook resting on his leg, holding her as he drew. His father would walk by his open bedroom door and smile when he saw them.

Parker came over frequently for dinner. Aggie's father had been wary of him at first, but eventually, he had let his guard down. Soon they were talking about television, and cars and Parker listened patiently as her father gave him stock advice that she was almost positive he would never use. She even noticed Georgina cracking a small smile when she spotted him holding Aggie's hand over the table.

They visited the basement sometimes, listening to Becca and Heath bicker about wedding details as they whispered in each other's ears and laughed quietly. They were frequently spotted wandering around town, hand in hand, or his arm resting snugly over her shoulder. They often caught a few eyes following them as they walked. Heath once recited a few lines of gossip he'd heard around town.

"I heard Aggie just got out of a mental institution. She thinks she's Mira. That's why she's so thin now."

"She's hired that Parker guy as her personal photographer for her Instagram. They fell in love while doing a photo shoot in Spain."

"It's a summer fling. She's slumming it before marrying some rich entrepreneur next winter."

Aggie laughed at each and every one of them. They were only words. What she and Parker had was so much more. It was sunsets against a clear horizon. It was blood and hearts beating together. It was the two of them, transcending anything and everything that their lives had been before now.

The other day, they had gone to the town's sole diner with Heath, Becca, Ron, and Jay. Aggie had ordered her usual salad with a side of dressing. Only when her food arrived, they brought a strawberry milkshake along with it: her favorite. She didn't have to guess who ordered it. She shot Parker a small smile, picking the whipped cream off bit by bit. It was then that he slid a napkin over to her. There was a little drawing on it; rough and slightly messy. It was girl leaning over the table, hand resting on her chin, lips slightly parted, long hair cascading over her shoulders.

It was her.

"When did you...." she said in awe.

"Just now," he said with a shrug. He kissed the top of her head affectionately before turning to his food. "You looked so pretty. I just wanted to draw it."