“I don’t expect you not to go to your own party. I’ll see you there.”
“You want me to ask someone else? And you’re going with Travis. Do you not see how completely absurd that is?”
I crossed my arms, ready for a fight. “I told him I would go before you and I ever went out, Parker. I can’t cancel on him.”
“You can’t, or you don’t want to?”
“Same difference. I’m sorry that you don’t understand.” I pulled the door open to Morgan, and Parker put his hand on mine.
“All right,” he sighed in resignation. “This is obviously an issue I’m going to have to work through. Travis is one of your best friends, I do understand that. I don’t want it to affect our relationship. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said, nodding.
He opened the door and gestured me to walk through, kissing my cheek before I walked inside. “See you Wednesday at six?”
“Six,” I smiled, waving as I walked up the stairs.
America was walking out of the shower room when I turned the corner, and her eyes brightened when she recognized me. “Hey, chickie! How’d it go?”
“It went,” I said, deflated.
“Uh oh.”
“Don’t tell Travis, okay?”
She huffed. “I won’t. What happened?”
“Parker asked me to the date party.”
America tightened her towel. “You’re not bailing on Trav, are you?”
“No, and Parker’s not happy about it.”
“Understandable,” she said, nodding. “It’s also too damn bad.”
America pulled the strands of her long, wet hair over one shoulder, and drops of water trickled down her bare skin. She was a walking contradiction. She applied to Eastern so we could move together. She was my self-proclaimed conscience, intent on stepping in when I gave into my imbedded tendencies to fly off track. It went against everything we talked about for me to get involved with Travis, and she had become his overly-enthusiastic cheerleader.
I leaned against the wall. “Would you be mad if I didn’t go at all?”
“No, I would be unbelievably and irrevocably pissed off. That’s grounds for a full blown cat fight, Abby.”
“Then I guess I’m going,” I said, shoving my key in the lock. My cell phone rang, and a picture of Travis making a funny face appeared on the display. “Hello?”
“You home, yet?”
“Yeah, he dropped me off about five minutes ago.”
“I’ll be there in five more.”
“Wait! Travis?” I said after he’d hung up.
America laughed. “You just had a disappointing date with Parker, and you smiled when Travis called. Are you really that dense?”
“I didn’t smile,” I protested. “He’s coming here. Will you meet him outside and tell him I went to bed?”
“You did, too, and no…go tell him yourself.”
“Yes, Mare, me going out there to tell him I’m in bed is so gonna work.” She turned her back to me, walking to her room. I threw up my hands, letting them fall to my thighs. “Mare! Please?”
“Have fun, Abby,” she smiled, disappearing into her room.
I walked down the stairs to see Travis on his motorcycle, parked at the front steps. He wore a white t-shirt with black artwork, setting off the tattoos on his arms.
“Aren’t you cold?” I asked, tugging my jacket tighter.
“You look nice. Did you have a good time?”
“Uh…yeah, thanks,” I said, distracted. “What are you doing here?”
He pulled back the throttle, and the engine snarled. “I was going to take a ride to clear my head. I want you to come with me.”
“It’s cold, Trav.”
“You want me to go get Shep’s car?”
“We’re going bowling tomorrow. Can’t you wait until then?”
“I went from being with you every second of the day to seeing you for ten minutes if I’m lucky.”
I smiled and shook my head. “It’s only been two days, Trav.”