“What the…Callahan! You came!” Parker’s confusion turns into excitement as he comes over and hugs me. “What are you doing in here?”
I shrug. “Blowing off steam.” He’s drunk, and if I should be punching anyone, it’s myself.
“Yeah, I saw Crystal with Declan.”
It takes me a minute to realize he means Crystal from Kappa Tau, because he saw me with her at Slapshots on Blackout Friday and thinks she’s the reason I’m jealous. I don’t even know who Declan…no, wait, I do.
“The lacrosse guy?” I’m surprised she didn’t go for someone on the football team, since she actually likes that sport, but Parker takes my confusion as me not knowing she replaced me.
“Shit, I’m sorry.”
“We hooked up a few times last year, I’m glad she’s moved on,” I assure him.
“Is everything else okay?”
“Dude, it’s your birthday. Don’t worry about me.” I nudge him and make an effort to smile, because him asking about me with concern just makes me feel like more of an asshole for wanting to punch him earlier. “How many shots are you at?”
“Six for real, officially twelve, I think. I can’t let the boys down, but liver poisoning sounds sucky.”
“Smart man.” I pat him on the shoulder. “Happy birthday,” I start, but an alarm goes off on his phone.
“Shit,” he says before silencing it. “Thanks man, I’m glad you’re here. There’s alcohol in the kitchen, the bag’s yours if you need it, and we can catch up later, but I have to go say goodbye to Banana.”
“Savannah?” I ask, assuming I misheard him. Then I kick myself because I’m sure as shit not masking any of my emotions, and he has a fucking nickname for her. Which happens to also be a fruit.
“You know Banana?” He’s smiling, excited, but then he quirks an eyebrow. I tell myself it’s more protective than possessive, but that may be because I’m trying not to want to hurt him again. Though maybe it would be better if he did get possessive, staked his claim and punched me. Selfishly, I want none of that. Because then I would have to back off, and I’m not sure I could.
“She watches my sister sometimes,” I say like an absolute jerk, diminishing her to a fucking babysitter, but every time I say we’re friends, everyone immediately believes we’re friends with benefits, or secretly dating, and I don’t want Parker to kill me now I’ve decided I don’t want to hurt him.
“Yeah, she loves kids.”
“Didn’t realize she was here. Doesn’t seem like her scene.” I’m fishing, but he doesn’t drop his smile, if anything, it gets bigger.
“If it wasn’t my birthday, a milestone one at that, she definitely wouldn’t be,” he shares, and now I want to hit him again. “Her brother convinced her, but she was only staying for an hour, so I’m guessing she’s about to flee, and won’t waste time trying to find me once her pumpkin comes back.”
“Her brother…what?” I try to make sense of his Cinderella reference, but then I see team photos on the wall. One of them was taken in front of my house, with just a handful of players in it. I recognize the guy beside Parker as Dallas James, who’s killing his rookie season in the NFL…and it hits me. “You didn’t live in the football house when it was on Ivy, did you?”
“Nah, unless you count all the nights I spent on their couch. Which was a lot. I’m glad it stayed in the fam,” he teases with a glance at his watch. He’s about to tell me he really has to go, but…
“Dallas James is her brother,” I state. It isn’t even a question anymore.
I think he wants to deny it, but he goes pale, which confirms it instead. I don’t know how I missed it when they have the same fucking last name.
“Fuck.”
I don’t know why I’m upset. That she didn’t tell me? That whatever she has with Parker could have been years in the making, that even when they’re over, they’ll never really be over…but then Parker’s reaction worries me.
“Dude, no. Friends or not, you tell a soul, and I will end you,” he warns. Or it might be an actual threat. “She doesn’t need that shit. And if you even think of using her to get to him, I will fucking?—”
“What the hell?” I stop him. “Do I look like I give a fuck who her brother is?”
“You just asked.” He has a point, and he’s suddenly completely sober, ready to take me on. For her.
“Because she never said anything, and I didn’t see it…but it makes sense.” I’m so busy defending myself I don’t consider why he got so protective, until… “Wait, did other assholes do that?”
He shakes his head, but it’s more of a don’t go there than a denial, and I fucking hate whoever did that to her.
“I have to go find her, because she’s going to leave, and I need to make sure she doesn’t walk home alone. Because her brother would kill me, or anyone who hurts her,” he says pointedly. “But she’s also the closest I have to a sister. People treat her differently when they know, and it messes with her head, so if you’re about to be one of them…”
