Page 67 of It Never Was

Reading my face Parker blurts out, "No, sorry. Yes! Sure, your own car is fine." I must be hallucinating because I think I see joy in his eyes.

"Let me just put my apron in the basket and we can go." Parker speed walks through the door faster than I can get any words out.

I rock on the heels and toes of my feet, "You know he is like, crazy about you right?" Gabe says as he takes the last sip of cold brew from the straw, slurping at just ice as he finishes it off.

My eyes go wide, and my cheeks heat up as I stare at mini Parker, "I—"

"Alright, ready to go?" Parker looks from me to his little brother.

"Hope you like chili cheese fries Rye." With those words, Gabe is leading us out the door. I wasn't about to tell him they were in the top three of my favorite foods, his words echo through my mind, 'You know he is like, crazy about you right?'

Parker, crazy about me?

What has Willow got me into, what did I let her get me into

38

Ryen

I wasn't expecting to be walking into Parker Evans' condo when I agreed to lunch, but here I am sitting at his kitchen island while he skins potatoes and stirs the mixture of what smells to be chili, boiling in a pot on the stove.

When he texted me the address in case I got lost while I followed him in my car, I thought we were going to go to the Luis's Diner around the corner or even drive thru at Pat-a-Bun's on the other side of town. Not his place. I should have read the address he sent.

He must have seen the shock on my face as I parked next to him in the driveway of his attached garage, because he apologized for not telling me beforehand and told me if I wasn't comfortable with it he would understand. I had already come this far, and Gabe's words were still lingering in my mind, so I told him I was fine with it.

"I made the chili yesterday, and Gabe insisted on me using the leftovers to make some chili cheese fries for lunch." He was looking at me as he started to cut the potatoes into perfectly sliced sticks, "And of course fresh fries are a must." He slides the batch of potatoes into a cold bath of water, tossing them around with his hands.

"Duh. Fresh fries or no fries bro." Gabe walks into the kitchen swinging open the fridge, "You thirsty Ryen? Wanna soda or water?" he calls to me over his shoulder.

"Water would be great."

Grabbing one from the shelf he walks over, placing it in front of me while he takes a seat on the stool next to me.

"Thanks." I said, opening the bottle and taking a sip.

"Not the best host, is he?" Gabe says nodding to Parker who is now blanching the potatoes in boiling water, "He doesn't usually have people around," he loudly whispers to me, "I'm the exception. But only 'cause I'm his brother." He says snapping the tab of his soda open.

"Sorry, are you bad mouthing me in my own home little Gabby?" Parker's back is still to us as he talks.

"First off, don't call me that. Second, it's not bad mouthing if it's a fact."

Parker peeks over his shoulder to us, his eyes looking at me with what looks like adornment, but that might just be me reading into it because of what Gabe said earlier. "Hey, I got her to smile, point for Gabriel." Gabe gloats next to me, sending Parker a cocky smile, Parker returns it with a challenging look.

A giggle escaped my lips, shocking even me. Parker's eyes turned to me softening.

I didn't realize I was even smiling. Watching them together at home bickering like all siblings must, was amusing. It felt cozy here with them, the aroma of the food in the air and the warming energy of their relationship. It softened me up a bit. But just a bit.

"Well…" Gabe took a long gulp of his soda, "let me know when the food is almost done. I will be on the couch doom scrolling videos on TikTok."

With that he walks out of the room throwing himself onto the couch, leaving Parker and I alone once again in the kitchen. I wished Gabe didn't leave, he helped as a cushion, bringing life to the conversations I was not able to start.

"It's a nice place you have, very…neat." I blurted out trying to replace the awkward silence in the room.

"You seem shocked that my house is neat." He strains the cut potatoes and pours them back into the bowl of cold water.

"A bit." I shrugged, picking at the label of the water bottle, "Guys usually aren't as organized as you are." I looked around the living room behind me, seeing how the set up was full of pictures of people that I could only assume were his family. How there were candles and fake plants around the living area. Everything had its place, maybe it was because this was a new condo, and it was a phase of still getting comfortable here. Either way, it was nothing like Devon's room at his parent's house.

My heart picks up, and I shake the thought of him out of my head.

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