Dare Me Not | 18+ ✔

24. Anger Me Not (Parker)

Did I text him? Did I ask him to stay? What the fuck?

Mom is not answering my calls, and neither are Brit and Sarah. The girls are probably at a club or in their lovers' beds. And Xander is the next person I want to talk to now? I must be out of my mind.

Still, seeing the empty spare bedroom, which was earlier cramped up by Mom's stuff, takes the last piece of my sanity. Mom did it again to me, to us. In all honesty, I knew she would, but why does it hurt so much to witness this? I shouldn't have even tried, yet the naïve me was still holding on to a little hope, thinking that she might change this time. Fuck this. Fuck all of this.

I retract my phone out of my pocket and type on the screen as fast as possible, my fingers slightly trembling to contain my anger. Ignore my text earlier. Everything is under control. I push the 'send' button and let out a heavy sigh. The damage control is done. I bet he hasn't even read my earlier text since I haven't received his reply.

I know how wrong I am when the intercom buzzes. I groan when its screen shows who is standing by the entrance door. He read my first text.

"I'm here," he says once I answer the call, his dark eyes looking straight at the camera, and for a second, it feels like he can actually see me right now.

"I texted again. I'm–"

"I saw," he replies. "Yet, here I am."

"I don't want to waste your time. Shouldn't you go home to your Emma?" Saying her name puts a strange taste into my mouth. I don't like it.

"Let me in, Parker. You texted me to stay after the whole weird thing going on between you and Wyne. I'm worried. At least, I'd like to see you and see myself if everything is alright."

"I am alright," I say in a firm tone.

"Okay." He nods. "May I still come in?"

I'm at a loss for words. Of course, hearing and witnessing are two different things for him. He will push his way through, regardless of what I just said to him, until he can draw his own opinion. He has Hunt as his last name for a reason.

"Fine," I say, pressing the green button to unlock the apartment entrance. Under normal circumstances, I'd put up more fights when Xander pushes his way through. But right now, I don't bother. Maybe I want company, after all.

I quickly close the spare bedroom door and check how I look in the mirror before two knocks announce his arrival at my door. Opening the door, I gesture to him to come inside.

"Welcome. It's not squeaky clean like my dad's place, but it's my home," I say. My apartment had been chaotic in the past few days since Mom crashed in, but the cleaning lady came in this morning to make my space more human. At least, it looks okay now.

Xander walks in, but instead of wandering around his surroundings, his eyes are fixed on my face. It was dark in the parking lot when he witnessed my encounter with Wyne, but now I feel naked under his scrutinizing stare. Why did I let him in again?

"I'm not going to ask what happened if you don't want to tell me. But are you in danger?" he asks.

"No. I'm not in danger," I reply, groaning. "Fuck, this is weird."

"What is weird?"

"To have you here at my place."

"Why would that be weird?"

I close the door and stand still by the foyer, watching him sauntering to my living room. "Because of all the things that have been going on between us," I say. "We're not friends, and you're not a random guy I bring home to sleep with, yet here you are, checking if I'm alright."