Dare Me Not | 18+ ✔

27. Crossroad (Xander)

I totally forgot that I was supposed to be at Barb's today when I made an appointment with Parker this afternoon. Shit. Would Parker get mad if I picked her up an hour later? At the moment, making her pissed is the last thing I want to do, but I've promised Emma to do this for Barb. How will I split myself into two and be in different places at the same time?

"I'm making the beef stew you love," Barb says, taking off her shawl and letting it drop onto her reading chair, making Emma groan and stand up to fold the fabric properly. "And you will love the pie I have ordered from Aspen. Your tummy will be pampered like a kid having too many snacks during Christmas. You'll see."

"Actually..." I pause to find the best way to say I can't stay all evening, but Emma's scrutinizing glare stops me. I gulp. "I can't wait." I will need a different approach for this.

Emma's mom smiles widely, clapping her hands together. "Perfect! Have one more round of tea while I'm warming up dinner."

Once Barb disappears into the kitchen, Emma turns to me and whispers, "What is it?′

"What is it what?" I ask back.

"You're restless. I can see you've been fidgeting since we came here." She sighs. "And don't think I didn't catch the sign that you don't want to be here right now." Emma has always been sharp in reading the room, and that's why I love her – I mean, loved. But at the moment, I wish she was a bit more ignorant.

"I...need to be somewhere else in" -I glance at the analog clock above Barb's TV- "an hour. I can't stay long for dinner."

"You made an appointment with someone else while you knew it was Barb's day?" Emma frowns. "You promised we would do this."

"I know." Fuck. I feel like a jerk to Emma. She doesn't deserve this. "I'll stay as usual."

Parker is going to bite my ass off if I cancel her at the last minute. And in all honesty, I don't want to cancel our appointment. She's been occupying my head since I left her place this morning, and it's getting too much now. Regrets and excitement twist inside my chest every time I think of all the things we did last night, and we need to talk about it; the basic talk.

"I need to text someone. Excuse me," I say as I fish my phone out of my pocket.

"Who are you going to meet on Saturday night?" she asks while eyeing my fingers dancing on my phone screen.

"A...friend." 

Something came up and I don't think I can make it at 7. Is after 9 still OK? I wince slightly when I hit the 'send' button.

"Ah. You have a date." Emma gasps. "Who is she?"

"It's not a date." I glance at the living room door to make sure Barb doesn't make a sudden appearance, before lowering my voice, "Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you who she was. It's not what we've agreed to."

"Fair." She picks up the pot and pours some more tea into our porcelain glasses, her jaws clenching. Is she mad? Or am I imagining it? "I will find out about her, eventually. So, how's Blair?"

I clear my throat. "She's fine. She seems to focus on her school a bit more lately."

"Good. I hope she understands by now that her lifestyle leads her to nowhere."

My phone buzzes, and the message from Parker pops on my screen. I'm meeting someone after dinner. Next time then.

My stomach drops.

***

I'm not a kid who thinks that one night of mind-blowing sex with a girl would automatically give me a pass to be a jealous freak. And by all means, Parker is like a wild horse. She fucks around, and she doesn't settle with any man. I still remember the evening she told me she didn't sleep with the same man twice. So, she's probably done with me.