You Were Never Mine

Kiss & Make Up - Chapter 06

Elle

Parker and I had been spending quite a bit of time together lately. A lot of the time, things were heated between the two of us. I felt such a strong connection to him and he gave off good vibes to me, but there were days I couldn't tell if he was being himself or if he was masking who he truly was. I worried about this, sometimes, just because I wanted him to be honest with me.

I never wanted Parker to feel like he had to hide himself from me. I always wanted him to feel comfortable around me, able to open up to me.

"Elle, you alright?"

I snap out of my train of thoughts and look over at Julia. "Yeah, I'm fine, sorry. I was a bit zoned out for a minute."

"Thinking about Parker?" She raised her eyebrows and a smirk formed on her lips.

The heat rose to my cheeks as I sat there, thinking about him again. "Yeah, but nothing hot and steamy, so don't get your hopes up."

She laughs and puts her sketchbook to the side, looking at me, her head in her hands. She was laying on my floor on her stomach, sketching drawings.

"What's going on then?"

I shrug and turn around in my desk chair to face her. "I just feel like he isn't always opened and honest with me. I don't know. Here lately he just kinda feels spacey. Do you think it's from the pot he's been smoking?"

"Probably. I'm sure he feels like he can open up to you, Elle. You know how guys are though, they're so weird about sharing their feelings and everything. Maybe try to press topics onto him, but don't pressure him to speak up on them. If he knows you're interested in certain things though, he may open up a bit more. You know how guys view us, sometimes we are their weaknesses."

I nod my head, agreeing with what she just said. "You're right. I guess I will bring it up to him the next time I see him. I just never want him to feel uncomfortable around me. I know he has skeletons in his closet he doesn't talk about, but he's very guarded with certain things. Like family for example. I just know there's so much more to the story with that."

Julia grabs her sketchbook and continues doodling whatever it is she was working on previously. "I don't know, Elle, but I do know you can get it out of him somehow."

Chewing on my bottom lip, I turn back around and face my laptop. I was working on a discussion for this class and I had been so caught up in thinking about Parker that I realized I hadn't even written anything yet. The topic was about depression and anxiety, something very many of us struggle with. I sighed and ran a hand through my golden hair, shaking the thought of Parker and his secrets – just for the time being.

✽ ✽ ✽

Parker had messaged me, wanting to see if I'd be willing to come by his place and meet his friends. He always jokes about how they always bring up the two of us being a couple and wanted me to meet them. This seemed like something you normally did in relationships, but I didn't put much thought into it. He said they'd be drinking and whatnot, so he wanted me to come chill.

I was outside of his apartment door, donning an olive-green top which was snug and cropped with a pair of denim shorts that were black. I looked down at my outfit and then back up at his door, knocking on it lightly. The door swung open seconds later and Parker was looking back at me with an award-winning smile on his face. Stepping aside, he held the door open as I walked in.

"Hey beautiful," he commented, planting a soft kiss on my cheek. I gave him a side eye look and shot him a small smile.

"Hey," I replied, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.