“It isn’t like that,” Chas assures him, and Parrish sighs. I can’t handle seeing him upset, so I move over and take him by the arm.
“It isn’t,” I promise, because we never intended to replace him. Ever.
He looks down at me and then back over at Chasm.
“You can go to prom with us; you’re not staying behind. That’s stupid as fuck. Didn’t you just yell at me for trying to be self-sacrificial? Pot, kettle, Chasm.” Parrish takes my hand off of his arm and squeezes it in one of his as he glances over at Maxx. “What about you? You want to chaperone alongside Tess? We can be one, big happy family.” He doesn’t sound entirely disingenuous about the idea.
X gives him a tight smile in response and leans his shoulder against the doorjamb.
“I would, but my parents want me to have dinner with them on Friday before they head back to Portland; it’s the least I can do to appease them seeing as they’re not thrilled about me staying here.” Maxx stands up straight and gives Parrish a gentle smile in response. “And anyway, I know you’re upset; I understand why. But I love you too much to fight with you right now.”
Parrish huffs out a breath as Maxx turns and heads for the stairs.
“We’ll buy you a few minutes,” Chasm says, grabbing his book bag from the floor and dumping out a pile of condoms on my bed. “I’ll get you more if you need them. Just … don’t do it bareback.”
“Goddamn it, Chas,” I groan, and he chuckles as he slips past. There’s a sadness to it, but a resignation, too. He loves Parrish; I love Parrish. How do we fix this?
Parrish turns to look at me, and my heart flutters in response to his gaze.
“You might’ve told me that he’d already asked you,” he says, but I’m shaking my head.
“No, you come first right now. You’ve been through some shit.”
“You have been through some shit; I drank expensive wine all week and did push-ups.” Parrish exhales as he comes over to stand in front of me, wrapping his arms around me as I chuck my iPad onto the bed and fall into his embrace. He puts his chin on my head and sighs dramatically. “I feel like Tess isn’t going to leave us alone for the entire week; you should have to be at my beck and call for two.”
“Beck and call?” I reply with a choked laugh. “Not once did I ever say I was going to be at your beck and call.”
“Yes, you did,” he assures me, pulling back so that he can look down at my face. He puts his inked hands on my cheeks. “Last night. Even now, your eyes say anything you want, Parrish. And I want, Dakota. All of you. Constantly. Now.”
“Now?” I whisper, and then Parrish is snatching one of the condoms and yanking me into the bathroom. He slams the door and locks it—even though we both know how easily it can be picked.
Parrish guides me to the edge of the sink and then turns me around, so that I’m staring at him in the mirror. He tears the condom package open right away and shoves his sweats down.
I suck in a deep breath, curling my fingers against the countertop.
When Chas said a few minutes, he was being literal. We probably have about five before Tess shows up again.
“You’ve ruined me, Gamer Girl; you put a spell on me.” Parrish sounds annoyed, but also pleased. I watch his expression in the mirror, this mix of wonder and affection and possession.
He pushes my pj pants down and slips the condom on while I watch, urging me onto my tiptoes when he presses himself against me.
“Maybe you put a spell on me?” I whisper back. “You can’t tell someone they’re an eleven out of ten and not expect something to happen.”
His lips twitch in a genuine smile—a very rare expression for him—and I can see that he’s pleased that I remember all the things he said to me. I will never forget that night in the basement nor the one we shared in his room. Never.
“You did so many things for me,” he says, shaking his head. “Waiting for you was always the right choice.”
Parrish slides into me from behind, and I gasp, watching his eyes in the mirror as he does the same to me. We stare at each other, gazes locked as he starts slow and quickly accelerates his pace, making us both sway with the motion of his thrusts.
He keeps both hands on my hips as I struggle to stay on my tiptoes in an attempt to match his height.
I can tell he’s going to be quick, and I don’t care. I’m just so happy to have him back. We’re in that needy stage, I guess, where we want to be with each other every second.
