𝙳𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟹, 𝙵𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚢
𝟷𝟻 𝙳𝚊𝚢𝚜
Miles POV

Two weeks later, Parker and I start falling into a steady rhythm.

Since his football stuff is done for the year, we've had way more time to spend with each other outside of school. Seeing each other on the weekends has turned into late Wednesday night dates at the diner, Thursday night sleepovers where we never end up sleeping, early Tuesday mornings where we watch the sunrise over the Golden Gate Bridge, and Monday afternoon study sessions.

Life couldn't be any more perfect in these moments.

Besides, I'm dying to spend every single second with Parker that I can. Especially after my little freak-out a few weeks ago. I've been keeping myself on a short leash and pushing down the thought of the future by drowning myself in the present.

Parker adjusts himself in between my legs, jostling me out of the memories. He lets out a big sigh and smacks his pencil down on the paper. "This is so stupid. The damn x doesn't equal to anything! Why did our school think hiring a deteriorating ninety-year-old woman to teach math would be a good idea?!"

My lips twitch as I hold down a smile. There is always a time and a place to feed into Parker's annoyance, but this isn't it. It would be like laughing at a toddler's actions— they'll notice that their behavior got a reaction, so they will bring their next action to a whole new level. We need to be focused on our homework, not gossiping about the zombie teacher.

"Park, if x doesn't equal anything, then maybe that's the answer," I offer and glance up from my science notecards.

He sighs dramatically again and leans forward to push the papers away. As some of the papers slip off the bed, he leans back between my legs and slides down, the back of his head leaning on my abdomen. The hairs on the back of my neck stand when he wraps a hand around my knee and kisses my thigh. "I think the answer to all of my problems is to be done with homework. For now," he adds when I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Finals are coming up soon, ya know," I respond and shift my leg when he kisses my skin again. Every nerve in my body lights on fire. It's been three weeks of us being handsy with each other, but I'm still not entirely used to it. Each touch feels like the first time with him.

"Screw that. I've already got a basket full of colleges to pick from. I don't need school anymore," Parker grumbles and gently runs his teeth over my thigh.

Man, I've been teaching him good.

"Um, yeah, you don't need school!" I scoff and bop his head with a notecard. "Some of us don't have NFL teams already fighting over our name."

Parker scowls and tilts his head backward to look up at me. "One, I don't have NFL teams fighting over me. Two, even if I did, that would be a good reason for you not to worry. I've already said that I'll be your sugar daddy." His scowl turns into a bright grin as he sits up to face me. "I could get used to you calling me daddy."

"What?" I laugh at the thought and set my notecards off to the side. It seems that we're done studying for the evening, anyway. "Don't start that shit when I'm the one who always tops."

Parker snorts, and his cheeks go red, but he doesn't look away. "That's because you never let me try."

"Mhm." I look him up and down. "Let's pretend like that's the only reason."

I grin when Parker rolls his eyes. We both know that he loves my dominance, so there's no reason for him to pretend otherwise. Even now, he practically melts as I wrap my arms around his waist and pull him closer to me. I run kisses down his neck and flop backward, bringing him with me.

We shift around for a moment and get comfortable, our scattered homework forgotten as it gets crushed under our legs. Parker leans on his forearm to hover over me, kissing me again and again.

My heart wrenches with each touch of our lips to the point where I almost feel sick. I have to shove the emotions, the intrusive thoughts, down quickly. Instead, I distract myself by dragging my hands down to his waist and grabbing his ass. There's no way I'm wrecking this moment for myself right now. All of my problems can wait— even if the secret I'm withholding from Parker is starting to eat me alive.

I don't know how much longer I can keep up the lie. Each minute that passes is one step closer to him finding out that my mom isn't going through some insurance-based financial problems. Unfortunately, it runs much deeper than that.

For fucks sake, I wish our biggest issue was finances. At least that is controllable.

Parker pauses the kisses and pulls away, his eyes searching my face. "Somethings wrong?"

Shit, he's gotten good at reading me.

It's difficult to make myself brighten up; however, I still manage to do it.

"No, the only thing that's wrong is that you're still not kissing me," I reply and put a hand behind his head, guiding him back to my lips.

I feel him smile against my mouth as we fall back into an easy rhythm. Relief trickles over me, although so does guilt. It's getting too easy to lie, but I know that if I tell him about my dad, he will absolutely lose his mind.

Enough of thinking about this! I inwardly scold myself and pull Parker's hips closer to mine. He kisses me harder in return, which does enough of the trick to take my mind off my personal life.

His fingers run through my hair and pull at the braids, making me moan into his mouth. It's such a small thing, but damn, does it feel good. I wish that he could keep pulling at my hair every night forever.

Our noses bump when Parker tilts his head to get a better angle. I slowly part his lips further and deepen the connection. It's easy to pinpoint the second that his energy changes as we kiss.

Sometimes, when we get affectionate like this, it feels like I'm driving a sports car. One minute I'm cruising along at a leisurely speed, then my toe will accidentally bump the gas, and suddenly the car is maxing out at 200mph. Don't get me wrong, I love the thrill and the fact that he's comfortable getting dirty, but sometimes I only want to cruise.

I push my hands deeper into his muscles and bite at his bottom lip to get him to chill out. Parker lets out a breath of irritation, but thankfully he listens to me and slows back down.

No part of me wants to rush right now, anyway. I'd much rather enjoy his presence, the feeling of his lips moving against mine. The hustle and flurry of sex can come later.

Speaking of not rushing... That reminds me of something.

"Fuck," I curse against Parker's mouth, which makes him pull away.

"What?" He asks in confusion, his eyebrows furrowed.

"I remembered that you've never really had a chance to meet my mom. That one time from a few months ago doesn't count."

Parker's eyebrows go from worried to surprised. "We're making out, and you're thinking about... your mom?"

"God, no! Well, not really. It just dawned on me," I ramble and run a hand up his back. "I think that we should all get together soon. What are you doing this Friday night?"

That makes Parker brighten up immediately. "Nothing that I'm aware of."

"Good. Keep it that way because I'll pick you up at six. We can go to my house and have dinner with her if that's alright?"

Parker grins and nods before leaning down to give me one more kiss. "That sounds perfect."

- - -

Friday night rolls around quickly, and for some reason, I feel like jumping off of a bridge as I pull into my driveway with Parker in tow.

My nerves are going right over his head. He's been giddy all week. I've talked about my mom so much in the past that she's almost like a celebrity in his eyes, but I hope this night will go well and she'll live up to that image.

On the other hand, maybe it's a dick move to have him meet my mom. This might be the salt in a future wound.

Okay, this was definitely a bad idea.

"How should I talk to her?" Parker rattles off questions as I put my car in park. "We only shared a few words the last time we talked. Is she more of a ma'am person? Or a miss? Mom? Josephine?"

I laugh a little to curb my nerves. His anxiety is cute, and it distracts me from my racing thoughts. "Definitely don't say miss unless you want to be lectured. Maybe start by being polite and work to a first-name basis." My seatbelt clicks as I unbuckle. "Are you ready?"

It feels like I'm asking that question for myself rather than for him.

Parker exhales and nods before unbuckling as well. "Yeah, totally. Let's go."

We both hop out, and I stop at the hood of my car to wait for him. Parker catches up to me, and I take his hand, giving his knuckles a light kiss as we walk up to the front door. I can feel his heart pounding through his palm.

Using my free hand, I open the front door and slip my shoes off. I've never been so nervous about bringing a boy around my mom before.

Parker does the same and follows my lead as I walk to the kitchen.

My mom is standing at the stove, her back to us. She's humming an off-key song under her breath, distracted by the sizzling pan. Thank the lord, she seems to be doing great today. Her hair is clean and wrapped up in a bun, and her clothes are fresh. She even has jewelry on. I didn't know that she kept any of that stuff.

"Hey, momma," I greet her and squeeze Parker's hand. He squeezes mine in return as she turns around.

My mom's eyes light up when she takes us in. "There you boys are! Ah, I was getting worried. You know how Miles' driving is," she teases and winks at Parker as she walks over.

I tsk and let go of Parker's hand when she wraps him in a hug first. For a moment, Parker looks like a deer in headlights, then he loosens up and hugs her back with a laugh.

"Trust me. I'm very well aware. It's really nice to be here again, ma'am. Miles talks about you so highly," Parker says respectfully.

Mom laughs and rubs his back before letting go, holding Parker's shoulders at arm's length away. "I would sure hope that he does! But don't give me any of that ma'am nonsense. We're family. Please, call me Josephine, Jo, or anything else that doesn't make me sound old as dirt."

Parker chuckles again at that, his eyes flicking over at me like he doesn't know if he should be laughing or not. "Okay, noted. Can we help you with anything?"

"Christ, well, I'll be! Miles, you better keep him because he's the only respectful one you've brought around." She picks her spatula back up and points at Parker. "Not bad looking either, for a white boy."

"Mom!" I groan and tilt my head back. "You can't just say that!"

Now, Parker lets out a real laugh. His face is red, but he doesn't seem embarrassed or pissed, only taken by surprise. "Don't worry about it. I'm flattered. And seriously, where do you guys keep your plates?"

My mom shrugs helplessly before waving her hand. "Oh, quit! You don't need to be the one worrying about that. Miles, el cariño, could you please set out the dishes?"

"Por supuesto," I reply and ruffle Parker's hair as I pass by. He frowns and bats my hand away, yet I don't miss his smile either.

As the night goes on, the ball of tension in my chest slowly unravels. Parker seems to enjoy the authentic Mexican dish my mom made, even though the spice is so strong that it even has me sipping water every few minutes. These two hit it off better than Parker and I did the first day we met— I hardly get any chances to join their conversations. Although, I do have to explain some things in Spanish occasionally when my mom gets confused. Her English isn't as defined as mine.

After an hour of chatting, we all make it through dinner successfully.

I burp, gaining the side-eye from my mom as Parker uses the side of his fork to clear his plate.

"Thank you so much for cooking. This was amazing," Parker says gratefully and licks his fork clean.

"It was all my pleasure. I'm glad that we could get together." Mom beams and uses a napkin to wipe her fingers. "I hear you have some big college choices to make soon?"

Parker nods and sits back, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, that's right. The quicker I can get an answer out, the better it'll be for all of the colleges involved so they won't lose sleep at night wondering if I'll be on their team or not."

I smile at that and push my chair back, getting to my feet. "Don't you have until senior year to make a final choice?"

"I do. I'll probably wait until then anyway, no matter how much pressure those colleges put on me."

"You must be very good then to have options?" Mom asks and grabs her water, taking a drink.

I snort and gather everyone's plates. Parker makes a move to help, but I wave my hand at him, making him sit back down. "That's an understatement."

Parker grins and shrugs, settling back in his seat. "I would say so. I don't take it for granted. My talent runs deeper than just... talent. People don't see the years of hard work and dedication. I'm pushed to my limits outside of the regular season. I don't want to sound cocky, but my titles are all well-deserved, I think."

I nod in agreement as I walk our dishes over to the sink. He's right, no doubt about it.

My mom hums in thought. "Not cocky, self-aware. It's too bad that we won't be around to watch your games next year, but I'm sure that Miles can drive us out once or twice after we move back home this winter."

Holy.

Fuck.

The dishes slip out of my hands and crash into the sink. One of the plates cracks.

My blood turns into glue in my veins.

Oh my god, I should have fuckin' warned her that I didn't talk to him yet.

I can feel the air around Parker go still.

His voice is quiet. Confused. "Wait, what? Like, from across town?"

It's mom's turn to sound confused. "No? From Mexico..." she fades out for a moment. "Sorry, did Miles not talk to you?"

Parker's breath hitches. "No."

His sharp tone makes me whip around. My fingers are numb with shock.

This isn't how I wanted him to find out.

Our eyes connect from across the room, and the look on Parker's face makes me want to scream. He's dismayed and shaken, his face pale. I can tell he's baffled like he can't believe it, but he also looks like he finally connected the dots.

And I can already see him slipping away.

Mom looks between us, her eyes pinched. "I'm sorry... I assumed that since Miles knew for a while that he would have talked to you."

Parker's jaw clenches.

The way that he looks at me is what breaks me out of my trance. I hurry back over to the table and take out my car keys. "This was great, mom, but we need to get back to his house before it gets too late."

Mom blinks and nods as she gets to her feet, murmuring a somber goodbye to Parker. He pulls himself together enough to give her a proper hug, except when he turns around, he doesn't look back as he slips on his shoes and leaves the house.

I curse and hurry to tie my old Jordan's before running out the door after him.

"Parker—"

He ignores me, instead jumping in the passenger seat of my car and slamming the door shut.

I wince when my car rattles. This isn't the time to be worried about my Mustang. Dragging a hand over my head, I take a second to gather my thoughts and breath before climbing into the driver's seat.

Sliding the key in the ignition, I hesitate and look over at him.

Parker's arms are crossed tightly, his body tense as he stares out the window as if we're racing down the highway and not sitting stagnant in my driveway. The crickets outside chirp mockingly.

The silence between us lasts forever. I can't bring myself to turn my car on. Instead, I try talking again.

"Hey, Park..."

"Is it true?" Parker whirls around and slams down a hand on my dashboard so fast that I flinch. "What your mom said. It's a fucking joke, right?"

Silence. For the first time in all of our time together, I'm speechless.

Parker blinks rapidly and nods before looking away again. "Bring me home."

"Baby—"

"Miles. Bring. Me. The. Fuck. Home. Now."

Parker's voice cracks, and he raises his hands, pressing his palms against his eyes.

I chew on my cheek and start the engine.

This conversation wasn't supposed to happen like this.

Fuck, this wasn't supposed to happen, period.

The car ride back to his house is long and dead quiet.

The car hardly rolls onto his driveway, and he's pulling the lock up on the door, jumping out before I can even stop.

"For fucks sake, " I curse again and push my car into park. It's tempting to jump out and run after him, grab his shoulders and force him to listen to me, but I know it would be useless.

Instead, I can only feel my heart shatter as I watch Parker walk to the front door, his shoulders shaking with sobs.