Page 36 of Playing with My Heart

“Travis.” Garrett’s voice was gentle. “We’ve never seen you like this over anyone before. It’s a good thing. Parker must be really special.”

I felt my cheeks heat. “He is,” I admitted softly. Just thinking about Parker made my stomach do flips. His gorgeous body, that crooked smile, the way he bit his lip when he was concentrating.

“Earth to Travis!” Akio’s voice snapped me out of my Parker-induced daze.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

“Don’t apologize,” Garrett said. “It’s adorable. Our little Casanova is growing up.” I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help smiling. As much as they teased me, I knew my friends were genuinely happy for me.

“Alright, enough mush,” Jasper declared. “We need a game plan. First things first—outfit.”

Akio’s eyes lit up. “Ooh, yes! I’ll take you shopping. We’ll find the perfect first date look.”

I groaned. “Do we have to? Can’t I just wear jeans and a nice shirt?”

“Absolutely not. You’re not hitting the clubs,” Akio said firmly. “This is a special occasion. You need to go all out.”

“Fine,” I grumbled, knowing it was useless to argue. Akio had impeccable taste, so there was no doubt I’d be in good hands.

“Great, that’s settled,” Jasper said. “Now, where are you taking him?”

I hesitated. “I—hadn’t really thought about it yet,” I admitted sheepishly.

Garrett and Jasper exchanged a look. “Leave it to us,” Garrett said. “We’ll come up with the perfect romantic spot.”

“Nothing too cheesy,” I warned.

Jasper snorted. “Please. Have you met us? We’ve got this.”

As they started tossing out ideas, I felt a mix of excitement and terror swirling in my gut. This was really happening. I was going on a real, honest-to-God date with Parker. The guy I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about for months.

“You okay?” Akio asked softly, noticing my faraway look.

I took a deep breath. “Yeah. Just—what if I mess this up? I’ve never done the relationship thing before. What if I’m terrible at it?”

He squeezed my shoulder. “You won’t be. Just be yourself. That’s the beauty of starting out as friends first, Parker already knows you and likes you for who you are.”

“But what if?—”

“No what ifs,” Jasper interrupted. “You’ve got this, Trav. And we’ve got your back every step of the way.”

I looked around at my friends—my family—and felt a wave of gratitude wash over me. “Thanks, guys. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Crash and burn, probably,” Garrett teased.

I laughed, some of the tension finally easing from my shoulders. Whatever happened with Parker, I knew I’d always have these guys in my corner. And somehow, that made everything seem a little less scary.

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, fidgeting with the collar of my crisp blue button-down shirt. My usually confident demeanor had vanished, replaced by a bundle of nerves I barely recognized.

“Get it together, Brooks,” I muttered, running a hand through my carefully styled hair. My heart was racing, palms sweaty as I checked my watch for the hundredth time. 6:55. Five minutes until I was supposed to pick up Parker. From my own guest room. God, this was weird.

I took a deep breath, trying to channel some of my usual swagger. It was just Parker, right? The same guy I’d been hanging out with since he moved here. The same guy whose laugh made my stomach do backflips and whose smile—Nope. Not helping.

With trembling hands, I grabbed the bouquet of flowers from the counter. Roses felt too cliché, so I’d gone with a mix of colorful wildflowers I hoped he would like.

“You can do this,” I told my reflection. “It’s just a date. No big deal.” But it was a big dealbecauseit was Parker. And for the first time in my life, I actually cared about not screwing things up.

At exactly seven o’clock, I found myself standing outside the guest room door, shifting my weight from foot to foot. I raised my hand to knock, then hesitated. Should I have texted first? Was knocking too formal? Before I could spiral further, I forced myself to rap my knuckles against the wood. Three quick taps.

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