Page 84 of Hits Different

“I just got a little light headed, that’s all”, I reach for him, but he pulls away. My voice hardens, “I thought we were over the aversion to hand-holding?”

Parker stalks to my desk and pours a glass of water. I sigh, ignoring the pounding in my head. “Let’s not make this bigger than it needs to be”.

“Bigger than it needs to be?” Parker echoes, whirling round.

It’s only then I realise just how pissed he is. “Carter, are you kidding me? I’ve been out of my goddamn mind. You’re training your ass off in the middle of a freaking storm, for fucks sakes, and then I find youbarely conscious, stone cold…”

“You’re exaggerating…”

“I thought something really fucked up had happened, okay?” He slams his hand on my desk. “And since I’ve got slightly more experience with people dying before they’re meant to than you do, maybe exercise some self-control and bite back whatever dumb joke you’re planning to make right now”.

I close my mouth. Focus on trying to convey an apology using eye contact alone. He refers back to his phone. “Hypothermia: Symptoms. Shivering?”

“Only from the anticipation of finally getting you in my bedroom”.

“What did Ijustsay?” He rolls his eyes. “Tiredness?”

“I guess. But tiredness is a symptom for everything”, I protest. “Parker. I’m literally in bed”.

“Irritation?”

“Yours or mine?”. He glowers. Literally glowers. “Sorry. No irritation”.

“That makes one of us. Hallucinations?”

I’m about to answer when the door swings open to reveal Millie St Clare bearing a tray of soup and chunky white bread. I begin blinking rapidly. “Uh, Parker?”

“You’re not hallucinating”. Parker’s eyes remain on me. “Unfortunately”.

Millie deposits the tray on my lap. “I take it you didn’t tell him why I’m here”, she says, ignoring me.

I look between the two of them. “If you’re trying to engineer another ménage, I’ll pass”. I pull myself into a sitting position, ignoring the spinning in my head. “Been there, done that. Have the emotional scars to prove it”.

“So Carter’s still funny. Wonderful”.

“She came to apologise”, Parker says. He stares pointedly at the soup, and I take a mouthful. It’s annoyingly delicious. “And to tell me that she’s trying to persuade the girl from Darwin’s party to come forward. Not that it matters, because I told her not to”.

“What?” I can’t believe my ears. “What did you do that for?”

“That’s what I said”, Millie says triumphantly.

“Because it would make her a target, and she’s been through enough”, Parker says evenly, with the air of someone who’s tired of giving the same explanation to the same question. “And because I don’t want to keep going backwards. Not when my life is going forwards”.

“But what if he does it to someone else?”

“Excellent point, Carter”, Millie says.

“Thanks, St Clare”.

Parker looks between the two of us, nostrils flaring in annoyance.

“First of all, I’m not enjoying this little alliance. Secondly”, he turns to Millie. “Amanda doesn’t really want to come forward. I’m not going to have her forced into doing something she doesn’t want to. The only person who took a real hit was me, and I’m okay with it”.

“But you shouldn’t have been expelled!”

“Carter, believe it or not, I like where I’m at right now. Here. With you. I’m not looking to do anything to change that”. Millie bites her lip thoughtfully. “I’m actually happy. For once. Is that cool with everyone?”

“You know how you can tell someone’s really happy?” He looks so annoyed I can’t help but give a little smile. “They look really pissed off when they’re saying it”.

---