Page 14 of The Hookup Situation

A few days later, Lucy and I are standing outside the door to Rory’s new apartment. We showed up unannounced to hang out with him and his new roommate. We Facetimed once and we’ve been texting but we haven’t really spent much time together or gotten to know the guy he’s living with, and we want to check up on him.

Since he’s not answering the door and neither is Parker, we assume they’re not home, so I take out my phone and text Rory.

Me: So Lucy and I want to know when we’re going to be invited over to hang at your new place and get better acquainted with Mr. Gorgeous McSweetie pants.

Rory: You can come anytime you want. You know that. Except right now. I’m not home.

Me: Yes, we know. We’ve been standing outside your apartment for five minutes.

Rory: Omg! Why?

That’s when I see Parker coming up the stairs, lugging his backpack. He spots us and grins.

Me: Oh, wait, I see him. He’s coming up the stairs. We’ll just hang out with him until you get here. Smile emoji. Kissy face emoji. Devil emoji.

Rory: I’ll be there in fifteen minutes! Be nice!

Me: No rush. Winky face emoji

“Hey, Jackson, right?” Parker says when he reaches the door.

“Yeah, hi.” I shake his hand.

“I’m Lucy,” Lucy tells him.

“You guys here to see Rory?” he asks as he unlocks the door.

“Yeah, and to get to know you a little bit,” Lucy tells him as he gestures for us to go inside.

“That’s so sweet of you both. Freckles is lucky to have friends like you.”

Lucy and I exchange a knowing look at the nickname for Rory, and Parker closes the door and sets his backpack down. When he takes off his jacket I see the T-shirt he’s wearing. It has a barbell on it and says, “Good things come to those who weight.” I chuckle and tell him I like it, and he beams.

Lucy hands Parker the plate of brownies she brought and he looks at her like it’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done, thanking her profusely.

“They’re dairy, gluten and egg free so Rory can have them,” she says, and his grin widens.

“Aww, I’m liking you guys a lot already,” he says. “Is he on his way?”

“Yeah, said he’d be here soon,” I say as we take our coats off and hang them up, then follow him into the kitchen. We each grab a brownie and nibble on them, and then Parker opens the pantry and takes out a bunch of different snacks.

“Let’s hang out in the living room,” he says, and we join him. He’s telling us about his classes and sharing some super lame but impossible not to laugh at phys ed jokes. We’re cackling at his latest one:What did the protein shake say to his crush? I’m whey into you– when Rory bursts in the door.

“I’m here!” he shouts, and Parker turns, beaming.

“Hey, freckles!” he cheers, and I see Rory’s cheeks go pink, so of course I have to mouthfrecklesat him and watch as he flushes an even deeper shade of red. “Come sit and join us. Your friends are awesome, by the way.”

We goof off for a bit and then end up playing a game of Pictionary, Rory and Parker against me and Lucy. And sinceRory is an art major they kick our asses, but we have a lot of fun just sucking at it and laughing like crazy. It’s easy to see how much Parker cares for Rory, and it’s clear that while there is attraction there, there’s a friendship blossoming between them, too.

When we leave a few hours later, we hug and kiss Rory at the door, and apologize for not sharing our concerns about his crummy ex sooner. I know it will take some time for him to get Zach out of his head, but he’s already doing so much better, and I know Parker has a lot to do with that.

“Thank you,” he says, and he’s smiling when we say goodnight.

The following week as I’m scrolling through Grindr on my way to evening rehearsal in the hopes of finding someone to hook up with afterwards, I get a notification that I have a new message fromCurious2002.

Don’t read it, I tell myself, and keep scrolling.Don’t read it. I fucking know better. I really should just block him so I don’t have to fucking worry about it, but I’m not that smart.

I’m also weak and pathetic and a masochist, so of course I open the message. And fucking swallow my tongue when I see he’s sent me a very NSFW video of him fucking himself with the dildo I saw in his nightstand. Holy hell. Seeing that incredible ass again, that gorgeous pucker being filled, is bringing back all the amazing sensations from that night.

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