Page 85 of Matched By My Rival
I caught a glimpse of a kid hunching over, hand clamped over his mouth in the universal sign of,I’m about to barf.
“Shit!” I glanced around wildly for something, anything to prevent the inevitable mess. The cleanup would be bad enough without vomit in the mix. Despite all the drinking, puking accidents were rare. Most people got themselves outside, but there were way too many people between this guy and the door. He wasn’t going to make it.
My gaze landed on a large bowl of chips on the kitchen counter. I rushed over, dumping the chips onto the floor. Irony, right? Cleaning up chips was better than cleaning up puke, though.
I ran, shoving people out of the way, and extended the bowl just in time. A horrendous sound escaped the guy, and he clutched at the bowl as if it was his saving grace. I backed away as nature took its course, and the people crowded around him suddenly parted like the red sea, wrinkling their noses, most of the girls squealing in disgust while the guys laughed and made fun of the poor schmuck. Society at its finest.
He glanced up, still green at the gills. “What should I…”
I answered from a few feet away. “Take it outside and hose it out. By the corner of the house out front.” I pointed, and he obediently slunk outside. I was pretty sure if he wasn’t pale from puking, he’d be red from embarrassment.
From there, it was one mess after the other. Arguments and sloshing beer. A sorority girl throwing beer in a frat guy’s face. Dorito-dusted fingers being smeared on the sofa—right next to a couple going at it like this party was their personal porn video. Fucking hell. I’d have to make sure Grandma and Grandpa didn’t sit on any of the furniture. A quick, thirty-second tour. I’d insist on taking them to lunch. That would work, right?
I made another circuit of the house and the front and back yards, checking hands to make sure no under-21’s were obviously drunk. As I rounded the corner of the house, I spotted a used condom in plain sight on top of the shrubbery.
“Ugh, animals.” I wasn’t touching that with my bare hands. I’d have to make a sweep of the yard, too, tomorrow. While wearing gloves. Because no. Just no.
By the time I made it inside, I was tightly wound, and the glare had morphed into low-key murderous rage. People took one look at me and scurried away.
Then Parker stepped into my field of vision. “Okay, you’re coming with me.”
I blinked. “What?”
“You look ready to do violence. I think you need to take a break from whatever…thisis.” He grabbed my arm and began to pull me toward the stairs.
“Where are we going?”
“To your room. You can take a breather, and the messes will still be there when you get back.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I muttered.
But I trailed after him like a puppy, nonetheless. I was pretty certain at this point that I’d follow Parker anywhere—anywhere possible, that is. I wasn’t so sure I could follow him if he really did get drafted to the NFL. He’d leave me behind, and rightly so. It was the dream of a lifetime.
The thought made me sad, though.
I hoped he’d make it. I really did. At the same time, I couldn’t help picturing a different life. Parker teaching first grade. Me working with an athletic department in the same town. Both of us coming home to each other.
But that dream was selfish. That dream was the ideal for me, not for Parker. My dream would undoubtedly be a disappointment for Parker, just as it had once been for me. And I didn’t want that for him.
I wanted him to get everything his heart desired.
“Which room, Simon?”
His question brought my spinning thoughts to a halt. Jesus. The way I was mooning around, you’d think I was in love with Parker Reed.
I felt flustered and unsettled. I wasn’t in love. Was I? Could you love a guy you’d hated just a few months ago? I liked him. A lot. I wanted to see him every day. Talk to him, kiss him. He made me smile more, made me laugh. None of my exes had accomplished that. I was too damn serious for my own good sometime.
“Simon?” he prompted again.
“Sorry.” I cleared my throat and pointed to the third door down. “Right there.”
Parker led me inside and closed the door behind us. He turned me around, kneading my tense shoulders. “So, what’s going on with you?”
I sighed, feeling tension leak out of me as Parker worked my muscles. I sagged back against him. “My grandparents are coming to town tomorrow. They want to see the house.”
“Ah.”
“Yeah. They said noon, but knowing them, they’ll show at ten a.m., and I can’t handle them seeing all that.” I waved a hand vaguely toward the door to encompass the house at large.
