Four

Four

Parker

Rhys is on my mind for most of the next few days. I wish I could see him again before Tuesday, but he said he didn’t have time until then. He said he had to work. I hate that he’s doing that for a living. I’m no one to judge; it’s not about that. It’s the fact that I can tell Rhys hates doing it. He didn’t say it, but I heard it in his voice when he talked about it.

I spend more than I probably should trying to think of a way to help him without it seeming like an insult. I considered offering him money for his time, but that felt strange. Like I would be expecting something from him. And that’s not the way I want him to look at me.

By the time I leave the office for my lunch break, I still haven’t come up with anything. I wish I could talk to Cameron about it, but he’d probably freak out if I tried to explain everything to him. After he found me that day, when Dad was beating the shit out of me, Cam became even more protective. No, if I were to tell him, we’d have a huge fight because he wouldn’t want me getting involved.

I’m headed into the In-N-Out closest to the office when I spot Rhys on the sidewalk. He’s in jeans and a white T-shirt. Once again not wearing a jacket even though it’s chilly out.

“Rhys.”

His head jerks up, and fear flashes across his face before he relaxes his expression into something neutral. “Parker. Hey.”

I come to a stop a few feet from him, but I can feel the unease coming off him. I don’t know if he’s scared of me or something else. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” The word comes out hoarse, but he gives me a small smile. “I’m just—”

“Who’s your friend?” An older man appears at Rhys’s side, cutting him off. The man looks to be about thirty years older than Rhys, and I don’t miss the way he puts a hand on the small of Rhys’s back.

“He’s not a friend,” Rhys says. “Just someone I met at a party. We need to go if we’re going to meet Derek on time.”

The older man stares at me for a few more seconds before turning and guiding Rhys away.

I watch as they walk away, a heavy feeling of worry settling into my stomach. I tell myself it as probably just another one of Rhys’s…clients with him, but that wasn’t what Rhys’s posture said. He was standing similar to the way he was when I saw him with Phil. Right after Phil had hit him.

I’m not a stranger to violence thanks to my dad, but it bothered me a lot when Phil hit Rhys. I hate the thought of it. It’s not just because I like Rhys, even though I do. It’s because it reminds me of when I lived with my father. How helpless I always felt. I don’t want Rhys to be experiencing the same thing.

But I also know I could scare Rhys off if I push too hard. Just because I spent a few hours with him doesn’t mean I know him. Still, I’m not incredibly surprised when he sends me a text later to cancel our date tomorrow.

I stare down at my phone screen as I sit at my desk, trying to decide what to do. The smart thing would be to let him go. That guy with him was definitely someone Rhys is around a lot, and he was obviously trouble.

But I know that’s not going to happen. The part of me that wants to get to know Rhys more is going to win out. And I don’t want to waste time trying to fight it.

I text him back, asking if we can reschedule, even though I already know what his answer will be. I know how to get him to come see me again, but I’d rather use it as a last resort.

He confirms my suspicion just a few minutes later, texting to say he doesn’t think it’s a good idea to date, given what he does for a living.

I put the phone face down on my desk and try to finish up some work first, but I can feel it right next to me, and it’s hard to concentrate. Once I finish half the spreadsheet, I pick my phone up again and open Rhys’s last message.

I stare at his name on the screen, remembering the feel of his lips against mine before he left my apartment the other night. So soft and strong at the same time. The little noise he made in the back of his throat when I slid my tongue into his mouth.

Am I really willing to never experience that again just because I’m nervous?

Before I talk myself out of it, I send him another text, telling him I’ll pay him for his time.

Three little dots appear under my message, then disappear. Then another three for a few seconds before those disappear too.

I swallow hard and lay my phone back down on my desk. This isn’t how I wanted to see him again. It’s not about the money; paying him isn’t an issue. It’s that it makes me feel like everyone else in his life. Even if I know I won’t treat him that way. I paid for his time at the party to get him away from Phil, and he seemed okay with it.

I lean back in my chair and stare up at the ceiling. The way Rhys looked at me when he realized I was cooking dinner for him keeps playing in my head. He’d said it’d been a long time since someone cooked for him, but I think it was more than that. I think it had been a long time since anyone had been kind to him.

My phone dings with another message from Rhys, and I open it quickly.

Rhys: Time and place. I’ll be there.