My Prince Next Door & Seven Reasons Why Not - #OnceUponNow

Chapter 3 - It's Complicated

I stare at Blair so hard I'm sure any second now I'll be able to read her mind. Her gaze is trained on Parker's house as she rolls her bottom lip back and forth between her teeth. Talk to me. Speak already, Blair. I puff out an exhale—it's not working.

"You suck at patience," Blair says still not looking at me.

"Well, I thought by now you'd have a plan."

"Did Hot Neighbor Boy say when he'd see you next?" She looks at me, hopeful.

"His name is Parker. And if I knew that, do you think I'd need a plan?"

"Good point." Blair's perfectly plucked brows knit together. "You need to get over there."

"What do you want me to do—sneak in?" I ask. She makes it sound like I'm a spy.

"Would you do that?"

"What? No, do you know how crazy that looks?"

Blair shrugs. "You know, the easiest way out of this would be just to tell all your brothers to get a life and leave yours alone."

Of course, she's right. But I'm not Blair and she doesn't have to live with my brothers until college. "Just tell me what to do," I mutter.

As if fate were on my side, Parker's bedroom window slides open and his grinning face peers down at us. Light brown. In the morning sunshine, his perfect bedhead of hair couldn't be mistaken for blond.

"Morning Gwen, perfect timing," Parker says.

"No, shi—"

I elbow Blair mid-sentence. "Hey." I give a wave. "This is my friend Blair."

He gives her this guy nod with his chin then looks back down at me. My heart might give out. "Remember what I said about the flan? Well, I have your plate. I'll bring it down."

"Okay. Thanks," I call up and wave as Parker disappears into his bedroom.

"He likes you." Blair all but squeals.

The sliding door to my back porch whips open behind us and Elijah steps out. "Yeah Mom, I'll be back for lunch. It's fine. I can walk to the library."

Noooooo.

I don't need to say anything. Blair's gray eyes grow to the size of silver dollars. Parker will be down here any second—there's no way he'll miss bumping into my oldest brother. Blair looks at me then Elijah and then back at me. Her shoulders roll back and her expression becomes resolute. Then she turns on the Blair charm that would turn David into her pet.

"Hey, Elijah," she says, drawing out the end of his name.

He stops and narrows his eyes at her. This isn't going to work.

"So, uh, I'm taking a placement exam to test out of algebra II, and I was wondering if you could answer some questions." Blair's voice is super loud. She gives me a get-out-of-here glare and I take a few steps back.

Elijah glances at me, his face a mixture of confusion and pride. I shrug and keep backpedaling until I'm on the side of our house, out of his eye line. I inhale a breath of relief. And then I'm running. I sprint across my front lawn and into the neighbors, my sandals clicking across the stone walkway, and onto Parker's front steps. My breath wheezes in ragged gasps. Must...catch...breath...

The front door opens. Hunched over with my hands on my knees, I look up into Parker's eyes. Hazel, almost green. I'm in trouble—he's gorgeous. My mother's orange and blue platter sits in his hands, and the mask of concern on his face is far from concealed. Heat rushes to my cheeks and no doubt between my quick jaunt across our yards and my embarrassment, my face is tomato red.

"Gwen, are you okay?"

I try to wave him off, but I can't catch my breath. What if I hyperventilate? Worse, what if I pass out? Maybe he'd give me CPR. The ridiculousness of the scene playing in my head makes me laugh which between wheezes throws me into a coughing fit. In the history of fails, I have topped the charts of fail-dom.

Parker rushes into his house and comes back with a glass of water. I take deep swallows soothing the tickle in my throat and somehow it calms my breath as well. Parker rubs my back and it isn't until I've finished the glass of water do I realize that his hand hasn't left me. We stand on his porch staring at each other in our accustomed silence. Everything outside of us is so far away in this moment that I couldn't care less if all of my brothers had their heads stuck out their windows gaping at us.

"I was thinking," Parker says, taking the empty glass from my hand, "since I'm new here, and I don't know my way around, maybe you could show me some cool hangouts."

"Okay," tumbles out of my mouth—because that's all I can say.

"I promised my parents I'd help move furniture around tonight, but how about tomorrow night?"

"Okay."

"You're free?" He brushes his hand through his hair like I might change my mind, but my lack of response is more a survival tactic.

I nod. Of course, I'm free.

Parker hands me my plate and then the words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. "Will Lindsey care? I mean, she's your—"

His chuckle interrupts me. "Ex-girlfriend." He shakes his head. For a second I think he's about to say something more about her then he stops and grins instead. "It's complicated, but it's nothing you have to worry about."

I give him my best reassuring smile, but I get the feeling everything's about to get real complicated.