Chapter 21

Justin pulled up to her house, seeing a car parked out front.  “Looks like your friend is already waiting,” Justin said.  “Sorry.”  His eyes widened as he saw someone waiting by her front door.  It was Parker.

“What the HELL is he doing here?!” Justin yelled.  “Is that who you were with last night? Who you’re spending time with tonight?”

“We went out last night to celebrate me going back to work, we worked together to save that kid’s life.  It was nothing.”

“And tonight?!” he continued.

“Tonight we’re seeing a movie.  Harmless.”

“No.”

“No WHAT?” she asked.

“You’re not going.  Buckle up, I’m taking you anywhere but out with HIM…”

“Uh, no, you’re not.”

“I’m sure as hell not gonna let him take you out on a date.  If it’s harmless, then ask if I can come.”

“No.”

“Then it isn’t harmless…”

“Since when are you so defensive and protective of me, acting so jealous?”

“Old habits die hard, I guess.”

“Meaning?”

“You know the story about my ex.  I’m not gonna just hand you over to the guy that wants to steal you from me.”

“I don’t belong to anyone, Justin…”

“So us having sex isn’t being in a relationship?  Everything I’ve done for you means NOTHING?!”

“We’re young, isn’t that what we’re supposed to be doing?  Yes, you’ve been great and I owe you more than I can even think of for what you’ve done these past few weeks.  But it certainly doesn’t mean I belong to you like I’m property.”

“So I’m just some fling to you?” Justin asked, trying hard not to cry.

“No.  I mean, I have a lot of feelings about you.  I’d almost say it feels lke love.  You want me to be happy.  I have to explore the feelings I have for Parker.  Unless you can give me ONE reason not to go…”

“Is the fact that I love you enough?” Justin asked.

Nicki sighed.  “I don’t know.  I’ve been thinking about this all day.  As much as I like you, what we have, I feel I need to give Parker a fair shot, too.  Is there anything else you can tell me that would change my mind?”

Justin sighed, and was silent for a moment.  “Not without you getting mad at me for not telling you in the first place, and not without you choosing me because you feel you HAVE to.  I want you to choose me because you WANT to.”

“So you’ll let me go on this date with Parker then?” she asked.

“I thought it wasn’t a date…”

“I was trying to avoid a fight, but that didn’t seem to happen.  I’m going now Justin.  I’ll talk to you later.”

“Nicki, please, don’t go…” he voice pleading her.

“Sorry Justin, I need to see where this goes.  If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

Parker started walking towards Nicki as she got out of the car.  “Who was that?” he asked, as Justin sat there in his car.

“A friend I had lunch with.  We got to talking for a while, catching up on old times.”

“Sounds great, I hope it brings more of your memories back.” Except the ones of Justin, then I’m done for.

Justin sat there for a while, fighting the urge to follow Parker’s car and make a scene, or to burst into tears over watching her go on a date with someone else.  He jumped in his seat when Heather tapped on his passenger window.

“Come on in, we’ll order food and drink a bit,” Heather said.  Justin reluctantly got out of his car, not knowing what he actually wanted to do.  

Justin sunk into the couch, the spot where Nicki would curl up next to him watching movies.  Her spot empty and cold.

“I had no idea either, if that helps,” Heather said.  “You know I wouldn’t keep something like that from you.  I want you to be with her as much as you do.  So when he knocked at the door looking for Nicki for their date, my mind started prepping what to do.  I’m sorry you found out the way you did, but isn’t it better than hearing it from me?”

“After all we’ve been through together, after knowing what Britney did to me, she’s still even THINKING about exploring feelings for some other guy?  Especially PARKER?!”

“This has to be brand new.  She hasn’t said anything to me about it.  If you want, you can help yourself to our alcohol while I finish dinner.”  Heather made pasta, knowing it was a comfort food for Justin.  Justin was two beers in when dinner was ready.  He had another with dinner.  They ate in relative silence, Justin trying to push it out of his mind for a moment.  But he couldn’t.  

“Justin, you’re gonna break my plate and silverware…” His grip on his fork made his hand almost white, he had been practically stabbing his food on the plate.  He eased up, his eyes looking apologetic.

…

Parker pulled up to the theater.  It was in a shopping center with other restaurants and shops.  “We can do a later showing and do dinner first, or we can watch the movie and then get dinner.  I guess it depends on how hungry you are.”

“I could eat,” Nicki said.  They found a cute little restaurant in the shopping center, sat down, and looked over the menu.  They ordered their food, and made small talk about work, various things.  

“Tell me about yourself, where you’re from, why you got into medicine, anything,” Nicki suggested.

“Well, I’m from the area, Southern California my whole life.  I was sick a lot as a kid, so the doctors were my heroes when I was little because they made me feel less scared and would help me get better.  My mom was a nurse, so I guess it runs in the family.  When I was a kid I’d try to help any sick or injured animal I saw, my mom thought I was gonna be a vet.  I remembered how I felt as a kid going into the hospital, and I remembered how I felt when I got to go home.  Being a vet would’ve been great, but it’s nothing compared to seeing that look on a kid’s face when you tell them they get to go home.  I mean, you know, hospitals aren’t fun, being stuck in bed all the time.  So being able to go home, even if you’re not 100% better is great in itself.”

“That’s a wonderful story, Parker.  I’d like to hear more,” she said, eyes locked on him.  He told stories from his childhood about his friends, the injuries or illnesses he had.  Every story made her like him more, as a person and starting to feel a deeper connection.  

We’re both in medicine, he really seems like a nice guy.  What was everyone freaking out about? she wondered.

Parker ordered dessert, as they had time before the last showing of the movie for the night.  “What movie are we going to see, you haven’t told me,” Nicki asked.

“The Wedding Date,” Parker replied.  “I really want to see Hitch, but it doesn’t come out until next week.  Maybe we could see that one together?”

“Already asking me on a second date?” Nicki laughed.

“I guess I am,” Parker answered.  “I know this great place to take you for dinner.  Valentine’s Day is during the week, but I’d love to take you there to celebrate early.”

“A date for Valentine’s Day?  We’re in the middle of our first date, isn’t that rushing things a bit?”

“Maybe, but I know what I want, WHO I want.  I’m not afraid to go after what I want.”

“Ok, a second date it is, for an early Valentine’s Day.”

…

Heather tried to distract Justin with TV, but it wasn’t working.  He needed to talk.  She was a couple drinks in herself, Justin had moved to stronger stuff. 

“I can call JC over, if you want,” Heather said, feeling a little nervous.

“Why can’t we just talk, the two of us?” Justin asked, tipsy.

Heather sighed, moved closer, sitting in Nicki’s spot, and turned to face him on the couch.  “Ok, just the two of us.”

“I just don’t get it.  I’ve been doing so much for her to show her how I feel, how important she is to me, and she does this.  I know I had a reputation, but after we made love on our first date, I thought she felt the same way, that we were together.  I guess that’s all I’m good for, a trophy bang before going off to someone else.”

“Justin, you know that’s not true. She loves you, she just needs to remember. You’ve done so much, WE have done so much…” Heather’s voice trailed off. 

“I know, thank you.”

“Actually, you don’t…”

“What?” asked Justin, confused. 

“There’s a reason I brought Nicki to that party…”

“So you wouldn’t be alone, she told me.”

“No, that’s what I told her. I knew what a fan she was, and she was into my brother, and that just would’ve been weird. I brought her hoping you’d be there so she could forget about JC, and maybe I could forget about you…”

“WHAT?!”

“I had a little crush on you, but I knew JC wouldn’t allow it. His sister with one of his best friends. So I thought maybe if I set you two up, I could move on. I was glad to see her happy, I was glad to see you happy, and see you more often.  Then things got complicated the more you came over, I still had feelings for you.”

“Heather, I had no idea…”

“Then I planted that photo album in her closet like she had come up with it.  I asked my mom and your mom for pictures from the early days, anything they had they were willing to part with or could make copies of for me that they thought you would like.  That was all me, not Nicki…”

“I LOVE that album, it was such a thoughtful gift…”

“Yeah, well, I wanted to make sure she had something to give you, the guy that has everything…”

“Heather…”

“Yes, Justin?”  She felt him pull her close and his lips on hers.  She’d wondered what it felt like for so long, before he and Nicki got together, then watching them once they started dating.  It was soft, warm, deep, inviting.  She melted into his arms, returning the affection.  His hands cupped her shoulders before running his fingers into her hair, her hands lacing together behind his neck.  She hummed against him.  She realized what was happening, and pulled away.

“No, Justin, we can’t.  JC would kill us.  Nicki will hate me, we’re drunk, we don’t know what we’re doing…”

“Nicki doesn’t seem to give two shits about me right now, so I could care less.  As for JC, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt anyone.  Yes, we’ve been drinking, but what about what YOU want?  You have been doing so much to fight what YOU want for so long, including making a gift for me for Nicki to take credit for.  That album means the world to me, and I can’t pretend that I don’t mean something to you…”  He pulled her close again, kissinger her deeply.  Heather stopped fighting, as Justin leaned her down on the couch, his hands running all over her body.

…

Nicki and Parker were enjoying the movie, Parker kissing her throughout. His arm was around her at the end of the movie, she was curled as close as she could to him. 

They left the theater, hand in hand, fingers not intertwined. They got to his car, buckled up, before Parker asked, “Wanna go to my place?”

Nicki thought for a brief moment before smiling and nodding her head. Perfect, I’ll have her in my bed in no time, he thought, a smile creeping across his face. They talked about the movie as they drove to Parker’s place. 

He pulled up to a housing development. He had a nice townhouse, 2 stories. He walked her up and opened the front door. He had a giant TV on the wall, plush leather seating in the living room. He turned on a couple lights, leaving it fairly dark as mood lighting. 

“Have a seat,” he offered. “Anything to drink?”

Nicki shook her head. “I’m fine.”

He sat next to her on the couch. “Well, what now?” she asked. 

“As if you don’t know,” he laughed, pulling her close. He kissed her, tender at first, then became more passionate, full of need. His hands cupped her face, traveling down her shoulders before cupping her breasts over her shirt.  

She hummed at his touch, laughing in enjoyment as he put one hand on her ass. 

“I’ve wondered for far too long what this would be like,” he said between kisses on her neck. 

His hand went to go down the front of her pants when Nicki pulled away. 

“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked. 

“What did you think was going to happen tonight?” she asked, her brow furrowed. 

“I don’t know, I figured we’d see where it went,” he lied. 

“Well, my clothes are staying on. This is our first date, I hardly know you beyond what you told me tonight. Did you really expect me to sleep with you?!”

“I mean, we could fool around…” he said with a sly smile. 

“Again, my clothes are staying on. If you want me, you need to put in an effort to know me, let me get to know you. I’ll go on that second date with you, but if things don’t change by next week, things don’t look too good then, either.”

“Come on, baby, we were just getting started. You liked it, I know you did. I’m sorry, I’ll behave.”

“You get one warning. Try anything again and you’re taking me home.”

She kissed him cautiously, her body tense against him for a while. Eventually she relaxed into his arms, humming against his lips. Parker behaved, keeping his hands to himself. Nicki’s hands stayed around the back of his neck. She soon relaxed her arms to around his waist, before Parker moved to lay them both on his couch. 

He moved her hand to his belt. “Come on baby, don’t leave me so unsatisfied. You know you’re curious…”

Nicki sat up, then stood up and crossed the room. “You were warned. There’s more to life than sex or getting your rocks off. I’ll gladly leave you with a case of blue balls, you need to take me home.  Now.”