Parker

I stand in front of my mirror sighing heavily at my reflection. I shake my head and tug at my dress knowing Austin would be here any minute now. He followed me home from school today and talked me into going on the double date tonight. For some reason, it was important to him and while he begged me to come, I made two decisions. The first, obviously, was to go tonight. The second, was that tonight I was going to break off this whole thing with Matt. What we were doing was wrong. Austin cared about me and I didn’t want to hurt him; I saw a future with him. Maybe not marriage, but I was too young to think about any of that anyway. With Matt, there was not future. It was just meaningless sex. Really, really hot meaningless sex, but meaningless sex nonetheless.

“Parker, Austin is here,” I hear my mom say from my bedroom doorway.

“Okay,” I reply softly. She disappears from the doorway ass I continue to stand there. I take a deep breath, pushing my hair behind my ears before turning away from the mirror.

I knew what I had to do, I just didn’t know exactly how or when. As I make my way downstairs, I decide that after dinner would be best. That way I could avoid any drama during dinner. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any drama but better safe than sorry.

“You look great.” Austin greets. He pulls me into his arms and kisses me.

I offer him a forced smile. “Thank you,” I murmur.

“Tonight's going to be a great night,” He tells me as we walk out of the house. “I promise.”
I don’t reply as Austin opens the car door for me and I climb in. He winks before closing the door and jogging to the driver's side.

Austin babbles the entire way to the restaurant, one hand resting on the steering wheel and the other on my thigh. In my head, I keep going over what I'm going to say to Matt. Nothing sounds good enough, but as the restaurant comes into view I decide it's just going to have to do.

I spot Matt and Vanessa leaning against the back of Matt’s car right away. They are clearly making out and I can’t help but roll my eyes. How can this be so easy for him? Does he not have any sort of conscience? Does he not care about Vanessa at all? It was then I realized that I had to end things with him immediately before the dinner started. If I didn’t he was going to give us away somehow.

Austin pulled into the spot next to them, causing them to break away. I unbuckled my seatbelt and stifled a sigh. Before I could step out of the car, though, Austin grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips.

“Thank you for coming tonight,” he told me.

I smiled and pressed my lips to his. “You’re welcome. You owe me.”

Austin nodded in agreement before we both stepped out of the car. My eyes connected with Matt’s immediately and he gave me his very best dimpled smile. I tried to force one back but knew I failed. If Matt noticed, he didn’t seem to care much as Austin greeted him and Vanessa.

It usually takes a minute or two to be greeted by the server, a few more minutes for drinks, and then hopefully by the time we got our drinks everyone would be ready to order. If no one ordered anything off the wall or complicated we should get our entrees around the forty-five-minute mark and as long as no one talks much after that and the server brings the check promptly, we should be out of here in an hour or so depending on business. So, just an hour. That’s all I had to suffer for, and then I could go home.

“Parker?”

I look up to Austin who is offering me his hand. Matt and Vanessa are standing next to him and it looks like they’re ready to head into the restaurant. So, sixty minutes and then it would all be over but first things first.

“Go ahead and get a table, I need to talk to Matt really quick,” I tell Austin. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Vanessa shoot me a look. “It’s about tutoring,” I saw quickly, hoping it sounded believable.

I couldn’t look Vanessa in the eyes to see if she bought it, but it seemed like Austin had. “Okay, just be quick. Tonight is meant to be about fun, not school work.” He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to Vanessa. “Come on, V.”

Reluctantly, Vanessa turned and followed Austin towards the restaurant. As soon as they got out of earshot, I felt Matts hand on my hip. “Please tell me talk about tutoring is actually something much sexier than what it sounds like,” he grins.

Before I can reply, he’s kissing me. It takes me a minute before I am able to pull away and when I do Matt gives me an odd look. “We really need to talk,” I tell him.

“Okay?” Matt shrugs. “What’s up? Is it really about tutoring because this can be done later?”

“It’s not about tutoring,” I tell him. He doesn’t say anything and so I continue reluctantly. “This has got to stop, we can’t do it anymore. I can’t do it anymore.”

“Do what?” Matt asks, his hand still resting on my hip.

I slowly push his hand away. “This.”

Matt scoffs. “Why? Are you seriously that mad at me because I agreed to this double date thing?”

“Yes,” I answer honestly, “but that’s not why. Look, you know this is wrong. So, it just has to stop.”

Matt raises his brow. He doesn’t say anything for a second and then with a shrug he says, “Okay. Can we go in now? I’m starving.”

“Yeah,” I nod. Relieved that he took the news so well and follow him into the restaurant. Matt talks to the hostess, who then leads us to a table away from the lobby. Vanessa sits on one side of the table and Austin on the other side.

“Did you get it taken care of?” Austin asks as I sit next to him.

I smile. “Yeah, everything is good now.”

Vanessa and Matt are mumbling to each other about something before Matt kisses Vanessa, leaving a large grin on her face.

The server walks up. “What can I get you two to drink?” He asks.

I order a water and Matt orders a beer, handing the guy what I’m sure is a fake ID. The server – his nametag says Jacob – looks at the ID for a moment before handing it back to Matt and dismissing himself.

Austin strikes up a conversation with Matt while I look at the menu. I didn’t have much of an appetite. This dinner still felt wrong and I didn’t want to be here. By the time Jacob came back with our drinks, I still hadn’t made up my mind about what I wanted, but everyone else had and I was ready to get out of here.

Everyone ordered what they wanted – a salad for Vanessa, steak for Matt and Austin. I ordered the first thing my eyes landed on, chicken alfredo pasta. Jacob jotted everything down before announcing he’d be back and walking away.

Again, Austin, Vanessa, and Matt immerse themselves into a conversation and I keep to myself, counting down the minutes until this night was over. I was thankful everyone was too busy with their conversation to realize I wasn't joining in. Austin’s hand rested on my thigh under the table. Every now and then he would gently squeeze or rub his thumb in circles.

They talked about football and other sports. Matt talked a little bit about his band and how they were trying to get signed. Vanessa looked at him like he was her most prized possession when he talked about the things he loved. She really loved him. She really, really loved him and it made me sick to my stomach knowing the things he was doing to her behind his back. At least it was over now. Well, at least I didn't have any part in it anymore.

The food came quickly and I couldn't have been happier. The conversation slowed as everyone began to eat. I strategically picked at my noodles and moved them around my plate so it looked like I was eating, but couldn't only stomach a couple of mouthfuls. Austin offered me a bite of his steak which I denied. He gave me a weird look but didn't say anything as he bit the piece off his fork.

The server came and checked in on us a couple of times. The third time he checked in, he asked about the check and dessert.

“Oh, I'd love some dessert,” Matt smiled and I thought I saw his eyes flicker towards me but when I looked at him, he was looking at Vanessa. “What about you, baby girl. You want anything?”

“No I think I'm good,” she says.

Matt gives her a look, smiling. “You say that but then I'll get mine and you'll eat some of it.”
Vanessa laughs “Okay, so?”

“Sounds a lot like you,” Austin whispers in my ear.

Matt laughs and looks at the waiter. “Alright. I guess we will have the chocolate cake with two spoons.”

“Alright,” Jacob grins and then looks at Austin and me. “And for you?”

“Just a to-go box, please,” I tell him.

“You don't want dessert?” Austin asks and I shake my head. “Okay.”

Jacob nods. “Okay, so just one cake. Can I get you anything else?”

Everyone at the tables looks at each other before simultaneously shaking our heads and Jacob disappears. “Alright, I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'll be back,” Matt announces before standing from his chair. He kisses Vanessa on the cheek before walking away from the table.

“This was fun,” Austin says. “We should do it again.”

I don't say anything, but Vanessa does and surprisingly, she agrees. “Yeah. It's good to come out with friends.”

“I think so too,” Austin says.

Vanessa opens her mouth to reply but before she gets a word out the hostess walks up to the table. “Um…Parker?”

I furrow my brows before looking at her. “Yeah?”

“I was told to come tell you that you had a phone call in the lobby,” she says.

I turn to Austin and give him a confused look. Who would be calling me here? As if reading my mind, he shrugs. “Your mom knew we were coming here. She might be trying to get a gold if you for some reason,” he says.

“Maybe,” I say before standing from my seat and following the hostess to the lobby. Before she can get to the phone, another guest calls her over.

“The phone is right over there,” she smiles before walking off to whoever called her.
I reach to grab it but before I can I hear a Hey from behind me. I turn around and see Matt standing in the entry way. I glare at him, suddenly realizing what this was. “What are you doing?”

He shrugs. “I said I wanted dessert. The bathrooms don’t lock, so we’ll have to do it in the car.”

I scoff and glare at him. “Your girlfriend is at the table waiting for you.”

“I can make it really quick, they won’t even notice.”

I roll my eyes. “Matt, I was serious when I said we couldn’t do this anymore. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with me? You didn’t have a problem with this until I agreed to come to this date night that your boyfriend wanted to go on. Don’t you think it would have looked a little suspicious if I didn’t want to come?”

“I’m not doing this with you, not here and not now,” I tell him as we began to gather the attention of the few people nearby.

“Fine, whatever,” Matt says. He walks past me and I reluctantly follow him back to the table.

“Come on,” he says to Vanessa, digging in his pocket and pulling out his wallet. “We’re leaving.”

“You didn’t even eat your cake,” Vanessa says.

“I don’t want it anymore,” he says tossing some cash down on the table. “Let’s go.”

He turns and begins to walk away and Vanessa shoots me a weird look before following. Once they are gone, I clear my throat. “You ready?”

“What happened?” Austin asks.

I shake my head. “I don’t know. I just met him in the lobby, maybe something happened in the bathroom.”

Austin didn’t believe me. I could tell, but I couldn’t tell him the truth. He doesn’t say anything though, and within the next few seconds, we’re walking out of the restaurant.

The ride back to my house is completely silent. Austin keeps his hands on the steering wheel and I keep mine in my lap. He parks in the driveway but doesn’t say anything after he shuts off the car.

“So,” I start quietly. “I guess I’ll just talk to you tomorrow?”

Austin scoffs. “You’re really just going to act like nothing is going on?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You barely spoke all night, you didn’t eat at all. Then all of a sudden you get some mysterious phone call and Matt comes back pissed off. Oh, and this is after I had to practically beg you to come tonight.”

“I’m just not feeling very well,” I lied.

“Bullshit,” Austin says, staring at me. “Tell me what’s going on. Is he making you feel uncomfortable somehow? Is he hitting on you? Vanessa told me he cheated on her a while back, so I know he can be an asshole. So, is that what it is? I’ll talk to him.”

Vanessa told Austin about the cheating? But she left out that it was with me? What kind of game is she playing at? “No, Austin.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Parker, I know you’re lying to me –”

“I’m not!”

“– I just don’t know why!”

“Just drop it!”

“No, tell me what’s going on!”

I groan. “Nothing is going on!”

“Is he hurting you?”

“Is he…Are you kidding me? No!”

“Then what is it?”

“I think we should break up!” I yell. The words came out before they were even a thought.
Everything just happened so fast, he just kept pushing the subject…

“Fine,” he says.

I stared at him but he was looking away from me. Was he really wanting to do this? I waited for him to take it back, but he didn’t. Tears began to sting my eyes and I blinked them back.

“Okay,” I said quietly.

Austin opens his mouth but then decides to close it. He wasn’t going to take it back. He really wanted to do this. Without another word, I opened the car door and got out. I didn’t even get to the porch before I heard him start the car and speed out of the driveway.

Notes

Man, Matt is a dick, isn't he?

Thank you guys for reading. So sorry for the lack of updates with this and my other story which i can't even remember the name of right now. Life has been crazy and I'm honestly just drained all the time. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things soon. until then, don't forget to rate, comment and subscribe. Thank you all again!

Thanks to AvengedLover, MeRi, kaylakakes and Christina934 for commenting.

Title credit: Mest "As His Black Heart Dies"