Another Life, JenniferNewman [short story to read .TXT] 📗

had never bought and found myself wondering how I had come to find it in my pocket along with another piece of blank paper. I blushed as I remembered what Parker’s comment had been to my staring at a piece of blank paper. Well I had seemed pretty crazy then.
I jumped at the sound of my phone ringing quickly turning to read Parker’s name flashing up on the screen several times before I picked it up and slide the bar to answer,
“Hello” Did I really sound that posh?
“Hey Rose?” I heard his reply,
“Yeah it’s me. Umm did you want to say something?” stupid, stupid! I blushed even though he couldn’t see me.
“Yeah, you are okay right? I mean nothing happened last night? Okay now that sounded weird. Sorry” I laughed and replied saying,
“Umm, I guess your brother did pay a visit but nothing happened I mean… okay I don’t know what I mean.” I sighed and gave up leaning back on the settee again trying to clear my head so I could answer with a answer that made some kind of sense.
“WHAT?!?! Are you okay?” okay that hadn’t gone down well…..
“Yes course.” I quickly answered before he started yelling down my ear again.
“Okay I’m coming round see you in a minute.” He said before hanging up and all I could hear was the dinging sound of the after beeps.
I walked back upstairs since my hair was still taking the impression of a birds nest. When I reached the bath room next to my room I picked up my brush and started making even strokes through my hair.
When my hair looked human again I leaned against the sink and brushed my teeth. Squeezing my eyes shut I walked back out of my room and down the corridor for the second time this morning oh no wait I take that back this afternoon. Oh 3:16pm already? Was that even possible for me to sleep that much?
What time had my Mum wanted me to go to Sainsbury’s with her? Four? Five? Please say five I really can’t be bothered to leave the house till then. I might have slept the morning away but I was still tired and grumpy. The episode last night with my freaking out and pretty much losing it and crying my eyes out was kind of draining and I really didn’t want to think about it.
No sooner had I reached the bottom of the stair did the door bell ring and had me walking over and opening it to Parker’s worried face.
“God don’t look so worried I told you I was fine.” I told him as he came in and shut the door behind him. He looked around the hall before coming and pulling me into his arms. I rested my head against his chest and closed my eyes he really was comforting.
I could feel his hand slowly stroking my hair away from my face.
“I know but I’ve pretty much learnt that you don’t really say when you’re not okay and end up dealing with it later.” He said into my hair. I pulled my face away from his chest to give him a typical look.
“I’m not that bad….”
I picked up his hand and pulled him into the living room. I sat down on the settee again and Parker followed suit. As soon as we were both sitting Parker looked around the room stopping only twice when I guess he thought he saw something that might be his brother,
“Finished your surveillance of my living room now?” I laughed when he looked back at me.
“Yeah actually, I’m just being careful.” He said smiling down at me. He slung his arm round my shoulders and leaned back into the settee.
“Well there was something else I wanted to ask you as well. If you don’t mind. This is not the only reason I came round. I guess I could have say it over the phone but I wanted to say it to your face.” He said pulling me closer to his side and letting my head rest against his ‘shoulder’.
“Oh?” what was it was about to ask?
“Well back at your friend’s house I could have sworn you kissed me back and well you are letting me hold you pretty much a lot. I mean this could be the totally wrong but I was wondering if this meant we were going out? Or well dating you could say.” Oh god why did he have to ask this. I swear my face had gone completely red by the time he finished. Thanks for the warning.
He was smiling even more since he could see my red face pretty well. Great….
“Well… Umm that depends on whether or not you’re asking me out?” I replied trying to keep my voice even.
He laughed before saying,
“Yes I am asking you out.” I blushed again and muttered against his shoulder,
“Then I guess it’s a yes….” Could I sound more awkward? He was so not helping! Smiling down at me knowing full well how embarrassed I was feeling.
I took a quick glance up at Parker’s face and sure enough there he was still smiling. Still amused. When was he not? I took a deep breath and leaned back against the soft cushions behind my back. Parker followed quickly and pulled me closer to his shoulder with his arm that he still had around my shoulders.
“And somehow I feel like I have embarrassed you.” She laughed looking down at me from a height that I still didn’t like. I rolled my eyes at him and allowed him to pull me closer.
The room was so quiet when neither of us was talking but it was not an awkward silence it was weirdly comfortable.
It was comfortable enough that when the phone rang I nearly jumped half way across the room, only staying where I was thanks to Parker’s steady arm.
“Hey it’s only the phone. When I told you about my brother I didn’t want to scare you. Is this what it’s about?” he said again looking down at me and pulling me closer as I walked to get the phone.
“No. I’m really always this jumpy. Really!” I replied craning my neck to look up at him before picking up the phone. He didn’t look one bit convinced though and looked down at the floor like he was coursing himself for having told me.
“You’re kidding me right quit it with that look. I’m happy you told me would u rather I had no idea what was going on? That really would not be any better!” I rolled my eyes as I picked up the phone and said in what I realized was a really posh voice since Parker was no longer looking annoyed with himself but once again his amused self. Great!
“Hello Smith residents can I ask whose calling?”
“Geez Rose could you sound a little more posh?” Oh that’s great. Sophie….. I still hadn’t decided what I was going to tell her about the Parker kissing incident. I cringed back into Parker and squeaked,
“Oh hey Soph….” My voice was so high she could tell way to well how awkward I was feeling. Great . I cringed back into Parker even more. I heard him laugh softly but somehow it was still audible from the other end of the phone since Sophie quickly gasped and gushed,
“Oh my god! Your with that guy from the night you came round to mine and all that weird stuff happened with the door and the window. You now I’m still convincing my parents that it just smashed on its own, they think that it was one of use and I swear they are so close to grounding me it’s unbelievable!” I heard her take a long breath before continuing with one simple word,
“Spill”
“Umm would it be okay if I tell you later…..” Please please please!!! I need more time to think. I had my eyes squeezed tight shut Sophie answered
“Oh of course sorry I forgot he was there! Talk later Hun!” then all I could hear was the beeping of my answer tone.
Thank god do not have to explain! Well now all I need to do is figure out what I am going to say and then I can die of embarrassment when Soph gets me to ‘spill’. I mean it’s not because she wants me to tell her what’s going on because I would gladly do so! It’s just the fact that I have to keep so much and am afraid I’ll tell her all and really to tell you the truth what was I going to say, ‘well me and Parker are going out now but the reason I met him was because his dead brother is trying to kill me to get back at my dad who killed him!’ oh yeah because that wouldn’t be awkward at all!
I realized quickly that I was still holding the phone in my hand and leaning up against Parker who had his arms right around my waist and smiling down at me in a way that told me he had heard the whole convocation.
“Don’t you even say a word!” I sighed rolling my eyes before he could say some snarky comment about why it was that I wasn’t tell my friends about well everything. Well was it really not the obvious?
I pulled away from Parker’s arms and put the phone back on the hock before re-entered the living room and plonking myself on the settee and leaning back so my head touched the wall behind. I could tell that my cheeks were once again bright red and there was nothing I could do about it until I managed to come up with a non weird way of saying the reason that I was now going out with Parker, we had just established that right? Without telling them I even knew the guy! Argh.
I felt the weight of Parker sitting down on the settee but I still didn’t look away from the ceiling from where I was staring as if I could stupidly find the answers to all my questions there.
Of course the question that was right at the front of my now very long quay was, ‘what was I going to do about the ‘ghost’ that was following me around making bad things happen’ like that was a easy question to answer……
I felt Parker pick up my hand and try to pull me over to him but I ignored it and just continued to star blatantly at the ceiling with its cream flowers and fancy light.
“Rose….” I finally turned to look at Parker who was staring at me worriedly well I was kind of acting a little bit weird with the ceiling staring but I couldn’t help it. I was confused and the questions that I don’t think anyone in the world had the answers to were now buzzing loudly around my head and I was starting to get a painful head ach.
“Come here.” He pulled me gently onto his lap where he pulled me close and held me. My head was now properly on his shoulder and I snuggled into his neck which gave me some sort of comfort.
I slipped my arm so that I was curled around him. Why did I feel so close to tears again? The back of my throat was starting to sting and my eyes were welling up. It was the same as last night when I had fallen asleep trying to stop my huge sobs. Please don’t do this in front of Parker he was already giving me