The Personal Shopper

After she greets Jeff, she looks back over to me. Then her eyes fall on Rachel, and her smile momentarily drops from her face, but then she is back to her usually friendly self as she introduces herself. "Hi, I'm Ava."

Chapter 7

Ava

I’m smiling on the outside, but I can feel my nails digging into my hands as I watch Parker’s date put her hand on his arm. I am just hoping I can keep up this facade for the whole night.

I shouldn’t have agreed to sharing a car with them. You would think I would be used to other girls being with Parker by now since there always are other girls, and it’s never me. I guess I was kidding myself into thinking he wanted me a moment ago.

That’s the worst part. When it is just me and Parker in the room, it feels like there is a connection between us, but then I see him laughing and touching his date’s arm, and I think maybe I just made it all up in my head.

Rachel is beautiful of course. She’s one of those girls who looks pretty without even trying. I am not just saying that either. She just got done telling the story of how Parker asked her this afternoon to come tonight. She threw together all of that in 3 hours. It took me the past 2 months to get ready for this event.

Before, I was trying to make Parker jealous of me and Jeff so that’d he want me. Now I am clinging to Jeff’s side because it hurts too much to see Parker with another girl again.

You’d think after all this time of the same thing, I’d finally move on from the guy who wants nothing to do with me. Maybe I should reconsider dating Jeff again.

I look over to Jeff. He looks really good tonight, and he is always so sweet to me. He said he just wanted to be casual, but I initiated that thought.

I think if I straight up told him I wanted something more serious, he would at least try it with me. I can’t keep putting my dating life on hold because of Parker, especially now that he is going to be around for at least the next six months.

Jeff is standing next to me by the couch, and Parker and Rachel are sitting over on the loveseat while we all sip on the champagne Parker brought before Doug and Becca pick us up. I reach out and rub my hand gently on the back of Jeff’s leg. He looks over to me, so I pat the couch motioning for him to come sit.

Once he is next to me, I cuddle up close to him. Rachel is talking about some concert she just saw, and I use the moment to test the waters with Jeff.

“Oh Jeff! I saw that cover band is playing over at Mooney’s next Saturday. We should go! Remember the yellow duck?”

Jeff laughs at the inside joke we have. “Really! Yes, for sure. The laugh that lady made?”

I touch Jeff’s arm and laugh probably harder than the joke called for. “Yes! Oh my gosh!”

I can’t help it. My eyes make their way over to Parker’s. He is just staring back at me. Then his eyes make their way down to where my hand is on Jeff’s arm.

I swear he looks angry at the touch like he is jealous, but he is cuddled right up to Rachel. I can’t figure this man out, but he hasn’t once tried to make a move on me since he’s been back. I am the one who tried kissing him in the kitchen that day. If he's changed his mind since then, then he needs to be the one to say something.

Parker gets a text message and glances down at his phone. “Doug’s out front.”

I feel like I need a minute alone before we head out. “I’m just going to use the bathroom. Meet you down there.”

Jeff and Rachel are talking and heading out, but Parker stops me before I walk to the hall bathroom. He grabbed my elbow and leaned in close. “I thought you weren’t dating Jeff.”

His tone is serious. Almost accusing.

“How is who I am or am not dating any of your business?”

He clenches his teeth together, but then lets go of my arm. I look at him confused. He is giving me whiplash with all the mood changes. He just nods his head then and whispers. “We’ll talk about this later.” Then he turns and walks out with Jeff and Rachel.

We’ll talk about this later? What? What was that supposed to mean?

I head to the bathroom even more confused now than I was before. After I am finished, I take one last breath and then head down to meet the rest of the group.

???

Parker

Doug booked a limo since there are six of us riding together. It’s not really my style, but there’s more booze in the ice chest, so I can’t complain. I need another drink after everything that just happened upstairs. Why did I say we would talk about her and Jeff later? She is right. It is none

of my business. We aren’t together. We are hardly even friends. Who she is dating should be of no concern to me, but it is. And with Jeff sitting right in front of me with his arm around Ava’s shoulder, it’s all I can think about.