Beyond the Play (Out of Reach 3)

“I have helped you. I told you where you might be able to find her,” she reminds me yet again.

“Well, I’ve yet to see her there.”

My revelation causes her to smirk. “You’ve been there then?”

“Every day this week,” I say, lifting my hat from my head and running my hands through my hair.

“Is that right?” The smile on her face is wide.

“You’ve gotta give me something.”

She studies me for far too long before asking, “Do you believe in fate, Holden?”

“Fate?”

“Yes. Fate. You know things that are beyond your control and are destined to happen.”

“I guess. I’ve never really thought about it.”

“Well, I do. I think that you running into Parker two weekends in a row is fate.”

“Okay?” I don’t really know where she’s going with this.

“Holden! I can’t interfere with fate. I already did by telling you where she might be. I can’t give you more.”

I expel a heavy breath. “Fine.” I have no choice but to let this go. Obviously, it’s not just Parker but also her friend who I can’t schmooze with my Bailey charm. “Do you have a ride home?” I ask her. I don’t know Parker that well, but I know if she found out I left her best friend stranded or let her drive under the influence, she’d never forgive me. Hell, I’d never forgive myself.

“Oh no you don’t, mister.” Autumn points her finger at me. “You are not going to use me as an excuse to find out where she lives.”

“So you’re roommates?” I ask. That wasn’t my intention, but I’ll soak any amount of intel I can get on Parker. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.

“Yes. And I have a ride.”

“Good. Well, I guess… have a good night.” I shove my hands in the pockets of my jeans.

“Are you giving up?” she asks.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, Autumn.” It’s the most honest statement I’ve ever made. I am completely out of my element here.

“Don’t give up on her. She’s a tough one to crack. She doesn’t trust easily, but when she does, she’s loyal to a fault. Just… keep trying.”

“Yeah,” I agree. Although I don’t know how much harder I can try. I guess I’ll keep hitting up the coffee shop and the club every weekend to see if I can get a glimpse of her. It’s a lot of effort for a woman who clearly is telling herself she wants nothing to do with me, regardless of what her body is telling both of us.

“She’s worth it.” Autumn’s voice holds conviction.

Before I can say anything, two other girls who I’ve seen with them join us. “Oh, damn, Parker’s going to be pissed she stayed home to study,” the blond-haired one comments.

“That she is,” the other one agrees.

“This calls for a selfie.” The blonde pulls her cell phone from her back pocket, and the three of them huddle in close. “Smile.” I don’t smile. Instead, I smolder at the camera.

I know she’s going to send this to Parker, and I want her to see the need in my eyes. “You gonna send that to me too?” I ask the blonde.

“Nope. You get my girl to give you the time of day, and I’ll reconsider.” She winks, but there is nothing flirty about it. She’s just like Autumn and has her friend’s back. It should piss me off, but instead, I’m relieved she has such great people surrounding her. Good true friends are hard to come by. I have a handful who are ride or die, and I’m happy to know that Parker seems to have that too.

“Come on now.”

“Not happening, Bailey.”

“I’ll guess I’ll just have to get it from Parker,” I state confidently.

“That remains to be seen,” the shorter of the two speaks up.

“Ladies, it's been fun. I think it’s time for me to head home.”

“Alone?” the shorter one asks.

“Unless you’re willing to tell me where Parker lives, then yeah, I’m going home alone.” It’s none of her business, but pissing off the friends is no way to get in her good graces.

“Fate, Holden.” Autumn holds my stare.

“Not sure I’m buying what you’re selling.” My eyes flash to the short friend. “That remains to be seen,” I say, tossing her words back at them. “You ladies, have a good night.” With that, I walk away. I’ve had enough for one night, and that “enough” is basically nothing. I have her friends telling me that we’re fated to be together.

I was honest when I said I’m not sure if I believe in fate. I’ve always been one to follow my gut. My gut is telling me that although I’m putting more work into this than any woman before her, Parker is worth it. It’s telling me that she’s different. I don’t know what it means, but I know that I want to take the time to find out. I owe it to her and to me to explore this. We need to give in to this chemistry that sparks between us. We need to let our bodies succumb to the desire that we feel and work each other out of our systems. Once we’ve done that, I’m sure this will all fizzle out. It always does.