Emily Rose

I stared at men as they told their stories.

I stayed silent as I heard each of them speak unlike Camara who seemed to comment or gasp at times she thought it was necessary. And the weirdest thing was how each told their story. While Tomas sounded unapologetic and blunt telling his story with a soft smile of memories, Parker's eyes wouldn't leave mine. I could see the regret on his face. I could see it all. And that made it worse.

Parker's studied me uneasily as bags hung from his eyes. His hair poked out in multiple places from him taking his fingers through it so much. He stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Emily?" He called out and my throat closed.

"S-so you're telling me that you've been playing with my life like this for the longest time?" My heartfelt like it was breaking. My eyebrows furrowed as I stared at the two men. A puppet. I'm a goddamn puppet and I allowed myself to be that.

"No, it's not-," Parker tried to explain as he came close but I stumbled back, my body hitting one of the end tables with a beautiful vase on it. I twisted just in time to see the vas shattered to the floor.

I peered at the broken vase in front of me.

"Em?" Tomas called out and a pair of hands touched my shoulders.

Stepping into action, I sharply drew my shoulders back, shaking the person off of me. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" I twisted around towards the person and smacked them in the chest before shoving them away.

I stumbled back again and clenched my head.

I wanted the truth. I wanted to know EVERYTHING. How foolish was I? I could've — I should've known. So many goddamn signs and I missed them all. Every last one.

A small knock sounded around the room and someone invited that person into the room; I don't know who but someone did because the person walked into the room and announced. "Hello, I'm Officer Sinclair and I'll like to have a word with Mr. McCoy if I can?"

I was suffocating and everything was too much. Too many secrets. Too many lies. Too many crimes.

Don't remember much but tears. Tears burned my eyes as they poured down my face uncontrollably.

"EMILY!" I heard Parker's voice scream as I used the last of my energy to sprint. Sprint to the nearest taxi.

And now I'm here.

I glanced at the two-story building in front of me. Beautiful brink covered the first story of the building while the second story had a more gray cover on it. Concrete, I'm guessing. I never ready concentrated on that before. Out of all my years of being here. I never really noticed the way my own store building was set up.

I stared up at the glorious sign of the building.

H𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟' 𝔽𝕠𝕣 𝔸 𝕎𝕖𝕕𝕕𝕚𝕟'

Completely Clueless, I muttered to myself. As I kicked a rock around. "I can't believe it... I'm such a dumbass."

"No, you're not." A voice answered behind me and I whirled around before groaning, "go away, Parker."

"We need to talk." He rubbed the back of his neck as he smiled sheepishly and dug one of his shoes into the concrete.

"No, we shouldn't," I disagreed as I wrapped my arms around me to hide my shiver. I didn't realize how cold it was outside.

Parker noticed what I was trying to do before shoving off his hoodie. He pulled it over his head and a small part of his shirt slipped up with it; revealing his toned stomach. I glanced away, my cheeks burning red even though it was chilly and I only wore a simple t-shirt.

He walked up to me and tried to place the hoodie over my head but I recoiled.

His expression saddened and he stepped back. Before holding out the hoodie in front of him. "Here you go." He offered and I took it, ignoring the pit of guilt bubbling in my stomach.

I slipped the large hoodie over my head before posing. Parker chuckled, "it looks good on you." I turned away to conceal the blush in my face that I knew the street lights would reveal.

I cleared my throat. "Let's talk," I decided to get this over with before I'd lose my mind from the unknown. I gestured towards the curb of the sidewalk. He nodded.

We both sat down and I pulled a curl behind my ear before speaking up first. "So what are you here for?"

Parker's eyes heavenward before bringing his attention onto me. "I fucked up, Emily. And for that, I'm sorry. I truly am."

For the first time, I think I stayed silent and allowed him to continue. "When we were kids, I dragged you on, I still did now and I hope to make that up to you one day. It wasn't okay for me to play with your feelings in the past and nor was it okay now."

He glanced heavenward again. "I'm praying that I can change. I thought I was done but apparently, I'm not. And I'll keep working on it. I'll work on myself."

A dreadful silence fell between us and before I spoke.  "Thank you."

He smiled politely at me before speaking again. "I thought I was saving you Emily, but now I realized that you're stronger than I last remember and you can save yourself." He took in a deep breath before chewing on his cheek before continuing, "it was selfish of me to believe that I could be some hero to you like I imagined all those years ago. To believe that you wouldn't be able to handle yourself."

"I got scared," he admitted, "I didn't want you to get hurt. I was so sick of you being hurt that I couldn't help myself but try to protect you. But in the end, I only ended up hurting you like everyone else—,"

"You didn't hurt me now, Parker," I revealed as I glared at the ground, unable to bring myself to see his face. I clear my throat before starting again. "Okay I'll admit it, when I saw you again, it hurt but not because of you... it was because of the memories. The memories that I'd tried so hard to keep down for the last few years just came coming back and I didn't know what to do. I still don't know what to do with them, but I know I can't run from them anymore."

"No matter how hard the memories are, no matter what pain they carry, they're still valuable." I finished and silence fell upon us again.

"Why are you still here?" Parker asked in the night's sky after moments of complete and reckoning quiet.

"What?"

"Why are you still here?" He asked clearly this time, his eyes finally finding mine and pulling me into the swirl of emotions he always kept in them. "Why are you still here? The world is wide, but you stay in this bubble with villains in every corner. Why?"

I thought for a second; my eyebrows furrowed. And I gulped. "I don't know," and I have a half shrug. "This is where I grew up. It's familiar."

"Just because it's familiar doesn't mean it's home," Parker spoke to himself before abruptly turning to me. "Emily Rose Shivers, you have to promise me something."

"What, Parker?"

His eyes held mine desperately, "promise when I go, you'll leave this place. You'll leave and won't look back. Starting something else, be someone else. Let all this darkness go."

"Okay..." I agreed and he turned away from me nodding, muttering the word 'good' under his breath several times.

We waited a couple of seconds before Parker wiped his hands off on his pants before turning toward me and holding his hand out. "Come on, let's get you to your parent's house before someone has a heart attack."

I smiled softly before shaking my head. Parker cocked his head to the side and gave me a confused look. "Do you want me to drop you off?" He asks and I smile before taking his hand and pulling myself up.

I dusted my hands off on my pants, "the hospital. Take me to the hospital, I have one last thing to do..."

After a car ride with small talk, Parker's car parked in front of the hospital. He turned off the engine before peering at me; curiosity marked his expression. "What's are you doing?" He asked and I blocked his question with one of my own. "Are you leaving?"

"What."

"Back at my shop, you said, 'before I leave...' Are you leaving?" I asked again and Parker raked his hands through his hair again before nodding slowly. "Yeah, my work's done here and I gotta get back the work. DOD and the airport need me." He answers a pitch of melancholy slipping through his nonchalant tone.

"Oh, okay." I grab the door hand of his truck and slip out, "thanks." I say before shutting his door and walking away.

My mind raced as I heard him sigh and began to start his car again.

Saying, 'fuck it' in my mind, I whirl around and just as Parker is about to drive out of my life, I run up to his truck and bang on the window.

The gorgeous man jumps in surprise and rolls down his window. "What are you doing?" A beautiful laugh left his lips as grinned at me in shock.

"And you, Parker Bowmen, need to promise me something. That if we meet again and we are both single, we will try again. No past, no lies, just the present, and the future. Scout's honor?" I propose, my head cocked to the side with a playful smile on my face.

"Scout's honor," he agrees almost instantly before digging in the containment box in his car and pulling out a letter. "I found this at my parent's house earlier today. I was going to give it to you. Its date is set back 5 years ago. Read it and tell me what you think about it in the future." He hands it to me and I grab it before backing away from his car.

"In the future," I wave him off as he drives away.

I turn back to the hospital after shoving the letter into Parker's hoodie, which he forgot to get back, before marching into the hospital. A plan on my mind.

*****

Hey guys!

The truth isn't what you always expect it.

It seems as if Emily has plans and they MIGHT include Parker.

The letter...

And what's at the hospital, or should I say, who's?

Anyways, I hope you liked Chapter 26 of The Love That Is Parker Bowmen.

Remember don't forget to vote, comment and add to your library, if you want more!