against the bed to his back, and I stood for a moment with my arms crossed across my stomach. When his breathing evened out, I shoved my arms through the shirt I still had in my hand and yanked it over my head. Travis didn’t move, and I blew out a slow breath of air, knowing I couldn’t restrain either of us if I crawled in bed and he woke up with a less honorable perspective.
I hurried to the recliner and collapsed into it, covering my face with my hands. I felt the layers of frustration dancing and crashing into each other inside of me. Parker had left feeling slighted, Travis waited until I was seeing someone—someone I truly liked—to show an interest in me, and I seemed to be the only girl he couldn’t bring himself to sleep with, even when he was wasted.
The next morning, I poured orange juice into a tall glass and took a sip as I bobbed my head to the music playing from my iPod. I woke before the sun and then squirmed in the recliner until eight. After that, I decided to clean up the kitchen to pass the time until my less ambitious roommates awoke. I loaded the dishwasher and swept and mopped, and then wiped the counters down. When the kitchen was sparkling, I grabbed the basket of clean clothes and sat on the couch, folding until there were a dozen or more piles surrounding me.
Murmuring came from Shepley’s room. America giggled and then it was quiet for a few minutes more, followed by noises that made me feel a bit uncomfortable sitting alone in the living room.
I stacked the piles of folded clothes in the basket and carried it to Travis’s room, smiling when I saw that he hadn’t moved from the way he had fallen the night before. I set the basket down and pulled the blanket over him, stifling a laugh when he turned over.
“View, Pigeon,” he said, mumbling something inaudible before his breathing returned to slow and deep.
I couldn’t help but watch him sleep; knowing he was dreaming about me sent a thrill through my veins that I couldn’t explain. Travis seemed to settle back into a quiet sleep, so I decided to take a shower, hoping the sound of someone up and around would quiet Shepley and America’s moans and the creaking and banging of the bed against the wall. When I turned off the water, I realized they weren’t worried about who could hear.
I combed my hair, rolling my eyes at America’s high-pitched yelps, more closely resembling a poodle than a porn star. The doorbell rang, and I grabbed my blue terrycloth robe and tightened the belt, jogging across the living room floor. The noises from Shepley’s bedroom immediately cut off, and I opened the door to Parker’s smiling face.
“Good morning,” he said.
I raked my wet hair back with my fingers. “What are you doing here?”
“I didn’t like the way we said goodbye last night. I went out this morning to get your birthday present, and I couldn’t wait to give it to you. So,” he said, pulling a shiny box from his jacket pocket, “Happy Birthday, Abs.”
He set the silver package in my hand, and I leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”
“Go ahead. I want to see your face when you open it.”
I slipped my finger under the tape on the underside of the box, and then pulled the paper off, handing it to him. A rope of shimmering diamonds sat snugly in a white gold bracelet.
“Parker,” I whispered.
He beamed. “You like it?”
“I do,” I said holding it in front of my face in awe, “but it’s too much. I couldn’t accept this if we’d been dating a year, much less a week.”
Parker grimaced. “I thought you might say that. I searched high and low all morning for the perfect birthday present, and when I saw this, I knew there was only one place it could ever belong,” he said, taking it from my fingers and clasping it around my wrist. “And I was right. It looks incredible on you.”
I held up my wrist and shook my head, hypnotized by the brilliance of colors reacting to the sunlight. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. No one’s ever given me anything so …” expensive came to mind, but I didn’t want to say that, “elaborate. I don’t know what to say.”
Parker laughed, and then kissed my cheek. “Say that you’ll wear it tomorrow.”
I grinned from ear to ear. “I’ll wear it tomorrow,” I said, looking to my wrist.
“I’m glad you like it. The look on your face was worth the seven stores I went to.”
I sighed. “You went to seven stores?” He nodded, and I took his face in my hands. “Thank you. It’s perfect,” I said, kissing him quickly.
He hugged me tight. “I have to get back. I’m having lunch with my parents, but I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay. Thank you!” I called after him, watching him trot down the stairs.
I hurried into the apartment, unable to take my eyes off of my wrist.
“Holy shit, Abby!” America said, grabbing my hand. “Where did you get this?”
“Parker brought it. It’s my birthday present,” I said.
America gawked at me, and then down at the bracelet. “He bought you a diamond tennis bracelet? After a week? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you have a magic crotch!”
I laughed out loud, beginning a ridiculous giggle-fest in the living room.