Sounds of Rain

After that evening, Parker was over at my house much more often. On the days when my mum couldn’t be left on her own and was restless and I couldn’t go to his house, he would come over to mine. My mum was perfectly comfortable with him being around now.

“Ireland?” my mum called suddenly from downstairs about 2 weeks after that dinner. I sat up in bed, pulling away from where Parker and I had been lying cuddling.
“I’ll be right back,” I told him, before quickly heading downstairs. I went into the living room to find my mum wandering back and forth. “You okay?” I asked her, watching her cautiously.
“I can't find my boots,” she said.
“What boots?” I asked.
“The black ones,” she said.
“Have you checked your closet?” I asked her.
“No…should I?” she asked and I bit my lip to stop from sighing.
“Yeah, I’ll go,” I told her. “Why do you want them?”
“I was going to go for a walk,” she said. “I can’t stay still.” I closed my eyes and nodded as I walked out of the room. She couldn’t stay still, she wanted to get away. It was only a matter of time until she wanted us to move again. I found her shoes and took them back down to her, but she already had a different pair on. I dropped the boots at the end of the sofa.
“We’ll come with you,” I told her but she shook her head.
“No, no, you two stay here,” she smiled. “You don’t want me around anyway.”
“Mum, I-“
“No, no,” she said again. “I’ll just go into town and back again.”
“Are you sure?” I asked gently. She just smiled and nodded as she patted my shoulder.
“I’m sure,” she smiled. “Go and be with your lovely boyfriend.” I smiled softly and nodded.
“Take your phone,” I told her. “And call me if you need me.” She just nodded before walking out of the front door. I sighed heavily and headed back upstairs.

Parker was still sitting on my bed, his hair slightly ruffled from when I’d been running my fingers through it earlier. I smiled at him and went to sit beside him. “Everything okay?” he asked gently, picking up my hand and tracing patterns over the palm.
“Yeah,” I smiled. “She’s gone for a walk.” Parker nodded with a gentle smile.
“She’ll be okay,” he told me.
“I know,” I sighed, leaning into him. “I just…I’m so used to worrying about her.” Parker nodded gently, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into his lap. He nudged his nose into my jaw and then pressed a kiss to my lips.
“Lie down, baby,” he whispered, pushing me down gently and then lying beside me. “Relax.” I sighed once again and pulled his arms tighter around me.
“I love you,” I whispered. The fear that my mum was going to want to leave soon wouldn’t leave my mind and I so desperately wanted Parker to know how I felt.
“I love you, too, Ireland,” Parker whispered, pressing a kiss to the back of my neck. “Always.” I smiled and turned around to face him, kissing him lightly. I scooted closer to him and practically lay on top of him, my ear pressed to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “Don’t worry, Ireland,” Parker whispered, as though reading my mind. “Nothing will stop us being together.” I smiled and closed my eyes peacefully.

-&-

The following day, at dinner, it finally happened. “There’s a nice house in Michigan,” mum said and, even though I’d been waiting for it, it still came as a surprise.
“What?” I asked, my voice shaking.
“Well, you know, we’ve been here for months, but I can't stay here any longer,” she said and I stared at her before shaking my head.
“No, I can't leave!” I cried, standing up, abandoning my untouched meal.
“Well we are! I’ve stuck around here long enough,” she said, also standing up. “You’ll find a new boyfriend,” she said dismissively. I blinked at her, hurt that she would say something like that.
“I’m not leaving,” I said.
“Yes you are!” she cried back. “Would you really choose him over me? Your own mother?”
“I…” I stammered, tears pricking in my eyes. “I love him, mum.”
“That doesn’t mean anything! I loved your father and look how that turned out!” she shouted and I blinked.
“Parker is nothing like dad,” I whispered, my hands starting to shake.
“You’ll find someone else in Michigan. There are plenty of boys around,” he said, waving her hand. I frowned and shook my head. “I’ve already put the deposit down on the house. And this house is already back on the market. We’re leaving in 4 days.”
“What!?” I cried, feeling my heartbeat stammer in my chest.
“Four days,” she said before picking up her plate and going into the living room. I stared at the blank wall for a moment before swiping the tears from my eyes and running from the house.

I headed straight to Parker’s house. I didn’t notice how much time had passed, or how soaked I was getting in the heavy rain. I just ran and ran.

Finally, I reached his house, but didn’t bother to knock. I just burst through the door and found him sitting on his sofa flicking through television channels. “Ireland?” he asked, jumping up. “What’s wrong? You’re soaked…”
“My mum…” I cried, throwing myself into his arms and crying into his chest. “She…she…” But I couldn’t say it. Saying it would make it so much more real and I couldn’t face it yet.
“Shh,” Parker whispered into my ear. “Come on, I’ll run you a bath so you can warm up. You’re shaking.” It was partly shock, partly cold. But I didn’t argue, just followed him back to his bathroom. I sat on the toilet lid, hugging myself and shivering as tears ran endlessly down my cheeks. I watched Parker as he kept checking on me in between running a warm bath. The small room was soon filled with steam and I started to warm up.

Once the tub was filled with hot water, Parker stepped over to me and stood in front of me. “Come on, baby,” he whispered. He pulled me up and then pulled my t-shirt over my head and unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans and pushed them down. He hesitated when he reached for my underwear and I blushed. He turned away from me and I took them off and stepped into the warm water. I sighed softly and Parker took that as his cue to turn back to me. He came and knelt next to me, placing his hand on the top of my head comfortingly. I lay back and closed my eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath. “Better?” Parker asked after a few silent minutes. I smiled and nodded. I opened my eyes and gazed at him for a long moment, feeling tears gathering in my eyes once again. I shivered but not from cold this time.

We stayed in the bathroom for about 20 minutes, until the tips of my fingers were pruney, before I was ready to get out of the bath. Parker had a large, fluffy towel read, and he wrapped it around me. I smiled weakly at him and then we went into his bedroom. He found some clothes for me; boxers, grey sweats and an oversized t-shirt. They were all far too big for me, but I didn’t care. They all smelt of him and when I was wearing them, I was enveloped in that smell. I sat on the edge of his bed and Parker came and sat next to me. “My mum’s bought a house in Michigan,” I told him quietly. I felt him stiffen slightly. “We’ve got…4 days,” I finished in a whisper. I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths to keep myself calm.
“4 days?” Parker asked, clearly upset. I just nodded. I turned and looked up at him.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, grasping his hand tightly. “I knew this would come eventually. I shouldn’t have…let things go so far between us. I was being selfish and I’m so sorry.”
“Hey,” Parker whispered and I could tell it was a strain for him to remain so strong. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I would have hated it if you’d tried to keep me at a distance. I’m thrilled that you were selfish, because I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
“4 days and you’ll have to start…” I whispered sadly. Parker took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“We have to make the most of the next couple days,” he said gently. “Who knows when we’ll see each other again…?”

I turned to him and stretched up to press a kiss to his lips. I clung onto him desperately and deepened the kiss. A slight pressure on his shoulders and I’d pushed him onto his back. I quickly straddled his hips and continued to kiss him as passionately as I possibly could. The kiss broke eventually, both of us desperate for air, but I didn’t stop. I just moved my lips down to Parker’s throat and started kissing and nipping at the skin there. My hands moved on their own, firstly under Parker’s t-shirt, which was quickly pulled over his head, and then down to his jeans. “Ireland,” Parker said quickly, taking hold of my wrists and pulling my hands away. I looked up at him through teary eyes. His face was flushed, but there were tears in his eyes, too. “Not like this,” he said simply. I lowered my eyes and nodded, quickly climbing off him and sitting on the bed, facing away from him, my cheeks red with embarrassment.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. Parker sat up and moved next to me.
“You remember when we first met?” he asked softly, picking up my hand. I nodded with a weak smile, still kind of embarrassed by my behaviour. He turned my hand over, so my palm was facing upwards. He traced a long, deep line and then looked up into my eyes. “Your heart line isn't broken up. Our relationship isn't in trouble, baby.”
“It’s just a line, Parker, it doesn’t mean anything,” I said, pulling my hand from his grasp. That stuff may have worked before, and yeah, it may have made me fall a little bit in love with him on that first day, but it wasn’t going to work now. Not when I might never see him again.
“Whether it does or doesn’t is irrelevant,” he said softly. “I know that we’re going to be okay. I love you too much to let you go now. You’re mine, Ireland, and if you have to go, it’s okay, because I know we’ll be together again.”
“How do you know?” I whispered.
“Have faith,” he whispered back, stroking my jaw lightly. “I love you too much not to spend my life with you.”
“I love you, too,” I whispered, tears finally spilling from my eyes.
“So we’ll be okay,” he whispered, kissing me tenderly. I nodded, although I still had my doubts. “Let’s get in bed.”

About 10 minutes later, we were lying pressed together in Parker’s bed. Both of us were crying softly, but neither of us were acknowledging it. There was nothing either of us could do, anyway. I closed my eyes and pressed myself against my boyfriend even tighter. I never wanted to move from his embrace, but in knew in 4 days, I wouldn’t have a choice.