Page 48 of Twisted Needs

Parker immediately looks away, which honestly hurts more than if he’d yelled at me.

“Are you mad about last night?”

The knot in my stomach tightens when he doesn’t say anything.

“What happened?” I ask.

“I have a headache,” Parker snaps. The sharpness of it makes me flinch. His expression immediately changes, like he didn’t mean for that to come out the way it did. But instead of apologizing, he doubles down. “And you’re making it worse.”

The words hit me like a slap. I stare at him. For a second, I genuinely don’t know what to say. Parker has never talked down to me like that. Literally ever. “Pet’ka⁠—”

“Jesus, Anders.” He drags a hand down his face. “Just stop.”

My stomach drops. “Stop? What do you mean ‘stop?’”

Parker doesn’t answer right away. His shoulders rise with a slow breath, and when he finally speaks, his voice is lower. Quieter in a way like he’s forcing himself to be a little bit more cautious. “You know you shouldn’t be doing this,” Parker mutters, low and painfully controlled.

The floor feels like it’s being pulled from beneath me. And he’s doing the pulling. “Doing what?” I ask.

Parker looks away. “With me.” The words barely leave his mouth. Then he shakes his head. “You know exactly what I mean.”

Is he blaming this all on me? Again?

“No.” I can hear my own heartbeat. “No, actually, I don’t know what you mean.”

“It needs to stop⁠—”

“I’m not doing anything, Parker!”

“Come on.” His voice drags.

“No, if you have a problem with my behavior,” I say, “then you’re going to have to be more specific.”

Parker grabs his coffee and starts toward the back door, like we’re fucking done here or something. Like he can just drop a grenade in the middle of the kitchen and leave me standing here like a fool.

“Uh-uh.” I step in front of him. “Don’t you dare do that.”

“Anders.”

“No. Tell me what you mean,” I press.

His jaw flexes. “You know what I’m talking about,” I scoff, not surprised he’s being a coward. Again. “I don’t. I literally don’t.”

Parker looks at me like he’s made up his mind and shrugs. “You’re starting to forget yourself.”

I stare at him for almost a full minute before laughing thinly. “What does that even mean?”

“You know what it means.”

“No, I really don’t.”

His eyes close briefly, like he’s running out of patience. Or maybe it’s courage. I honestly can’t tell which.

“What am I doing that bothers you so much?”

For a second, I think he’s not going to answer. Maybe I’d prefer that, because him having a valid reason would just about crush me.

“You’re getting too comfortable,” Parker finally says. The words land like a punch to the chest.