"Are you coming with me to storage?" Emmett asked, leaning against my bedroom door shirtless.

"Why are you half naked?"

"Because I just got back from my morning run," he informed me. "So are you coming?"

"Why are you going to storage?"

"We've eventually got to put up the Christmas decorations."

Right, Christmas.

"Okay," I agreed. "I'll meet you in the kitchen in ten?"

"Fifteen," he countered. "I have to shower."

I nodded in agreement, shutting my laptop as he shut my bedroom door.

I threw on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, throwing my hair up into a messy bun.

I was headed to our storage unit, not the Oscars.

Lee was on the floor of the living room, wrapping a present.

"You do know that Parker could walk in at any moment?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.

"Not when I have his apartment key," Lee said, smiling at me.

"You locked Parker out of the apartment?"

"Well he doesn't know it yet. But yeah."

"Why don't you just wrap your presents in my room?"

He stared at me for a few moments.

"You know, lock the door and have some privacy. And then Parker can enjoy the comforts of the apartment. And nobody will die later today."

"You'd really let me use your room?"

"Sure," I agreed, with a laugh. "I already cleared out all the dead bodies, so it's not like I'm trying to hide anything in there."

"Okay good, because I wouldn't want to have to deal with that baggage," Lee agreed.

That's one of the many things I love about this kid. He just takes anything I say in stride and runs with it.

"Here," Lee said, tossing me Parker's apartment key.

"Thanks."

Lee gathered all this things, thanked me one last time, and then disappeared back into my bedroom.

"Ready to go?" Emmett asked, joining me in the kitchen a few minutes later.

"Where should I leave Parker's apartment key?" I asked.

"Why do you have Parker's key?"

"It's a long story involving Lee."

"Okay," Emmett agreed. "We'll just leave the door unlocked."

"Are you sure?"

"I mean unless they want to steal our brand new IKEA dishwasher, there isn't much in here," he informed me, laughing.

"Don't bring that up," I muttered.

He rolled his eyes, still chuckling. "Just leave the key on the counter, let's get a move on."

I nodded in agreement, tossing the key onto the kitchen counter before following him outside and downstairs.

"Where is Parker anyways?" I asked, sliding into the passenger seat of Emmett's Mercedes.

"He took the long route today," Emmett said, as he started up his car. "It's a bit chilly out today, so I decided to play it safe with the shorter one."

"Good boy." I reached over and pinched his cheek.

He rolled his eyes, slapping my hand away before we pulled out of the apartment complex.

The storage unit was just down the street. We kept all of our holiday stuff, as well as any childhood memories we weren't ready to get rid of, in the unit, along with a bunch of miscellaneous stuff my mom throws in here from time to time.

I always say we should clean the thing out, but nobody really wants to take the time to do it.

"Christmas stuff," Emmett reminded me, as he opened our unit.

I always find memories in the storage unit, and we end up spending hours here when we only meant for it to be a quick run.

But it wasn't my fault. I was just a sentimental person when it came to my childhood.

"Okay," I agreed, sticking my tongue out at him.

We began to load boxes into the back of Emmett's car, not there was much room.

In retrospect, we probably should've borrowed Parker's Edge.

"That's the last of it," Emmett announced, stepping away from the storage unit.

I stared into the unit, my eyes sweeping over the boxes of forgotten memories.

Apparently a storage unit is where memories come to die.

"You good here?" Emmett asked me.

"Yeah," I agreed, my eyes still staring at all of the boxes.

My life was contained here in this unit, everything I'd once held near and dear was packed away in a box and stuffed away.

"Actually," I said, turning to face Emmett. "You should go home without me."

"What?"

"I'm still working on my assignment for Dr. Harrison," I explained. "And I want to spend some time alone here."

"In the storage unit?" Emmett asked, uncertainly.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I promise I won't be too long."

"And how will you get home?"

My eyes swept the storage unit again, resting on Emmett's old longboard.

It had been a phase, just as my dad warned him it would be.

"I'll just board him," I said, looking over at him.

His eyes flickered from the boxes to me, and then to the skateboard and back to me. "Okay," he agreed, hesitantly. "Call me if you need me?"

I nodded in agreement, reaching into Emmett's backseat and stealing his iPad so I could record my thoughts.

~*~

"Lee, let's go!" Parker called, for the umpteenth time.

Their constant shouting across the apartment was interrupting my book, which was sincerely starting to piss me off.

"I said I'm coming!" Lee called back.

Why did I leave my headphones back in my bedroom?

I can't wait until those boys leave so I can finally have some peace and quiet. Just me and my old friend Harry Belafonte.

"Is Emily coming?" Lee asked Parker.

I looked up from my Kindle, raising my eyebrows at them.

"No," Parker muttered, scooping his keys up off the counter.

Well gee, that was rude.

"It's not like she's doing anything," Lee complained. "Come on Emily."

Well I'm not sure that was any nicer, but it was Lee. So who the hell knows?

"Where are you guys going?" I asked.

"Grocery store."

I couldn't help but laugh. "And you want me to tagalong?"

"And then out to lunch," Lee added. "Come on Emily, you know you want to."

"We're wasting time," Parker complained. "Emily, get your lazy ass up and let's go."

"I thought you said I didn't have an ass," I countered, raising my eyebrows at him.

I could tell he was in a mood, but even then I couldn't help but mess with him.

Parker cracked a smile at that, even though I could tell he was trying not to.

"Ignore him and let's go," Lee encouraged.

I sighed, glancing down at my Kindle before joining them.

So much for my afternoon of reading and listening to the soothing voice of Harry Belafonte.

"What do we have to get at the grocery store?" I asked, as we headed down the elevator.

"This," Parker said, producing a crumpled list from his pocket. "Courtesy of your stupid organizer of a brother."

"It's better than grocery shopping with Parker," Lee said, laughing. "He walks down each aisle and tosses things into the cart that he thinks we need, and usually misses about half of it."

"Shut the hell up," Parker ordered.

I couldn't help but laugh, along with Lee.

Parker drove to the store, and the parking lot was packed, probably due to the holidays just around the corner.

I was a little put out by how standoffish Parker was acting. I wasn't used to him acting like this.

"How many people are at the store?" Parker muttered, as we circled the parking lot again.

I noticed Lee shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"Well there's a gym next door," I pointed out. "So that could account for some of the traffic."

"I hope so," Parker muttered, waiting for a truck to back out of a space. "Because this is madness."

As we finally climbed out of the car, Parker wrapped his hand around mine, and I couldn't help but smile.

I wish I wasn't that easy to win over. But I was a sucker for Parker Adams.

The three of us trooped inside, and the grocery store was packed wall-to-wall.

Lee visibly tensed up next to me, his eyes flickering around the store.

Parker let go of my hand, pulling the crumpled list back out of his pocket. He glanced down at the list before looking over at Lee and then at me.

"What's first on the list?" I asked, breaking the silence between the three of us.

Lee reached up and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, his eyes still flickering around the store, taking in all of the people.

"Here," Parker said, handing me the list and his car keys.

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Lee and I are going to go grab a table next door," Parker said, nodding towards the door. "I'm sure they're busy."

"What?" I asked, glancing down at the list and then up at Parker.

He expected me to complete the grocery shopping by myself?

"Just drop the groceries in the car once you're done," Parker instructed. "We'll see you in a few?"

I looked over at Lee, who was already heading towards the door.

"Okay," I agreed.

That was the second time I'd seen Lee act out of the ordinary. And it was subtle, but Parker's reaction made me feel like it could've been much worse.

The grocery shopping took me 45 minutes alone, and then an extra 20 minutes just waiting in line.

Parker owed me big time.

I dropped off the groceries in the car before heading to the sports bar next door.

I found Lee and Parker sitting at a table in the back. Parker was currently trying to bounce a coin into Lee's empty drink.

"It's about time," Parker huffed, as I took a seat next to Lee.

"Don't start."

He pulled an imaginary zipper across his lips, flashing me a smile.

"Don't worry, Parker will pay for your lunch," Lee promised.

Parker flashed me a smile. "I would've anyways."

"Being the kind gentleman that he is," Lee added, with a laugh.

"Well doesn't that make me feel special," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

The waitress came around and I ordered a Shirley Temple to drink before pulling out a menu to see what I wanted.

"What's a Shirley Temple?" Lee asked me.

"It's sprite with cherry flavor," I said, as I flipped to the sandwich section.

"Sounds gross."

"It's not," I promised.

The waitress came back with my drink, and the three of us placed our lunch orders.

I took a sip of my Shirley Temple before handing it to Lee. "Try it."

Lee took a sip before crinkling his nose. "Gross."

"You're not even human," I mumbled, taking my glass back from him.

"So has Lee told you what he got you for Christmas yet?" Parker asked me.

"That's an odd question," I said, raising my eyebrows at him and then turning to look at Lee.

"He's awful at keeping secrets," Parker informed me, with a laugh. "I already know what I got."

"That's not fair," Lee complained. "He practically forced it out of me."

"How's that?" I asked, sipping on my Shirley Temple.

"Because he's Parker and he's an asshole," Lee muttered.

"Good one," Parker informed him, with a smirk.

Lee tossed a piece of ice at him.

"You're so on dude," Parker said, already pulling a piece of ice out of his glass.

"Stop this before it gets out of control," I said, already inching my way away from the two of them.

Parker looked at me and then at Lee before dropping the ice into his mouth.

"Thank you."

"So where do you want to go for your birthday dinner?" Parker asked Lee.

"Hooters."

Parker stared at him for a couple of moments. "You're serious?"

"Hell yeah I'm serious."

Parker rolled his eyes. "If that's what you want I guess."

"You're coming, right Emily?" Lee asked me.

"You have an obsession," Parker informed him.

"I like pretty girls," Lee defended. "And Emily is both pretty and nice, unlike you."

"I'm not pretty? Shame."

Lee chucked another piece of ice at him.

"Emmett's going," Parker informed Lee.

"Okay," Lee agreed. "And so is Emily."

"Do I get a say in this?" I asked.

"No," Lee informed me, with a cheeky smile. "It's my birthday."

Parker shook his head, offering me a playful smile. "I guess she can come."

"Gee, thanks," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"I want you to come," Lee defended. "Parks is just an ass."

~*~

"I was kidding about earlier," Parker informed me, as we settled on the couch to watch a movie.

"About what?"

"Of course I want you to come to Lee's dinner with us."

"I figured as much."

"Then why are you being so distant?"

"Because you've kind of being acting like an asshole."

Parker was silent for a couple of moments, in which time both Lee and Emmett joined us for the movie.

"So what is this about again?" Emmett asked, wedging himself right in-between Parker and me.

"Master and Commander?" I asked. "It takes place during the Napoleonic wars. Captain Jack Aubrey, the captain of the British ship, leads his crew in pursuit of the French."

Lee, Parker, and Emmett all stared at me as if I spoke to them in Latin.

"You'll like it," I muttered, before pressing play.

Somehow, during the course of the first 15 minutes of the movie, Parker managed to end up on the other side of me, leaving me squished between Emmett and him.

Emmett was not happy about the situation.

Parker pressed his lips my ear, and my eyes shot over to Emmett, who was enraptured by the movie.

"It has nothing to do with you," Parker muttered.

I looked over at Emmett again before pressing my lips to Parker's ear. "That doesn't change the fact that you were still kind of a jerk."

"It's just a lot of shit I have to work through."

"What kind of shit?"

Parker didn't answer, his eyes trained on the movie for a couple of minutes.

"It's not you," Parker repeated, after a few minutes. "Just know that."

This time I ignored him, and we watched the rest of the movie in silence.

"Alright Emily, I give you props," Emmett said, turning to face me. "That movie was awesome."

"I know a good movie when I see one," I said, with a tight smile.

"Alright, I'm turning in early. I've got the early shift at the shop tomorrow," Emmett informed me, kissing my forehead before heading back to his bedroom.

I looked over at Lee, who was asleep in the arm chair.

"I'm turning in too," I informed Parker.

"So you're going to do that then?"

"I don't know what you want me to say," I said, with a shrug. "It's not me, it's you. You have some deep shit you're working through. Whatever."

"It's not a break-up line Emily."

"Well it's the beginning of one."

He stood up, running his fingers through his hair. "You wouldn't understand."

"Why don't you try me before you judge me?"

"My parents are dead," he informed me. "My girlfriend is dead."

Okay, that one hurt a little bit.

"Ex-girlfriend," he corrected.

It was obvious that he still had feelings for her, that maybe he was even still in love with her.

"I get if you don't want to do this Parker," I said, walking over to the kitchen.

"That's not what I'm saying."

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm just saying that this isn't easy for me, okay? So maybe sometimes I just need you to back off a little bit."

"Maybe if you'd just said that in the first place, we wouldn't be having this discussion," I shot back. "I understand the need for space Parker."

He clenched his jaw, the two of us just staring at each other in silence.

"You guys are breaking Christmas spirit," Lee informed us.

Parker looked over his shoulder. "I thought you were asleep."

"People arguing in the same room as me usually has the ability to wake me up," he informed Parker, with an eye roll.

"How are we breaking Christmas spirit?" I asked, breaking up their bickering.

"Look up."

I looked up to see mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.

"You're welcome," Lee said, taking a bow before heading back to Parker's bedroom.

Parker and I were silent for a few moments, letting the heat of the moment wash over.

"You should've just told me you wanted some space," I said, looking over at him.

"That's not something I exactly want to share."

We were both silent for another couple of moments.

"Next time I'll tell you," Parker relented.

"Okay," I agreed. "And I'm sorry for going overzealous girlfriend on you." I paused for a moment. "Not that that's what we are."

He laughed, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"This is no time to be sexual," I informed Parker.

"Isn't it the perfect time? I hear that the makeup makes the fight worth it."

"Is that so?"

He dipped his head down, kissing me until my knees went weak.

"And plus it's just Christmas spirit," he added. "You know, with the mistletoe."

I shook my head, cracking a smile.

"You're such an asshole Parker Adams."

And then I rose up on my toes to kiss him.

**************************************************************************************************************

So what did you guys think about the storage unit? Did you expect Emily to get all sentimental with it? What about grocery shopping with the Adams boys? What was your opinion on Parker's attitude? And then the movie at the end, with the little mistletoe action?

The banner off to the right was submitted by VivianFung0. Check it out! -->

^^For those of you asking me how to see the picture on a mobile device, as long as you have the newest update of Wattpad, it should be located at the top of the chapter.

So thank you to all of you that asked about my brother. He's doing much better. He's up and moving around and pretty much back to normal. So that's awesome. But one thing I have learned is that I am absolutely no good at helping someone with their socks & shoes. I'm, like, the worst sock putter-onner ever.

And yes, I know this chapter is technically 39 minutes late, seeing as though it's 12:39 AM. But on the flip side, I stayed up until 12:39 AM to update this for you guys. So hooray for that.

Teaser: Lee's birthday dinner

Update: Again this week