Parker: Have a good class. You’ve gotten much better at this text flirting stuff.
Astrid: I’m a very quick learner. Besides, I have a master teaching me.
Just like that, he was back to flirty. She was going to get whiplash if he kept that up. Gathering up her laptop, she packed everything up before heading toward class. She wished Karlie or Sam were in town to talk to about this. Even Max’s little sister, Chiara could help with some insight. Unfortunately, they were all out of town for the summer.
With a sigh, Astrid settled into a seat. For the next two hours, she would be learning about earth sciences. It wasn’t her thing, but she needed to fulfill her core curriculum. She could always keep herself entertained by dreaming about a certain sexy bartender.
Trudging back across campus after class, Astrid was certain her brain was numb. Someone was standing on her front steps when she turned the corner. She came to a stop, a smile slowly spreading across her face. She would know that old SUV anywhere. Parker climbed down the steps, walking toward her.
“I’m not trying to stalk you. I just thought you might like to grab something to eat,” he said as they started walking toward her apartment. He took her backpack and threw it over his shoulder like it weighed nothing.
“Where are your brothers?” she asked, looking around. Astrid knew he wasn’t comfortable leaving them alone for long periods.
“They’re with friends. It’s just me.” He followed her up to her room. “Damn, is it always so hot in here?”
“It gets worse in August.” Flipping on a fan, she walked around raising the windows for a cross breeze. “I’m planning to move into an on-campus apartment next semester. Max’s little sister is going to be one of my roommates since both Karlie and Sam flaked on me.”
“Is pho good with you? There’s a pretty good place we can walk to from here,” she added, motioning for him to follow her.
“That’s a fancy Vietnamese soup, right?”
“Yes, but they have other dishes too. Some even with meat,” she laughed. When they were outside, she made sure the outer door closed securely before walking down the steps. Parker reached over and took her hand. He laced his fingers with hers.
“Parker, what are we doing?” she finally asked after they had walked a few minutes.
“I thought we were going to get something to eat,” he answered, looking over at her.
“So as friends or as a date or what?” Astrid nodded at their entwined hands before looking up at him in question.
“Oh. I’m sorry,” he said, turning her hand loose. “After last time, it just seemed normal somehow. I’ll try to remember some lines shouldn’t be crossed between friends.” So, they were friends this time she guessed.
“Look, I don’t usually have much time for friends,” he said, stopping. He looked at her, the crease between his eyebrows telling her he had decided something.
“I think other than Dean and Max you might be it,” he continued. “I have family and I have customers. I’ve been too busy for a long time to have anything else. If I overstep, please let me know so I can rein it back in. Obviously stripping naked in front of you was an overstep last night.”
So she was now firmly in the friend zone. That sucked, but she could work with it.
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” she said with a laugh. “I mean, it might have made more sense if you had been bitten by a snake. Then you might need me to suck the venom out of your ass, but I’m not complaining.”
“Damn, okay. Where’s a fucking snake when you need one?” He grinned over at her as they continued their walk to the restaurant. “Are you allergic to snake? That might be an option for us too in the morning in the eggs.” She snorted out a big laugh. She quickly put her hand over her mouth in embarrassment. Parker just grinned back.
“No, can’t say I’ve tried snake.”
They were still laughing when he held the door open at the restaurant for her. An amazing aroma swept over them. There was a small crowd of people waiting for a table, so Parker added his name to the list before they stepped back outside to wait. Within fifteen minutes they were sitting at a table looking over the menu.
“This looks good. It has beef in it with different vegetables.” Parker showed her what he was talking about. “I have a stupid question, speaking of meat,” he added.
“Well, ask away. The first stupid question is free.”
“Umm, so if I ate pork and then kissed you or, you know, would you have a reaction to it?” She grinned. He always seemed so cool about everything when he was behind the bar, she couldn’t resist an opportunity to give him a hard time. Actually, this would be more like turning the tables on him.
“No, Parker, I don’t know. What are you asking?” He rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what he had walked into. “Oh, do you mean s-e-x?” she added in a whisper. “Or were you asking for a blow job?”
“What? No.” He stopped when she began laughing.
“I don’t have any idea,” she continued. “But since you only understand how to get to second base, I guess we’ll never know.”
“You’re just mean,” he said. His cheeks had turned a delicious shade of red. She would wager anything that no one had seen him blush since middle school.
