parkercolesĀ·:
the habit that came with clara, was halfway expected. heād known from the moment sheād ran into him, that if he acted on whatever the hell butterflies were supposed to feel like, heād be screwed. and as time went on, heād done a good job at staying around that borderline. heād still tease her, still tiptoe across the line heād drawn in the sand for himself, but something just kept pulling him closer. he was drawn to her, like magnetic, since day one. itās why the second anything happened with her, nothing could happen with anyone else. itās what made ending everything else, so easy. itās what made him realize that some people he thought were good for him, or could have been good for him, werenātā and they never were. because he knew what it felt like to be manipulated, and heād almost let it happen again, but heād refused. not after being with clara, not after getting the smallest bit of hope of what something real felt like.Ā āi like being your habit.ā and when she mentioned she likes keeping him on his toes, heāll nod in a smirk andĀ a halfway glance.Ā āmhm, so iāve been told.ā muttered under his breath slightly, and throwing the truck in park. he didnāt really care where they were goingā to be honest. he just wanted to be with her, be around her again, talk to her, kiss her. but leave it to clara, getting him to drive an hour out of the way, for some icecream. which meant, this place must have been pretty special to her, which made it matter to parker, too.Ā āyou mean i gottaā spend a whole hour listening to your 90ā²s playlist all the way home? ouch.ā itās smirked, and he doesnāt mean itā heād listen to anything she wanted, which really did, make you a sucker parker cole. however, sheās jumping out of the truck faster than he can turn it off, and heās shutting the door, having to crank the window up by hand, and lock it just the same. turning on his heels, he meets her at a halfway point, in between the bed of his truck, and a sidewalk off the parking lot. heāll lean his elbow on the tailgate, and smile down at her, just as dimpled and as happy as before. she always talked a lot, whether or not she liked to admit that. and the more she went on, the more he listened, in a quiet nod, and a suspicious kindaā smirk.Ā āwow, you tricked me into a date, clara sloane?ā masked in feigning hurt, touching his chest, but thereās still a smile on his face as he met her gaze.Ā āyou gonnaā get me home by ten, maāam?ā heās inching forward again, fingertips catching her on the hook of her belt loops, and pulling her into his chest with a beaming grin. thereās a small shift in movement, and heās lightly pressing her back against the tailgate of his truck. the pad of his thumb skimmed the skin that rose with the hem of her shirt, and heās leaning down to kiss her. the universe may have kept trying to steer him off, but he wouldnāt be scared away too easily. it wasnāt a warning, it was a challengeā testing him to see if he was brave enough to try again. because thatās what clara deserve, someone who would tryā and keep trying. so when he pulls back, his nose is nuzzling against hers in softening shoulders, that was entirely unlike him with anyone else. his hand touches her chin, tipping her up by her smile.Ā āthat feels a little bit more than just friends to me, donāt you think?ā itās whispered in a smirk, and he had never planned anything with clara, which is consistent in the way he never planned to ask her to be his girlfriendā in the middle of a fucking parking lot, to the icecream parlor of their first date. but here he was, about to do just that.Ā āfeels like a boyfriend thing.āĀ
ā ah , donāt act like you arenāt perfectly happy to hear iāve kidnapped you in the name of romance and not somethinā more sinister , ā thereās a playfulness in her tone that matches his , and it came easily , the closer they got . the cleverness of parker had been something sheād always liked about him ; even as she got more comfortable around him , however , there were times when sheād found herself flustered . clara could talk a million miles a minute in that sweet southern louisiana lilt , but he had the ability to make her tongue tied like no one had before . itās why it takes her a minute , as his fingers hook through faded denim and tugs her closer to hime , all the while backing her against the warm metal of his truck , for her to catch her breath . thereās a smile that shines golden with innocence on her lips , and it was a look that was only missing its halo to be complete as she brings a shoulder up in a shrug . you gonna get me home by ten , maāam ?Ā ā not a chance , ā she hummed , tilting her chin so it was easier to meet his gaze . his thumb grazes the exposed skin at her torso , and despite the texas heat , goosebumps prickle at her arms ,Ā ā tell you what , iāve never been the take him home after the first date type , but i could be convinced to make an exception for you . ā the truth was , she fully intended on dragging this out as long as she could , whether that meant finding herself wandering back to his place or dragging him back to hers , and it wasnāt necessarily for obvious reasons sheād have insisted on while friends with benefits was in full force . before the rumor circulating made her question her feelings . before a broken down truck and a thunderstorm led to i think you like me too . no , she simply liked being around him . she liked the way he nuzzled into the crook of her neck as they laid in a twin xl not fit for two people . she liked the way he never minded listening to her talk , and he always had something to say back . . . no matter how late itād gotten . waking up next to him the next morning , sheād thought , would be ideal after everything theyād dealt with over the past couple of weeks . she opens her mouth to speak again , but parker is leaning in and taking the breath from her very lungs , kissing her . really kissing her . her hands find a light grip on his shirt , and sheās leaning into him with the subtle lift onto her toes . parker cole was something she could so easily get lost in , and she was , even after he pulled away , as her eyes remained close and a dizzy smile worked at barely parted lips . heāll touch underneath her chin , the only thing pulling her out of a small trance being the way he beckoned for her gaze without words . sheāll blink up at him and forget thereās an entire world still moving around them . this boy with his charming smile , taste for mischief , clever tongue , and sweet words . . . had her weak in the knees , and boy , was it trouble .Ā ā yeah , ā her voice was just as quiet , still stifled by a kiss ,Ā ā yeah it does . weāve never been all that good at the just friends thing though , have we ? ā heās softened completely , and this parker is different than the one sheād known a year ago , but only because his teasing came with a kiss pressed against her cheek or a tug on her belt loop . and the way he touched her , the way he stayed close with a light nuzzle of his nose . . . it was intimate .Ā ā a boyfriend thing , huh ? ā sheās sure her cheeks are burning red as a smile lights up in her eyes . her tone dips into a sing - song tease , even though it wasnāt much of a secret to poke fun at ,Ā ā youāre so into me , cole . ā her hands move over his shoulders , fingers lazily intertwining behind his head as she feigns a sigh .Ā ā i donāt know , i mean . youāre horribly stubborn . you take up so much of what little bed you have . you insulted my 90s music , ā sheāll tilt her face up to catch his lips in another kiss . it lingered with the feeling of a grin that wasnāt going away any time soon . pulling away , her voice was soft . ā but i also like that you still donāt go easy on me . and i like your stupid tiny bed . . . and the idea of really having you to myself , ā sheās still close , catching his eyes from under curled lashes ,Ā ā thereās also the small fact that i like you a little more every day , so yeah . yeah , i suppose it does feel like a boyfriend thing . ā her hands slide down his arms , intertwining their fingers as she adds ,Ā ā i think it was kind of a boyfriend thing . just like i think you oughtāa make a girlfriend outāa me . ā her smile melts into something more lighthearted , and sheās laughing as she adds ,Ā ā canāt believe you let me kidnap you for a date , then just completely stole my romantic thunder by beinā so goddamn cute about this . ā








