Defending Parker

[Chapter 19]

Chapter 19

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

The frosty snow beneath my feet gave way as fresh snowflakes floated to the ground around me. The town seemed oddly busy for a Sunday afternoon, people bustling around as cars whizzed down the roads, causing me to park the car around the corner and walk through the snow. Pulling my hat down further over my ears as Parker and I trekked down the sidewalk, I squinted, only to see that the shop we had been looking for was right in front of us.

Breathing a sigh of relief as I hustled into the building, I couldn’t help but relish the sudden warmth and coziness that the cute little café held as the door closed slowly behind us. The twisted scent of freshly brewed coffee and homemade biscuits immediately caught my attention, making me smile as I took a quick peek at the selection this place had to offer.

Shaking any excess snow off of me, I looked to my side, only to see Parker gazing at me with amusement.

“What?” I asked, my cheeks lighting up in a blush that always seemed to appear when he was around.

He shook his head, trying unsuccessfully to contain his laughter. “You have snow in your hair.” he stated, smiling down at me as he gently ran his fingers through the ends of my hair.

“I never would’ve guessed,” I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes at him.

Even though I could still see flecks of amusement dancing around in his eyes, I was pleased when he didn’t reply, instead choosing to take my hand as he led me to stand in line.

“So,” he started, casually moving his arm around my shoulder as he nodded towards the menu, “What do you want?”

Looking up at the menu, I was reminded of why we had come here in the first place.

Earlier this morning Parker had knocked on my door, offering to help me study for the end of term exams that seemed to be approaching quickly, and although my mind wasn’t quite at it’s full capacity at the ungodly hour he had arrived, I agreed and let him in. For almost four hours we had been concealed in my house studying, ignoring the blizzard that rolled in and casted a cloud of white over the town.

However, when Parker suggested taking a break from studying, I was surprised that he wanted to come to this coffee shop, although, now that I stood waiting to order, I could see the appeal that the place held.

“I don’t know,” I replied, my eyes skimming over the various choices, “What do you get when you normally come here?”

He raised an eyebrow as I looked up at him curiously. “And who says I’ve even been here before?”

“You wouldn’t have known where this place was if you hadn’t already been here before,” I said, “It took you five minutes just to show me what roads to turn on and where to find a parking spot.”

Chuckling, he rested his chin on my shoulder and smiled. “Okay, so maybe I’ve been here a couple of times before,” he conceded, his voice just above a whisper as his breath fanned the side of my face. “And I usually just get a hot chocolate, nothing special.”