Parker was at least a good five inches taller than I was. His figure loomed above mine as we danced, stepping gingerly and twirling to the slow music that wafted around us. One of my hands was on his shoulder, feeling the muscles underneath contract under my touch. The other was in his free hand, which guided me while we danced. It felt electric between us.
I knew that if someone else were to touch me, the person would turn into that BBQ chicken we had last week. But it was comfortable: all the tingling and electrifying. I couldn't bring myself to step away from it, from him.
And now and then, whenever we locked gazes, I felt myself being sucked into brilliant green. My senses were alert. Awareness sizzled around me, alertness of him. From how close we were to each other, I could hear the sounds of his breaths. I could hear his heartbeat. In my head, these sounds were way louder than the music in the outside world.
We broke away for a second for him to twirl me, our hands held together above my head. The silence between us had begun to get awkward, but that didn't stop my heart from jumping when Parker broke it.
"So, apart from having your career going well for you, what else is good in your life?"
Once again, I looked into his eyes. The first reply that came to mind was, "certainly not love!". But I realized how pathetic that would sound. Thus, I went with another, more rational reply:
"Everything's great." Lie.
Parker must have suspected it, but even if he didn't, I was sure my fake smile must've given him a hint. He smiled. My heart leaped.
When he spoke, he lowered his voice to an almost whisper and bent his head slightly. "Anyone special?" If I wasn't mistaken, there was a bit of a crack to his voice at the end of his statement. And his eyes had dimmed.
I furrowed my brows at him. One second he was saying we were only objects to each other, the next, he was acting like he gave a flipping monkey.
"Why do you ask?"
"No reason." He tried to play it off as casual, straightening his posture and tightening his grip around my waist. But there was something about his demeanor that told me there was more. "It's just that you seem happier than the last time we properly met when you were still getting over your heartbreak."
"I could say the same about you," I shot back at him. "If I remember correctly, you were still recovering from your fiance's betrayal."
Something flashed in his eyes, but it slipped away before I could understand what it was. "I've gotten well over it, but I don't think I'm ready to delve into anything serious. At least not yet."
"I feel the same way," I replied, posture stiff.
We danced stiffly for the rest of the song, neither of us saying a word. There was still a large amount of awkward tension between us that I wasn't sure would ever leave.
To say the least, I was glad when the song came to an end.
Parker still held on to me even after the song was over, causing me to lift a brow.
"Have you had the desserts?"
I shook my head. "No, why?"
He lifted his eyebrows and faked a gasp. "We're going to have to fix that right away!"
With that, he let go of my waist, holding on to my wrist instead and tugged me in the direction of the food display tables.
Different delicacies: snacks, drinks, ice cream, wine, cake, practically anything sweet and edible were displayed on it. Mida had made sure I ensured her wedding party didn't lack a wide variety of food.
We came to a stop in front of the table of croissants. The girl behind the table wore a large smile on her face as she ogled my other half, who was too busy searching for what he wanted, a cute frown on his lips as he did.
Annoyed by her, I tugged on Parker's arm. He hummed and gave me his attention.
"They are all croissants. Just pick one already."
"I'm not picking one for myself. It's for you," he stated, a grin blooming on his face. "And trust me, when you have a taste of one of these babies, you're going to eat your own words." He pointed to the croissants.
I cast a side glance at the girl who was still watching him. "Well, if you're going to pick one, do it quickly."
Parker's gaze followed mine and landed on the now flushed girl who was supposed to be attending to us. He looked back at me, the grin back on his lips.
"Jealous, are we? Don't worry. I'm not going to cheat on you with another."
Despite myself, I blushed harder than the annoying girl. My heart was doing stupid somersaults, and my brain was dying by the second. If he didn't wipe that grin off his face soon, I was scared I would do something I might not have regretted.
"Pick one."
Parker chuckled and told the girl what to do. Shortly after, we left that part of the long table with me holding a croissant.
"Come on," Parker urged, an excited glint in his eye. "Try it."
I shrugged. I didn't know what the big deal was about the croissant.
One bite later, I was eating my own words, just like Parker had said I would. Within seconds the entire thing was wolfed down by me.
"Holy scrap traps," I moaned, the taste of chocolate and coconut still swirling in my mouth. Unconsciously, I licked the chocolate off my fingers.
Parker grinned proudly, "I told you you'd like it."
"Like it?" I faced him with wide eyes and dirtied fingers. "I love it! I have never tasted something so... chocolaty."
It was true. Unlike the usual croissants, this one had a mix of chocolate and coconut in the middle that melted on your tongue and sent a wave of euphoria down your spine as you took each bite, like biting into heaven.
"I want another one," I told him. I probably sounded like a cave woman who just tasted the twenty-first century, but I honestly didn't care.
"You're not on a diet or something?" He gave me a look.
I frowned, growing irritated by my lack of pastry goodness. "Do I look like I am?"
Parker lifted a brow as if to say, "have you seen yourself?"
Okay, maybe I did look a bit like I was on a diet, but who cared about diets or looks. I know I didn't. Luckily for me, my large appetite didn't affect my figure. I remained the petite person I was.
"It's rude to leave me hanging when I'm about to reach my culinary climax," I scoffed, causing Parker to laugh.
"We could get you another one later. For now, I think you need a visit to the bathroom."
"Me, why?" I questioned in shock. Did I stink?
"You've got a little something." He paused to motion to his face. "Here."
My eyebrows almost kissed my hairline, a stupid grin splitting my face. "Oopsie. I may have gotten carried away."
"I don't blame you. The same thing happened to me earlier, and I had to change. Twice." We laughed together, the sounds of our laughter mixing up in the air around us. All the tension gone. Parker lifted his hand to my face. "Hold still."
He swiped his thumb against the corner of my lip, leaving a trail of heat behind. His thumb was smooth but hard. It made me stiffen. I stared at him wide-eyed and open-mouthed as he retracted his now chocolate-covered thumb, gaze still locked with mine, and popped it into his mouth.
And then, what was left of my sanity exploded.
"There," he grinned. "Now you're good to go. Apart from that stain on your dress."
I followed the direction of his index finger to a large dark chocolate stain on my red dress. If I wasn't gaping like a fish, I would have groaned.
Why did he have to do that?
When my gaze drifted back up to his, every brilliance in them had dissipated, leaving behind a hunger. His eyes traveled down to my lips, and he gulped, a struggle ensuing behind his green eyes. My heart picked up the pace, and my breath quickened.
Just like that night, all I wanted to do was grab his collar and kiss him like my life depended on it. But I knew that doing that would only complicate things between us more.
Someone cleared their throats into a mic, breaking us free of our daze. We took a step away from each other.
Mida and Shawn stood on the stage, bright smiles on their faces. Mida's gaze was solely on me as she grinned widely and sent me a not-so-subtle wink indicating that she saw what transpired between Parker and me. She nodded towards Simone, who stood a few feet from the stage, her gaze also on me. Marcus stood beside her, a stunned expression on his face.
He was almost as close to me as Simone was, and he knew how much I hated the idea of love. So I understood his shock. Heck, I was even surprised at myself. So the momentary flushing of my face was justified.
"May I have everyone's attention, please!" Mida called into her mic.