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A/N: 21.11.20
Hey, Homies! Chapter 13, 14, 15, AND 16 is now available on my Patreon; and chapter 17 is already in the works 😉 For early access to Conan The Dandelion chapters, you can find the link in my Wattpad bio or find me @letsgohomehidee on Patreon.
🌻🌻🌻
“Yo, dandelion,” Parker asked, standing at my door.
“Hello, Parker,” I smiled. It’s been two weeks since the incident happened. We never brought it up after apologizing to each other, but ever since, Parker has been coming to my house more often. Even though he had nothing in particular to tell me, he’d stop by and hang out for an hour or two.
Parker let himself in, heading to my kitchen. He picked up the turkey sandwich I didn’t finish and took a bite of it as he opened my fridge.
“Are you a vegetarian? There’s meat in the sandwich,” I said worriedly.
“Do I look like a vegetarian?” He snorted. I paused.
“I don’t think vegetarians look a certain way,” I murmured.
“No, I’m not a vegetarian,” he said. He walked over to me and placed the juice in my hands, ripping the plastic off the straw with his teeth before poking it in the hole. He leaned forward, drinking from the straw as I held the juice box with two hands.
I didn’t feel as sick as I used to whenever Parker stood close to me. Though, he made great effort not to come close, which was hard for him considering that he was a man who enjoyed physical touch. Not necessarily sexually, but in a natural naturally, the same way some people needed to express their feelings with words or others needed to be alone to think. Parker needed human contact. It was his way of showing affection.
“I got in a fight with Greg,” he said. “The old geezer said he’d fix the pipes weeks ago, and it wasn’t until I threatened to break his kneecaps he came to fix them. What about you? Are you still taking cold showers?”
“Yes. I’m still waiting for Greg to come by.”
“Tell him you’ll break his knees if he doesn’t,” Parker said. He stopped, studied my tiny frame, then scowled. “On second thoughts, just call him.”
“I will,” I smiled. Parker looked around my kitchen for food.
“You don’t have a lot to eat,” he frowned, swiping the cupboard with his index and rubbing the dust between his fingers. “There’s more dust in here than food.”
“I don’t eat a lot.”
He studied me from head to toe again.
“You don’t look like you eat a lot either.”
My chest tightened, and I tried to keep my smile, but Parker’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“Do you eat three meals a day?”
“I try to.”
Parker frowned, but before he could say anything, I spoke first.
“Do you need anything?” I asked. Parker pursed his lips, and I could tell what I previously said bothered him, or rather, what I didn’t say. Fortunately, he let it slide.
“No, I came here to give you something. Catch,” he took out an object from his pocket and tossed it my way. It hit my chest and fell on the floor.
“We’ll work on that,” Parker mumbled, scooping it up and placing it in my hands. “Here. For you.”
My eyes widened at the box of orange earplugs.
“You bought these for me?”
“Don’t start crying. They only cost me a dollar,” he grumbled.
“Thank you, Parker.”
“I know it gets noisy at night because of me. These might help you sleep better.”
“Thank you.”
“You already said that.”
“I know,” I beamed. Parker studied my face and sighed.
“Typical dandelion,” he murmured, a smile lingering on the corner of his lips. “Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to study together. You can read your philosophy books and I’ll study for my chemistry test. I’ll make you another sandwich. Just give me a sec while I go upstairs and grab the ingredients.”
“I can’t today,” I told him, and he stopped in his tracks, frowning.
“You busy?” He asked, trying to mask his disappointment.
“I’m going to the mall with Freddie.”
“The mall?” He snorted. “What, are you two going to shop for bras and heels?”
“Freddie wants me to help him buy a present.”
“For who?”
“I can’t tell you.”
Parker grinned, leaning against the door frame. “Now, I really want to know,” he said, curiosity and mischief sparkling in his dark eyes.
“I have to leave now. Goodbye, Parker,” I said, but Parker pushed himself off the door frame and blocked my path. I stepped sideways to walk past him, but he mimicked the gesture, blocking my path once again.
“You’re hiding something,” Parker said, a sinful grin growing across his face. “Does Freddie have a crush?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“So that’s a yes.” Parker’s smile widened. “Red head found himself a girlfriend? This is some juicy stuff.”
I imagined Parker with devil horns and tail, plotting many evil ways to tease Freddie.
“How come he told you and not me?” Parker asked.
“You’d make fun of him.”
“I wouldn’t,” Parker said defensively. He paused before bursting into laughter. “Oh, who am I kidding, of course I would. Come on, let’s go.”
I stared at him quizzically. “Us?”
“Freddie has zero experience in the dating game. He’s the type to freak out if someone so much as touches his arm,” Parker said. “Who else is going to give him advice on what gifts to buy his girlfriend?”
I raised my hand, and he grimaced.
“Dandelion, you’re great and all, but have you even gone on a date before?”
“No.”
“Have you ever had a girlfriend?”
“No.”
“Point proven,” Parker shrugged. “Worst-case scenario, you’re going to tell Freddie to buy his girlfriend a philosophy book about how miserable humans are, and Freddie is going to panic and buy the most expensive thing in the mall.”
Before I knew it, we were both walking down the stairs together. Parker was great at persuading people.
“I wonder what idiot fell for that idiot,” Parker hummed.
“He’s older than him.”
Parker almost tripped. He snapped his head towards me.
“He? Freddie likes dudes?” He stuttered. He seemed just as hurt as surprised. I froze, realizing that I had let out a secret. I clasped my hands over my mouth even though it was already too late.
“Shit, no wonder I’ve never seen him with a girl.”
“Please don’t make fun of Freddie,” I murmured, feeling bad for saying so much when Freddie trusted me. Parker studied my face, sighing.
“Relax, I’m not that kind of guy.”
“Can we take the bus?” I asked with hope.
“Don’t you have a car?”
“I do, but I’ve never taken the city bus.”
“Why not?”
“Because I have a car.”
Parker narrowed his eyes at me. I must have said something upsetting again.
“I’d like to make more memories with you,” I added.
Parker stopped in his steps. He was a floor away from me and had to look up to meet my gaze.
“Meaning?”
“I want you to be the first friend I take the bus with. It can be a friend date,” I said excitedly. “It’ll be a special memory to keep.”
“You sound like you’re leaving,” he frowned.
“I am,” I reminded him. “In a year.”
Parker blinked in surprise, then his lips pressed together. He ran his fingers ran through his dark chocolate hair. He continued down the stairs. Maybe he didn’t want to take the public transportation.
“We can take my car if you’d like,” I said.
“Bus,” I heard him say two floors down. “We’re taking the bus.”
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We were inside the bus, sitting the very back. The seats and windows shook with every small bump in the ragged pavement, jostling the passengers back and forth. I studied the people inside the bus. There was a curious mixture of cozy and bored individuals who seemed desperate to reach their destination. Some feigned sleep, other did crosswords, another group read newspapers. I found it interesting how everyone tried to divert themselves.
I enjoyed watching others. Knowing that others exist, that there were other people living similarly or differently, but never equivalently, was beautiful. Everyone in this bus was experiencing every second of the same reality in their own way.
My gaze shifted towards Parker. The light coming from the window made his hair shine a light brown, and his black eyes weren’t as dark but were still as beautiful. He was handsome in a multitude of ways. He fit conventional beauty standards: masculine, strong, alluring… But I liked his eyes. They were cold most of the time, but those rare moments when they softened and showed who Parker truly was, were the moments I loved most.
“What?” He asked, his gaze meeting mine. He was so close to me, our seats only separated by a few inches.
“Thank you for being my friend date,” I smiled. Parker looked away, resting his elbow against the window and his jaw against his knuckles. He was silent for a moment.
“Do you really have to leave?” He asked, his voice suddenly quiet. “Next year, I mean. Can’t you stay?”
Before I could reply, his eyes widened.
“Shit, this is our stop!” He exclaimed. Parker grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. The bus was about to depart, but Parker pressed the “stop” button.
“Sir, the door!”
“Please!” I added frantically.
The driver looked annoyed but opened the door for us, and we hopped off, laughing.
“So how was your first bus ride?”
“I enjoyed it,” I smiled.
“You’re the only person I know who enjoys riding the bus,” he grinned. It wasn’t until he let go of my hand to take out a cigarette that I noticed that we had been holding hands all this time. Parker didn’t seem to have even noticed.
“Wait for me inside the mall. I’ll join you when I’m done,” he said. He went up to a stranger and asked for a lighter, and I entered the mall by myself. I looked down at my hand and flexed my fingers as if I had discovered a new superpower.
For the first time in what felt like forever, someone had held my hand, and I didn’t feel sick.
🌻🌻🌻
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