10 Days [Brallon]

Parking Meter Tickets

[people are reading this hi I love you]

Brendon waltzed through the door just as Tyler had ended his short visit where he'd talked the entire 13 minutes about how Josh had dropped off a huge bouquet of flowers at his doorstep and that he didn't know what any of them meant, and insisted that I had to tell him.

("There were a bunch of 4 leaf clovers and some of those ones," he said and pointed towards a small cluster of honey-flowers in the corner. "The clovers mean 'will you be mine' and the honey-flowers represent secret love and affection." I told him, and needless to say he was overjoyed)

Brendon had a smile on his face and his hands stuffed in the pockets of his leather jacket, boots scuffing the tile as he neared the counter.

"Why're you up so early? Last time I checked, the earliest you got up was 7 so you could bug your ex to no end."

"I couldn't wait to see you!" He grinned, practically shaking from excitement like an energetic chihuahua "I missed you!"

"I missed you too." I told him and he smiled like he had when his motorcycle pulled up to the trampoline park the other night when he was patiently for my reaction.

He sighed heavily through the fading smile and scuffed the heels of his boots against the tile. "Did you want to do anything today? Like if you wanna set out somewhere early or something?"

"I heard an ice cream place opened down the street." At the mention, Brendon's eyes lit up expectantly like a kid in a candy shop. He grabbed my hand and swung it in a loopy arch over the counter with a goofy smile, the excited gleam in his eyes practically begging for me to take him. I pulled my hand away and grabbed the keys to the front door, leaving a sign on the back entrance in case the delivery guys I'd been expecting swung by.

And we went.

We paused at a street light, watching the cars speed way too close to the curb. I felt Brendon tap my shoulder and I looked down. He pointed to my hand and smiled.

"Your hand looks kinda heavy," he mused "mind if I hold it?"

His warm grip never loosened until he jumped ahead and held the door open with both hands for me at the ice cream place since the door was so heavy, and he'd assumed I wouldn't be able to open it.

It was much cleaner than I'd expected it to be. The overall style was like a diner from the 1980's. I liked it, and from Brendon's overjoyed gasp of approval, he did too.

I don't like very many things, but this was definitely one of the few.

Along with my friends. And Brendon.

There were always exceptions.

Brendon got some swirly mush of ice cream I didn't care to know the flavors of, caking the exterior with layers upon layers of napkins, and I just got some plain vanilla like usual - 1 napkin attached.

"Would you consider this the third or the second date?" He asked quietly over his shoulder, fingers still hanging on to mine as he pulled me along behind him.

Both, I guess. It all depended on whether the coffee shop thing was another date that followed up on the trampoline one. I could already tell if we went on as many more dates as we have in the last few days, I'd start losing track in a week or so.

"I'd say third," I said and sat down on the street curb "unless you want this to be the second."

"I like third better," he shrugged, swiping the pavement clear with his shoes before carefully sitting down. Brendon took a careful bite from the food in his hands before continuing on "it makes it sound like we're more committed."