Love's Rapture

Talon

It stressed me out that Kelly had effectively avoided me for two days. You would think working in a small coffee shop would force two people to interact, but she somehow convinced Parker to let her work in the office. With the door shut.

I accidentally drew Parker's attention to myself when I groaned aloud while staring at the office door.

"You okay, buddy?" he asked.

"He's fine," Robby answered for me. "Just needs to get to the gym and work out is all."

"Are you sure? Because you look lovesick."

"How do you know what that looks like?" I questioned.

Parker shrugged. "Have you ever met Rosa? She's only sixteen, and I think she's dated more than all my siblings put together."

"I thought she was in love with that one guy that worked for your sister," I said, confused.

"Sandro?" Parker's eyes went huge, and I realized my mistake as soon as I saw Kelly exit the office.

"Are you kidding me, Talon?" she narrowed her eyes. "You can't keep a secret for anything, can you?"

"Oh, he has plenty of secrets. Believe me, if he started spouting off some of the crap going on in his head-." Robby stopped talking when I walked over and grabbed his shoulder in a tight grip.

"Thanks, buddy, I think they get it." He smiled and nodded.

"Sorry, man."

"Can someone tell me about Rosa being in love with a man that's old enough to be her dad?" Parker's face froze in disbelief.

"Okay, first of all, she had a crush on him when she was, like, thirteen. She thought he was handsome, but she wasn't in love with him because she's had a few boyfriends since then. Plus, it's not even like she could do anything about it because he lives in Colorado," Kelly assured him and gave me the evil eye when he wasn't looking.

Parker huffed and walked toward his office. He paused outside the door and said, "I've gotta log some stuff in the computer, Kel. If you still think you're contagious, head home."

So, she'd told him she wasn't feeling well? I snorted. I was about to ask if we could talk privately, but the guy that had come in with her the first day of classes walked in the door.

"Camden?" she walked over and gave him a quick hug. "What are you up to?"

"I was bored and thought I would come to ask if you wanted to go to the movies," he said. Kelly must have thought I'd gone because she glanced over her shoulder, and I caught the guilty expression on her face. When she saw me, she remembered her anger because she turned back to her friend and said, "Sure."

"Yeah?" he looked surprised she'd said yes, and I would bet money that my expression mirrored his—all but the goofy smile on his face that is.

"Yes, I'd love to go to the movies."

"Okay, cool!" He pulled out his phone and handed it to her. "Which movie looks best?"

"Hm," she scrolled down the screen. "This one?"

He nodded when she handed his phone back. I wanted to shove a fork in my eye. Was this happening in front of me right now?

"The movie doesn't start for another hour, so do you want to hang out here?" she asked.

"Sure!" They walked up to the counter and looked expectantly at me.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I'd like a vanilla iced coffee, please," Kelly smiled. Her tone sounded sweet, but the look in her eyes scared me a little. I didn't quite understand this moment.