PARKER FRANKLIN
Parker only chuckled at her words with a shake of his head. He wasn’t thinking about the weeks end and he preferred not to, not now that he had her with him alone and they were… meshing. He hadn’t felt this relaxed in what felt like forever and the feeling was so freeing, he wasn’t quite ready to give that up. He knew when he did, he’d have to thank her for giving that to him. Him going back, Parker wanted to push the thought as far back as he could before the reality would come rushing back forward and hit him like a truck. This moment, this time with him home, it was supposed to be special and exciting– for his sister. But Parker knew he’d challenge himself to make it amazing for the brunette he now found himself walking beside.
As they made way towards the box-filled garden, Parker’s blue hues lingered to the woman beside him before he commented, “I’m not too sure I’m excited for this, but I’m glad I got paired with you rather than anyone else.” The words were unexpected, ones he wasn’t sure had ever left his lips before. The blonde was generally closed off when it came to emotions that were anything but humorous but something about this girl– she brought the words out of him. It only been a couple of hours and yet it felt like a lifetime.
“Think we’ll be able to handle this?”
I’m glad I got paired with you rather than anyone else. Those words caused Blair to smile and she swore she could feel a redness in her cheeks. She looked down, hoping to hide that reaction from the man that had caused it. Oh boy. Blair was fucked. She’d told herself to take it slow, tell her mind and her heart not to get fooled by every nice guy she came across ---- after all, one of them did end up cheating on her with her best friend. The rest of the situation was locked inside Blair’s mind, unable to be thought of or talked about. It was better that way.
“I’m glad I got paired up with you, too,” she agreed, finally looking up at him and gathering some courage to say her next words, “fun fact, I actually had a crush on you in high school. Best friend’s older brother.” Blair hoped that little comment would give him a reason to say something that would make Blair realize she was thinking too hard about it. It’d give her a way out, a realization that she shouldn’t be thinking about anything --- or anyone --- else besides her best friend’s wedding. “Kind of a cliché, I know.”
Blair looked at the boxes in front of them as they got to the scene. Parker’s words caused a small chuckle to escape her, a teasing smile appearing on her lips afterward. “What? A badass SEAL can’t handle a couple of decoration boxes?” she teased, looking at him with mischief in her eyes.












