All I've Never Wanted(56)

“Where’s Carlo?” I asked, noticing the Colombian’s conspicuous absence.

“He had something to do,” Zack replied vaguely, looking a bit nervous as he exchanged a glance with the others.

Weird.

“So what color did you go for, honeybee?” Parker asked, breaking the inexplicable tension.

It took me a minute to realize what he was talking about. “Uh…I don’t know…” I mumbled, wondering why fate insisted on embarrassing me every day.

“Whatever color you choose, I’m sure you’ll look amazing,” Parker declared dramatically, grabbing my face and planting a giant smooch on my forehead.

“Come on, Parker, you can do better than that,” Adriana said, leaning back and grinning wickedly at us. “Why don’t you give her a kiss on the lips?”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen you guys kiss!” Zack cried, jostling the table in his excitement. “Do it! Kiss, kiss, kiss,” he chanted, banging rhythmically on the table like an eight-year-old.

Parker raised an eyebrow at me as I stared at him, horrified. Crap. I’d hoped the others wouldn’t notice he and I never did anything more than hold hands!

“What’s with the hesitation? I mean, a kiss wouldn’t be a big deal—unless you guys aren’t really dating…” Adriana’s voice trailed off.

Parker shrugged apologetically, then slowly leaned in. I immediately tensed.

“Sorry, honeybee,” he whispered in my ear, so the others couldn’t hear. “We have to keep up this fa?ade until your grandmother leaves. Just in case.”

I sighed. Even though there was little chance of my grandmother finding out Parker and I weren’t really dating, I didn’t want to risk it.

“Besides…” Parker’s smile turned sly. “I’ve always wanted to do this.”

Before I had a chance to react, he pulled me closer to him and planted a long, lingering kiss, right on my lips, the type of kiss that left onlookers with no other conclusion than the fact that we were most definitely a couple.

The sound of a glass slamming on the table interrupted us.

I pulled back, slightly dazed. Whoa. I know I wasn’t really dating Parker, but the boy can kiss.

He winked at me, a smug look on his face.

I rolled my eyes, my head clearing a little. Not that I was going to tell him that. He had a big enough ego as it is.

We turned to face the others, whose mouths were practically grazing the floor.

A strange expression flickered over Adriana’s face, but when she saw me looking, she quickly covered it up. In fact, it was gone so fast I wondered if I'd imagined it.

“I would appreciate it if you two can refrain from PDA,” Roman said, narrowing his eyes at us as he tightened his grip on his water glass. “Some of us are trying to eat.”

“But the food isn’t out yet,” Zack pointed out, scratching his head. “In fact, it—oh!”

“What happened?” Parker and I asked simultaneously, as Zack doubled over with a groan.

“Oh, god, my stomach hurts,” Zack gasped, pushing back his chair and scrunching his face up in pain.

“What? You were fine just a minute ago!” I exclaimed, slightly worried. I’ve never seen Zack like this.

The blond grimaced. “I must’ve eaten something bad earlier…”

“I told you to stop stuffing everything you see into your stomach,” Adriana scolded him. “Does it really hurt that much?”

“What does it look like?” Zack snapped. “God!” He doubled over even more, clutching his stomach like he was dying.

I gulped. “Maybe we should call an ambulance or something,” I cried, rifling frantically through my bag for a phone. Zack must really be in pain, because he never snapped at anyone. “What if he has food poisoning?”

“Don’t call 911, it’ll just cause a scene.” Adriana threw her napkin onto the table and stood up. “I’ll drive him to the ER.” She shot us an apologetic look. “Sorry to bail on dinner like this, but as much of a doofus as Zack is, I don’t want him to die.”

“I can’t believe you’re—making fun—of me—while I’m on my—deathbed,” Zack gasped.

Adriana sighed. “Parker, can you help me bring this drama queen out to the car?”

“Sure,” Parker replied easily. He gave me another wink. “I’ll be right back, honeybee.”

“Text me and let me know how things go,” I told Adriana anxiously.


She nodded, slipping one arm around Zack’s shoulders while Parker supported him on his other side. The trio staggered out the door, leaving just me and Roman behind.

Well, this was awkward.

“I hope Zack’s ok,” I finally said, fiddling with the silverware in front of me.

“He’ll be fine.” Roman’s voice was curt. He didn’t say anything else.

So much for conversation.

We just sat there in silence for what seemed like forever, studiously avoiding each other’s gazes.

What’s taking so long? I thought, biting my lip and jiggling my foot nervously. I didn’t deal well with awkward silences, and Parker should’ve been back by now.

Suddenly, Roman cleared his throat, startling me.