The real third date- Shaan & Parker

 Parker was hung over enough to be wearing sunglasses indoors and carrying a hydroflask full of orange juice around with him. He did regain some of his usual bounce when a crew member told him he had a date schedule. "Pink carnations! Get her pink carnations, lots of them!" he had told the crew member "and uhhh, like some vodka and orange juice or something, mimosas!" The wish was granted. 

Then he got showered, got dressed, and made his way back to the pod. "Ooo breakfast!" he exclaimed, before spreading what most people would consider too much cream cheese onto a bagel, "A funny breakfast story? Do tell!" he said with a laugh. 

"I went to sleep at some point, yeah I slept... I'm just a teensy bit hungover I think," Parker said, though in actuality he was possibly still drunk from the previous night. "It was a long day, I woke up in bed and not under the pool table so that's good for my back." 

"Cream cheese, it's the closest I can get to devonshire clotted cream and jam on scones in America," Parker said before taking a big bite of bagel. He chewed and swallowed before continuing. "You were just so hot you caught the kitchen on fire? Wow I'm pretty lucky to be going out with you!" 

"Glad you like them, I told you, I'm going to catch up to whichever lucky bastard got to see you every day!" Parker said gallantly. "You? Shitty day? Awww no, I can't allow that! You should never have a shitty day. I totally give amazing backrubs by the way, and if this was a 3rd date like everyone else and we were in the maze, I'd totally give you a backrub."

 "Trust me, you being here is something really special. So tell me about your day yesterday, use as many terrible words as you want and feel free to yell." 

"I admit it, I have what most people would consider completely inappropriately large amounts of cream cheese on my bagel right now," Parker said with a laugh. 

"I got dumped 3 times, but it's ok." Parker said, probably way too casually. "I'm assuming one of them dumped me for Penn, not that I have any actual confirmation. Blake was here this morning so I don't know what's going on there considering how things went down between Val and I last night and honestly I had too much of a hangover to ask.," Parker said with a sigh, "Trout and Percy are still here too from what I gather, but also I might've been drunk enough to be seeing things and I'm not as close with them as the other guys." 

"So I should've sent you a punching bag too this morning? Huh. Next time then," Parker said, "As long as you don't regret kissing me, I'm pretty happy. I'd really like to kiss you again." 

"Everything bagels, followed closely by blueberry," Parker agreed, "Everything bagels as a lox sandwich." 

"No yikes. Honestly when I think about it, Val hurt me way more than I thought she would, but also that was the one I saw coming the most. I'm not gonna lie, I love her, but it's not meant to be in this lifetime. I'm really happy for Blake and hope he hurries his ass over there with a ring soon," Parker admitted. "Also probably hurt a lot more considering that was right after a whole lot of other stuff... and well... you... " 

"I feel... really confused..." Parker said, "But also... I think you and me connected faster than anyone else... so I just can't help but wondering... if we had a second date, would we be here right now? Would I have been in that maze so many times yesterday? And I'll be honest, I haven't stopped wondering that all night long. I keep wondering if maybe that's the reason I haven't been able to pick anyone or if it was just a fluke because I got to hold you while we talked... but I do have really strong feelings for you Shaan." This generally just poured out of Parker's mouth in a bit of a rush. "I know it's not a race, but I feel so far behind." 

"Honestly? I think we'd be having a closer conversation to what I imagine Blake and Val are having, and I can't even imagine what they must be talking about, but I wouldn't change any of what happened in there because it changed me," Parker said slowly. "I have had great conversations and times with the other girls, and if Gem asks me out for another date, I think I'd say yes as it stands right this second. I think I would've been in the maze with you and with Val, but also I kinda knew from day one that that was doomed, it was just too magnetic to call it off. And that kind of magnetic is what I feel with you." 

Parker felt like he needed another drink for this, but for once he did the adult decision and drank his orange juice instead. "I've done this love thing to know that there are two ways I fall in love. Either I find my adventure partner and it's this runaway firework thing that I have with Val or it's this fuzzy little feeling where I want to take care of someone and love the hell out of them and show them the world, like with the other girls. I feel both those things with you and that's something kinda new to me." He paused, looking for the right words to describe his heart, "I think it's because I'd need you to take care of me too... I don't think anyone ever has done that for me before or that I ever really wanted it..." "Do you think you'd feel the same way with Trout?" 

"You bring a smile on my face Shaan," Parker said, "Like I smile a lot, but like extra smiles." 

"Ok so here's the thing that I just don't understand and it might be because I'm a super dumb airhead, but why is everyone so worried about that stuff?" Parker asked, honestly quite confused. "If I love someone, I'll do whatever it takes to make them smile all the time and feel happy. Isn't that what we should all do? I really like taking care of people and if I have to take a red eye back to hold your or whisk you away somewhere to help you forget about it all, I'll do it. I already told you, I'm fucking lucky as hell so I can focus on taking care of other people, it's what I love and that's how I want to love you. I can't say I understand why but I'll try my best or learn how or whatever it takes," Parker said softly.

"You can teach me how to fight dragons and punch a punching bag without breaking my face. I can learn how to to make you soup. I don't actually know how because my doctor parents were way more into nasty grape flavored medicine when I was a kid. But I promise you that I'm pretty easy to take care of and I want to take care of you and hold you and if you let me, take you on some amazing adventures."

 "And I guess you could say I have baggage too, mostly just that duct tape heart I mentioned. Everything from someone leaving me without a word in the middle of the night to getting stood up at the altar and usually I don't get an explanation when all I wanted was to love and care about a person," Parker said, "All I want is someone that won't leave me, or will at least tell me why."

 "I don't know how to prove that you can tell me anything besides just saying it, so I don't know if I can catch up on that front, but hey this is just me trying and doing my best in the situation I'm in." 

"Hey, I know it means a lot when you say you trust me, and I really appreciate that..." Parker said softly, "If you look at me would you guess my heart's made out of duct tape? I first started traveling because I wanted to escape, except I wasn't really sure what I was trying to escape most of the time, but I feel like I've always been running from something. And then one day, I realized that I wasn't actually running from anything. I was running toward something, and I still don't know what that is but maybe it's finding myself." 

"Maybe you don't love yourself as much as you should, but that's a you thing and how much I want to love you, that's a me thing. And the thing that will be between me and you is making sure that you get enough love no matter where it comes from, even if I have to love you that much more, I'd be there for it."

 "Ooo I think I need a drink for this but here it goes." Parker said with a grimace. "Well first there was Angela... she's the one that accidently drove my car into a lake. I still invited her to move in with me two weeks later. Anyways after that I had come home with a ring in my pocket and she was just gone with a note on the door saying "it's not you, it's me. Thanks for being wonderful but I can't" and all her stuff was gone. Jackie left me when I said I wanted to study abroad in Japan. Then there were a few girlfriends in between, until I met Lori. I met Lori in high school and then she transferred to Cornell when I came back so I thought it was fate. Two years later I'm standing at the alter and then I was alone. She came over the next day to move out and wouldn't talk to me. I don't really know what I did or didn't do. And about 3 months ago this girl named Anya dumped me when she decided that roughing it wasn't her favorite way to travel and she was mad I wanted to camp on beaches in Bali instead of stay at a resort And that's... the short version..." Parker rambled. "Sorry, I tend to ramble, especially when I'm emotional..." 

"But hey, moral of the story, I don't fucking care how fucked up you might be. I won't try to tell you to make it all better or whatever bullshit unless that's just something you need to hear. But I'll do my best to make it as easy as I can for you." 

"Ok so is it bad that I think you smashing down this wall would actually be super hot?" Parker asked, giving a light laugh at the thought.
"There's a lot I would do for you, but I literally would not be able to break down a wall. I'd probably just die trying." 

"Look if you end up marrying Trout, I'm still going to be my friend and I'll still be there for you. I'd cherish what time we do get together and never regret anything. And hey, remember it's not a race. I mean I know we have a time limit and all... but still. I mean, you could always just leave me at the alter if I turn out to be a total disappointment. I'm as prepared for that as I am for leavin alone, which is well prepared at this point " Parker said with a sheepish chuckle. "Also, excuse you but I think you made one hell of a mistake. I haven't seen you but I felt you and trust me I would not just walk past you unless I was holding someone else's hand." 

"Oh and I should let you know right now that I think you're absolutely insane," Parker said in a serious voice, "Because what about wanting to be over here where I can hold is selfish? My sister calls me an airhead and she's right but I have no idea what you mean right now," he said with a mischievous laugh. "See, every time you feel sad or lonely or whatever, I just wanna make you laugh. You're small enough that we can both fit in my big bathtub for a bath bomb." 

Parker's heart definitely skipped a beat when he thought about Shaan in his shirt. "Oh god don't break stuff or like get hurt or anything!" he said, mostly seriously but also trying to not giggle at the thought of it.

 "Yeah sorry I don't have tattoos and I'm not sure I actually have mastered the smolder like Flynn, but I think I have a very well practiced smile," Parker said, enthusiastically. "I already told you, no sweat if you break my heart. It's pretty much a pinata. I've been to enough of these rodeos that I know just the amount of alcohol and cake it takes to fix it." 

"And wait, what does Val have to do with this? I promise you, Val isn't a problem anymore, it's totally over and I would bet money that she'll be engaged by the end of the day to one of my best friends and that's really weird now that I saw it out loud..."