Chapter 8 #2
It also got the conversation rolling through the server coming to take their food and drink orders as they compared notes on what local features they’d never actually been to.
While Connor had done the Washington Monument, he’d never been to the Cherry Blossom Festival—which was one of Julie’s favorite things to do every year—and neither of them had gotten around to visiting the Spy Museum.
However, Connor did admit that was because he’d never been particularly interested in spies.
His favorite museum was the Air and Space Museum, while Julie preferred the art galleries.
Though, she did admit that she liked the IMAX movies the Air and Space Museum showed.
It was the most she’d ever heard Connor talk in one sitting, in part because she didn’t allow him to just sit back and listen to her. She wasn’t a huge talker herself, though she could hold her own, and she wanted to know as much about him as he did about her. It was only fair.
Talking about all the places they’d been turned the conversation to their families, who had taken them to such places. By the time their food arrived, they were comparing notes once they found out they were both only children.
“I have a huge family. My mom is one of four, my dad is one of five, and all my aunts and uncles decided to have multiple kids. I was an only child in most ways, but not in others since I was always spending time with my cousins.” She smiled at the memories since it was her cousins she’d gone down to visit the museums with.
“My mom was an only child and so was my dad, so no cousins for me. I have some second cousins that I met a few times. Or… cousins once removed?” Connor shook his head. “We just called them my cousins, even though they weren’t, really.”
“Were you lonely?” Considering what an introvert he was, her heart ached at the idea of a lonely little boy.
“Sometimes, but not usually. Somehow, I always got adopted into a group of friends. Someone always took pity on me and pulled me in to hang out with them and their friends.” He said it so matter-of-fact, but she couldn’t help noticing that he didn’t call them his group of friends.
It was someone else’s group of friends he got to hang out with—an important distinction that explained a lot about why he’d been so nervous to tell his friends about his crush on her.
Did he think they weren’t really his friends, but actually someone else’s who he also got to spend time with?
“Who brought you into your current group?” she asked. Maybe it was Law, and that was why he was so protective.
“Asad.”
Well, there went that theory. But it was interesting. She wondered if knowing how protective Law was of him would help Connor realize that his friends valued him for him.
“Asad is definitely an extrovert. I feel like he’s done that with quite a few of his friends.” She smiled at him. “Olivia did something similar with me and Camille. She just decided we were going to be friends, and the next thing I knew, we’re having regular lunches together.”
He laughed, which made her smile widen.
“That’s kind of how it was with me and Asad and Law. Then Q started hanging out with us, too.”
“You know, Law was laying down the law with me before this evening,” she said teasingly, making light of it, but she wanted him to know that Law had been concerned about him.
“Laying down the law?” He blinked, looking up in confusion.
“About you. He wanted to make sure that I treat you right.”
Unfortunately, her joke didn’t quite land the way she intended it to. Instead of laughing or being reassured about his friend, Connor frowned.
“He thought you would treat me badly? You’d never do that.
He shouldn’t have said that.” The defensiveness in his voice surprised her.
On one level, she was pleased because she was happy that Connor would defend her; on another level, she really had been joking and didn’t want to cause trouble between him and Law.
“He didn’t really think that. He’s just protective.” She raised her eyebrow at him, smiling, trying to keep it light so he knew she wasn’t bothered. “I believe you experienced a bit of that when I was getting notes from a secret admirer. And I certainly didn’t need his protectiveness then, either.”
That seemed to be a good comparison because Connor’s shoulders immediately came down as he relaxed.
“Oh. Yeah, he does get a little overprotective.”
“Of people he cares about? Absolutely.” She wasn’t sure if it was a direct hit, but she hoped it was. “He also seemed a little concerned because I reserved the shoe room for us tonight. It was the one that was open, but… just in case, do you have anything against shoes?”
Connor considered the question, chewing on his mouthful of steak as he did so. She took a bite of her own dinner while she waited for his answer.
“I don’t think so,” he said finally. “I’ve never really done much with shoes. Or feet. I don’t have anything against them.”
“Good.” Speaking of feet, she slid one of hers over to rub against the inside of his calf. Connor blinked and tensed again, but this time, it was the good kind of tension. “Then we’ll see where the night goes.”
They could experiment with her feet and his fingers.