Chapter Fifteen
Jensen thought he was clear of the park when he heard a voice behind him call his name. Or, rather, not his name, but ‘Mackenzie’. He tried to walk a little quicker, but he had been hasty when he was tying his laces and tripped a bit, allowing the person who had called for him to catch up and just grab on to his arm as he began to topple.
“Wow, Mac, that was close.”
Jensen had to concentrate really hard to focus on getting the words to come out with the proper lilt and pitch. Once he was sure that he could he smiled up at Jared. “Well, thank you kind sir.”
“Anything for a lady as lovely as you,” Jared answered back, trying to duplicate the accent Jensen had chosen to use and failing horribly.
Jensen wrinkled his nose in disgust without thinking and Jared immediately felt bad, the emotion showing on his face. “Oh, no, don’t say that about me.”
“And modest too.” Jared offered Jensen his arm for support and, damn Jensen’s brain, but he looped his own through without a second thought - just like he had been doing this his whole life. “So, how about a milkshake or a burger or coffee? I would still like to take you out tonight to celebrate surviving one whole day of this week. What do you say?”
Okay, Jensen really meant to decline. There was no ethical way for him to accept the invitation without it being nothing more than a complicated con that would go too far and then when someone found out they were going to be hurt. Possible one or more people hurt, in fact with the way Jensen’s stupid traitorous brain was behaving without his permission. But he didn’t decline. He not only didn’t decline, but he found himself smiling from ear to ear like he had won the Miss America beauty pageant in addition to being told he had won a million dollars for life. This was bad.
“Great! How about we take my car, unless you would rather take yours?”
Jensen shook his head vigorously, knowing this was the best time to go ahead and tell him anything that would make Jared turn around and run. He could tell Jared he already had a boyfriend, that he was actually engaged to said boyfriend and it would break his heart if he knew his fiancée was even thinking about stepping out with another man even platonically. He could tell Jared that he had made a pledge to his parents long ago that he would never do anything to shame or harm the family name and that included being alone with a man who his parents had never met without permission. He could tell Jared he was a man pretending to be a woman.
But did he?
Of course he didn’t.
Instead, he opened his mouth and in a perfect and clear English accent, he not only agreed to go with Jared in his car, but even suggested that maybe they should go to a place that was just around the corner that he had heard highly of.
**--**--**
“So tell me about your family,” Jared prodded as he took a long draw from the gigantic milkshake that sat in front of him. “What are they like? How many are there? Do they all live in England? In what part of England? Did you go to boarding school? Ooo - is it like the movie Mary Poppins? Did you have a nanny? Oh, if it wasn’t like Mary Poppins, was is more like Nanny McPhee? Are nannies really common there? I mean, I watched Supernanny, but they can fake that kind of thing…”
“Are you done?” Jensen asked carefully, picking at the fries that Jared had insisted that they get because Mackenzie would love them. “Because I cannot possibly answer all those questions as fast as you asked them. Can we maybe do them one at a time - you repeating and me answering them as we go?”
“What is your family like?”
“They are like any other family as far as I can tell. I mean we live in a house that has a roof and four walls, same as yours, I suppose. How about you?”
“Well, my family is from Texas, which isn’t all that remarkable. I mean, they are a remarkable family, because they are mine and all, but mom’s a teacher and dad’s a tax accountant, so it’s nothing to write romance novels about. My turn - How many are there in your family?”
“Just me and my parents. It’s a quiet existence, really. Now you.”
“Well, there’s my mom and dad and me, of course, but I have and older brother and a little sister. My little sister would like your style by the way - I think she has a shirt a lot like that one, actually. Now - Do all your family live in England?”
“Oh yes. They all live there. They would never leave, not even to travel. They hate the thought of leaving. They’re afraid something might happen to the family estate. And you, do they all live in Texas?”
“Well, yeah, they have no reason to even think about leaving Texas at all. It’s a big place with more than enough room to hold so many Padaleckis. And our family has lived there so long I think they lived there before it was really a state. What part of England do your parents live in?”
“The…”Jensen faltered. He was trying hard to think of any part of England he remembered from high school geography but could not, for the life of him, think of a single one. So, he did what and reasonable person would do - he faked choking on a fry.
When Jared figured out that Jensen might be choking on a fry, his eyes grew almost comically wide and Jensen actually inhaled a bit of the fry he had pretended to choke on in the first place. Jared jumped up and went around Jensen to place his arms around Jensen, hands positioned just so under his rib cage to administer the Heimlich maneuver. It took two tries, but the bit finally came up and Jensen gasped in air like it was the first time he’d even been allowed the luxury.
“Thanks for saving my life.” Jensen didn’t know what it was he was feeling, so he chalked it up to extreme gratitude and left it at that.
“No, no, it’s like my duty and stuff. Can’t let a girl I might have a decent shot at die on our first date.”
Their first date? Shit. No, He didn’t just say that did he? Jensen looked over at Jared and found he was, indeed giving Jensen some sort of look that one could, in fact describe as googly eyes. Jensen had to get out of this, and fast.
He looked around for a bit and then thought to pull out his cell and look at the time. “Oh! Look at the time! If I don’t get home soon I’m going to turn into a pumpkin!” He joked, showing Jared the time for good measure.
Jared laughed along with him and stood to give Jensen a hug before offering Jensen a ride wherever he needed to go.
“No, that’s all right. I ride the bus anyway, it’s no trouble.”
“Well, can I at least get your number?”
Jensen stalled. “This number? Oh, no, well, this phone doesn’t work here - it’s British. But I will see you at the park. Tomorrow in fact. I mean, after all, we have unfinished business.” Jensen nodded curtly as he held his head like he figured his character of Mackenzie would and made the quickest exit he could to the nearest bus stop.
“We sure do, “Jared muttered as he watched Jensen leave.
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