Wanderlust ✓

8. Exploring

I put the last pair of shorts into the bottom drawer, finally finished unpacking and I was now exhausted, hading already texted my family that I got here safe and sound.

Parker flopped on the bed next to me, letting out a loud sigh, also done putting his things away. He got interpreted by his stomach's low growl.

"I'm starving, wanna go find a restaurant with me? I heard there's a great sea food place across the street."

I nodded, feeling hungry as well. "Yeah, I need a real meal." I put on my beaten Converse and grabbed the hotel key to put into my crossbody bag.

I motioned towards the door. "Ready?"

He followed my lead, putting on his black Vans and opening the heavy hotel door. "Ready."

•••

I guess he heard right when he said the restaurant was across the street because I followed Parker into the Gulf Coast Grill after only crossing the busy road.

He held the door open for me which I found pleasantly surprising. As soon as I walked in, I could hear the clatter of plates and the smell of fish. My stomach growled in anticipation.

"It's seat yourself so let's find a booth over here," Parker said, putting a hand on my wrist to pull me towards the corner of the small and casual restaurant. I sat across from him, immediately grabbing the menu that sat in the middle and flipping through it to see what would catch my eye.

The restaurant had pale blue walls, the edges chipping where it met the wooden panels of the booth. On the walls hung several paintings of the ocean and the creatures within it, each an uneven distance apart from each other. There were wide windows placed towards the front however the frosted glass only allowed onlookers to have a small glance at the compact restaurant.

Placed in the center, several two person tables, all set with cutlery, ready to be used. There weren't many people in the restaurant. Around 10 if you don't include us. There were what looked like two couples, a group of four sitting a booth away from us and two individual diners. Soft jazz played in the background, complimenting the scheme of the restaurant.

"Hey guys, I'm Emma! Can I start you off with some drinks?"

I looked up to find a pretty girl, around our age, maybe older. She was already paying more attention to my acquaintance than looking at me. I cleared my throat, trying to get her attention.

"I'll take a diet coke."

"And you, handsome?"

But he didn't look up, making no eye contact with her. Parker continued to skim through his menu while replying, "I'll have a root beer."

She gave him one last smile before heading back into the kitchen.

He seemed to relax more now that she left the table. "So! What looks good to you?"

I mean, you look pretty good right now.

"Uh, I'll probably go with the grilled shrimp salad."

Parker looked up at me like I was crazy.

"What?"

"Look at all the interesting sea food you can get here and you're going to get a salad?"

I felt uncomfortable under his harsh gaze. "Well yeah, I'm not very wild when it comes to food."