Page 36 of Mother Parker
“Yeah. I know. Hate you too, bro,” she said and kicked herself off the floor. “Come on. Let’s hate each other some more.”
She offered me her hand, and we went back to getting my ass handed to me. Normal brother-sister stuff.
NINE
HWAN
“Hi, Kimchis! It’s your boy, Hwan, here right from inside Bubble Bubble, your favorite boba tea shop.”
I ran a hand through my hair and smiled for my fans before I picked up the first bubble tea in front of me.
“As you know, I love experimenting with new flavors, especially if it means winning over those who aren’t big on bubble tea, and so I’ve got a few new concoctions to try live with you. This one is a lemon black tea with honey and peach popping boba.”
I put my lips around the straw and took a big gulp of the drink, trying hard not to think about Parker and how much I wanted him to be the one trying these flavors.
If I was honest, these drinks were all for him. I was determined to find his flavor, and I wouldn’t rest until it happened.
I could tell he was still reluctant to try different things, and he was still not great at making the milk teas especially. Not that it mattered. He was here to protect me anyway. Which was so pointless. The door had obviously been a fluke, an accident. Nothing to worry about. Which also probably meant Parker wasn’t going to be around for long.
All the more reason to win him over now.
Not that I knew why it mattered. The man was obviously straight, so why did I care if he liked my tea or not?
“It’s strong. You can definitely taste the Assam along with the lemon. I think those who love store-bought sweet tea will like this. I wonder if I can get lemon boba or jelly because it would definitely give it the oomph it’s missing.”
Yeah, this one was definitely not Parker’s flavor. I hardly knew the man, but I could tell he would not like it.
For starters, he’d come in with the largest cup of coffee I’d ever seen in my life, so I was pretty sure he didn’t like tea.
I’d tried not to get insulted that he hadn’t just made a coffee here. It wasn’t like I had a fully-functioning espresso machineandcoffee maker or anything.
“Next one is a matcha-and-chocolate milk tea with chocolate-chip toppings. I have a feeling I will love this.”
And I was right, of course. The earthy matcha paired with the nutty sweetness of the chocolate was perfection, and the chocolate chips? They made the whole thing divine.
“Okay, this is definitely going on my menu because…wow!” I said.
Once again, this was most likely not Parker’s flavor. It was way too sweet and herbal. Maybe a coffee boba would win him over? But what would I put as a topping if he hated tapioca? Coffee only went with tapioca.
“Oh!” I exclaimed, forgetting I was live for a moment.
Chocolate chips in coffee boba. Yes. That had to win him over. Right?
But did he even like sweet stuff, or was I totally barking up the wrong tree?
Yeah, definitely barking up the wrong tree obsessing over a man I couldn’t, wouldn’t, and shouldn’t want or ever have.
What was wrong with me?
“Oh, this one I’m also excited about. It’s a mandarin and strawberry oolong tea with lychee boba. I know. I know. It sounds a bit adventurous, but it’s fruity, so surely the harshest critics would want to at least give it a chance?”
I took a sip and fought with myself not to grimace.
“Yeah, no. My bad,” I said, choking on a lychee boba that popped down the wrong hole.
Great. Now I was embarrassing myself on camera.
“This is all wrong. The oolong is so overpowering, and the lychee was definitely the wrong choice for this. I’ll give it a try with green tea and strawberry boba next time and tell you what it’s like.”
