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cevansbrat0007 · 1 year

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Cool for the Summer

Summary: What you have with Andy is so much more than just a run-of-the-mill summer fling. And you won't let it be damaged by little things like flies, or a casual dash of outdated ignorance. Andy Barber x Black Reader

Warnings: Light Sexual Themes, Fluff, Cuteness, Light Angst, Protective Andy, Discussions of Race, Racial Ignorance, Racism, Cursing, Minors DNI

A/N: This one might be a little tough for some, so please heed the warnings. Part of my ongoing Growing Pains Series. Likes, comments, and reblogs appreciated. All mistakes are my own.

___

“Here we go!” You chirp as you weave your way through several already occupied park tables. “There’s the perfect spot just down there, honey. You see it?”

“Uh, yep. Lead the way, baby girl.” Comes the soft rumble of your man’s voice from behind.

“You sure you don’t need help?” The man had insisted on carrying everything himself. “At least let me hold the drinks or something.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Stubborn man. Of course he wouldn’t. You go to adjust the strap of your white, floral sundress as you make your way over to the table.

“Does my bow still look okay?” You ask, trying to feel whether or not the damn thing was still hanging evenly. You’d already asked him to readjust it twice for you. Not that he had minded, since Andrew Barber was committed to using every excuse in the book to get and keep his hands on you.

“Mmhm.” He replies without missing a beat.

“I can feel you looking at my butt, Big Man.”

“Yep.” He grunts, barely avoiding an accidental collision with another random park goer as he gets lost in the mesmerizing sway of your ass.

“You’re hopeless.” You grumble, not bothering to hide your smile even as you feel your cheeks heat.

“Only when it comes to you.”

Likewise, handsome.

___

Only when you reach the spot you picked out does Andy finally allow you to help him. Together, you work to get everything settled before taking your seats. He then begins pulling items out of the big, white paper bag.

You stare down at your food as you unwrap it, suspicion clearly written all over your face. After all, just because it looked yummy didn’t mean the damn thing would actually taste good.

“I can’t believe you’ve lived in Boston all this time without ever actually trying a lobster roll.” Your boyfriend remarks as he removes the wrapper from his lunch, which just so happens to be the same as your own.

“Hush.” You mumble, shooting him a playful glare. Holding the roll up to the light you take a moment to examine the famed New England cuisine. “I already told you. I’ve just got this thing about…mayo.”

“But you like eggs, don’t you?” Andy leans back, casually lacing his fingers through yours.

“Of course I do! Or did you forget that I made us eggs Benedict this morning?” You hear him chuckle when you pick up a chunk of lobster with your free hand. But what he doesn’t know is that you’re trying your damnedest not to bring it to your nose and sniff it.

Because that would be rude. Especially since you weren’t alone. Or at home.

“Oh, I remember, baby girl. I remember you complaining about having to reheat everything after you jumped me in the kitchen.” He shrugs, his beautiful blue eyes dancing with mischief.

“You are such a freaking liar!” You exclaim, momentarily forgetting to keep your voice down. “You were the one who attacked me while I was trying to whisk together the hollandaise and –”

“I mean, that’s not how I remember it. But in my defense, little love, have you ever seen the way your hips move when you whisk?” He presses a kiss to your joined hands. “Especially when you’re wearing just my shirt and nothing else? Shit should be illegal.” Another kiss, this time with an added nip of teeth.

“Whatever. I told you it wouldn’t reheat well.” You point an accusing finger at him. “You didn’t believe me. And to top it off, now you’ve got me trying this…thing. ” You screw your face up at him, trying to ignore the fact that he finds you amusing.

“Aw, Y/N.” Andy coos. “You’re so cute when you crinkle your little nose like that. Look, if you don’t like the roll, I’ll go back and get you something else. I promise.” And you know he means it. Your man wouldn’t bat an eyelash if you asked him to throw everything away and take you to your favorite Asian bistro right this second.

Not that you’d ever ask him to do that. It was just nice knowing that you were dating the type of man who wanted you to be comfortable at all times.

“You don’t have to do that.” You tell him, shrugging dismissively. “I’m sure it’s fine. And if it’s not, I’ll just eat my fries.”

“Shh, Y/N.” Andy murmurs, his thumb tenderly stroking your knuckles. “Just try it. If you don’t like it, I will go back over to that little seafood shack and get you something else.” His gentle tone brooks no room for argument. “Okay, sweetheart?”

So bossy.

“Okay.” You breathe as a warm breeze ruffles through your curls. Summer would be over soon, which is part of the reason you’d chosen to have your date at this particular park. You wanted to enjoy this beautiful weather while you still had the chance.

“Take a bite for me, baby girl. I'm curious to see what you think.” He encourages, letting go of your hand. It then occurs to you that you were probably going to need them both if you really did plan to eat this thing.

“It’s just so…big.” You muse as you hold it up, poised to take a bite. “All this meat. I’m not sure if it’s all gonna fit in my mouth.”

“Could’ve sworn you said the same thing about me the first time you – ow!” He hisses before reaching down to grasp at his shin. “Shit!”

“Keep it up and I’ll kick you again, sir.” You tell him as you hold up your small foot, loving the way the sparkly polish catches the sunlight. “Please don’t make me mess up my pedicure. It was expensive.”

And that wasn’t a lie. You’d decided to treat yourself this month, which meant this shit had to last!

“Keep forgetting just how violent my pretty lady can be sometimes.” Andy mutters, absentmindedly rubbing his abused leg. “Kind of turns me on.” And then he delicately grabs hold of your ankle and safely lowers it back to the ground. “Should I be concerned about that?” He nibbles on a french fry, dunking it in ketchup.

“Probably.”

And then you do it. Closing your eyes, you lean down and take a massive bite of your lobster roll.

Go big or go home.

“Oh. My. God.” You moan before diving in once more, making your man chuckle.

“Is it good, baby?” You look up at him, noticing the way his engaging blue eyes seem to sparkle back at you. “Eh, you got a little somethin’…”

Ever the doting lover, he picks up a napkin so that he can sweetly wipe away a small smear of sauce left behind on your cheek.

“There we go, sweet girl. Much better.”

He has no idea just how much the gesture makes you melt inside. You honestly weren’t sure what you did to deserve this man.

“Thank you.” You whisper, suddenly feeling shy. “It’s - this is really good, Big Man. I was a little worried but…this shit is delicious.” You keep eating, scooping bits and pieces of sweet lobster meat with your fingers when they occasionally fall out of the buttered roll and onto the wrapper below.

“Aren’t you gonna eat too?” You ask, licking at your thumb.

Jesus, this stuff was good, but it was also super messy.

“I will.” Andrew is quiet for a moment as a french fry dangles loosely from his fingers. “You have no idea just how beautiful you are, do you?”

Now that takes you by surprise. Not because you were unaccustomed to hearing him say it, in fact it was just the opposite. Your boyfriend was always dropping sweet compliments like that. But what always seemed to strike you the most time and time again was the fact that he…

He actually meant it. Like, it wasn’t just some line he was committed to using to keep you in his bed.

There’s a soft, warm grin on his lips as he cocks his head to the side – his eyes never leaving yours.

“Andy…” You break away from his gaze to stare down at your meal. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m being serious.” He continues, popping a perfectly fried piece of potato in his mouth. And then he picks up another.

“I know.” You tell him, taking a cooling sip of your drink. “It’s – you’re nice.”

“I’m going to keep saying it.” Your man tells you, using two thick fingers to lift your chin. “Until you start to believe me.”

“I do.” You murmur, suddenly feeling like you and Andy are the only two people in the entire park. One of your small hands reaches up to wrap itself around his wrist, your thumb resting over his pulse point.

“Good. Doesn’t mean I plan on stopping any time soon though.” He winks at you then, before finally taking a bite of his food. “Damn if this isn’t delicious.” He takes one more before getting up to excuse himself to the restroom.

“Be back in a minute, baby girl. If you finish yours while I’m gone then please feel free to help yourself to mine too. Just don’t go wandering off on me, okay?” You can tell that he’s joking.

Mostly.

You could tell that he was still dealing with a little PTSD from that time you ditched him when you'd been out on your first date. While it had certainly been a few months since then, your poor Andy Bear still hadn’t fully recovered.

“You got it, handsome. Promise I won’t move from this spot.”

“Thank you.” He breathes a sigh of relief before striding off in the other direction.

As you sit there alone, you take a moment to dig into your french fries, alternating between dipping them in ketchup and tarter sauce. Maybe you could convince Andy to share a basket of fried clams with you as well. Ooh! And the crab cakes.

Not that he would ever let you pay for any of it. The last time you’d tried he’d actually snatched your card and kept it in his wallet for the rest of the night. You knew would get your way eventually, but until then, you would have to keep patiently biding your time.

“Excuse me. Excuse me, Miss.” The sound of someone’s voice breaks you out of your precious reverie. Turning your head, you spy an elderly woman and someone you assume to be her husband waving at you from a neighboring table.

“Are you talking to me?” You point at yourself. “Oh, um..hi!”

“Hello, honey.” She smiles, waving politely. “Sorry to bother you.”

“No, you’re not, Eva.” Her companion grunts, keeping his attention focused on the crossword he’s apparently working on.

“Quiet, Alan. Was that –” She struggles to shift her chair a little closer to your own. “Was that young man your boyfriend? I’m talking about the tall, handsome one who just walked that way.”

“Sure is.” You tell her, feeling unable to control the smile dancing across your face. Not that you would want to anyhow. “He is pretty cute, huh?”

“Oh, he is.” The two of you share a conspiratorial giggle. “How long have you two been together?”

“A few months.”

“So it’s new, then?”

“Very.” You nod, swirling your drink around before taking a gulp.

“Oh, Alan. Alan – it’s new. Aren’t they just so cute?” She snaps her fingers at him a couple of times, trying to get his attention. “Alan!”

“No.” He grunts again, which kind of takes you by surprise.

“Alan!” His wife gasps, looking almost offended as you feel. “Be nice to the poor girl.”

This man, or Alan as it were, finally turns to you then. His cool, gray eyes boring into your own.

“Look, sweetheart.” Alan lets out a resigned sigh as he neatly folds up his paper crossword and tucks away his pen. “You’re a very pretty girl. You don’t need someone like me to tell you that. And that guy, your boyfriend? He’s a very good looking guy. You don’t need me to tell you that either.” He pauses for a moment as he coughs into his handkerchief.

Your chest constricts slightly as what feels like a lead weight slowly sinks to the pit of your stomach.

“And what you two have may be cool for the summer, or whatever it is you young people say these days, but that’ll be it.”

“And why would that be exactly?” The thing is, you had sneaking suspicion that you already knew where this was heading. But you weren’t quite sure.

“You’re too different. I haven’t even known you for five minutes, but it’s blatantly obvious that you come from different worlds. And despite what the movies and the media tell you, it never works. Because it’s not meant to.”

Alright. Got it. Coded message received.

“It’s just not natural, the two of you mixing like this. And the sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll be. Trust me.” He shakes his finger at you, almost as if he’s playing the part of a dutiful father warning an errant child.

“Well, I’m afraid that I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with you, Alan.” As flustered as you were inside, and despite the anger coursing through you, you refused to let him see just how affected you were. “It was nice chatting with you, Eva. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going back to my lunch.”

“Oh!” Eva worried eyes flit between you and her husband. “Now see what you’ve gone and done, Alan? You’ve just upset that nice girl.”

She was right. But you were more than upset. Underneath it all, you were hurt.

“Eh, she’s young, she’s smart. She’ll be fine.” He waves away his fussing wife’s words as he stands up, obviously preparing to leave.

And of course, as luck would have it, Andy also picks that exact moment to rejoin you at your little table.

“Hey, sweet girl. Over here making new friends, I see.” He goes to sit down and then pauses, extending his hand to the older man. “The name’s Andrew.”

“And we were just leaving.” Alan informs him, pointedly ignoring your boyfriend’s polite greeting. “C’mon, Eva.”

You shake your head, desperately hating the fact you were allowing one person’s misguided outlook to ruin such a wonderful day out with an equally wonderful man. But sometimes that was all it took, you know?

“Huh?” Andy pulls back, turning his attention toward you. “Did I miss something or..?” He trails off once he finally gets a good look at your crestfallen face.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” And with that shift, you know he’s forgotten all about the man standing not even five feet away.

His focus now is you. You are all that he sees as he moves to crouch down beside you.

“Alan, apolgize!” Eva implores him. At least she actually had the decency to look somewhat distraught about the whole situation. “Please. What you’re doing is – it isn’t very kind. This is a new generation. Maybe things might be different –”

But her husband simply isn’t in the mood to hear it. From her, you'd wager, or anyone else for that matter.

“Son.” He turns to address the concerned man at your side. “I didn’t mean to upset your pretty friend here, not really. You’re a couple of good looking kids. Didn’t I say that to you before, sweetheart?”

Alan waits briefly pauses long enough for you to respond, but you don’t. Instead you choose to cup Andy’s cheek, trying to concentrate on the soft fullness of his neatly cropped beard.

“You two are having a summer fling. I get it. I don’t support it, but –”

“Why the hell would either one of us give a fuck about what you do or do not support?” Andy snarls, his hackles raised.

“I’m just trying to warn you because I’ve been where you are.” Surprised by the younger man’s harsh tone, he returns his attention to you. “Look, your Andrew here is lost in the newness of all of this. You’re beautiful, you’re exotic. He’s enjoying a small taste of the forbidden – I know you know what I’m saying.” Alan uses his folded puzzle to fan himself. “Everyone is always so quick to call things racist these days, but what the hell happened to being honest?”

“Hey, my guy. Unless you missed it, I’m a grown ass man who’s quite capable of making his own fucking decisions.” He scrubs a hand over his jaw as he cracks his neck. “And I’ve decided that I want to spend my day, my time – hell, pretty much my every fucking waking hour if she’ll have me – with this gorgeous woman right here.”

Andy closes the distance between them then, their faces so close that their noses are practically touching. ”So, I’m gonna do you a kindness by letting you know up front that I am definitely the kinda guy who won’t hesitate to hit an old man, especially if you say one more disrespectful thing about my girl.”

There’s no hiding the fact that he’s seething, but you can also see that what he’s experiencing runs deeper. You suspect that he’s feeling helpless in a way that he never has before.

“Ask your people, young lady. And I bet they’ll tell you the same -that’s assuming your folks haven’t done so already.” He goes to reach for his wife’s hand. But she’s clearly had enough of the spectacle, so she simply turns and walks away. “I guess that’s one thing the races have in common, wanting to spare our kids any unnecessary pain.”

“But the thing is, Alan, nobody asked for your fucking opinion in the first place.” You hiss, finding your voice again. “About me or my man.” Your hands are shaking, so you keep them hidden under the table. “So I’m not quite sure why you chose to give it.”

“I was just –”

“Go chase after your wife, buddy, before I fuck around and lose my shit.” Old man or not, you can tell that Andy is struggling to rein in his temper.

Finally, Alan does the smartest thing he’s probably done all day. He turns and follows the same path his wife took, calling her name as he does. She doesn’t appear to acknowledge him, not that you felt overly compelled to care anyway.

Now, you were left to pick of the pieces what remained of your date. But at this point, you weren’t even sure if it was salvageable. Maybe you would just ask him to drop you back home. After you made sure he was okay, of course. He would probably need you to reassure him that everything was okay, and that incidents like this would be few and far between, and –

“Are you alright, Y/N?” Andy asks, his heated blue eyes never leaving the older man’s slowly disappearing form. “He say anything else while I was gone?”

But then again, Andrew Barber also wasn’t like most other guys...

“Y/N...what else did he say when I was gone?” His voice hard as he repeats his question.

“Just…more of the same.” You shrug, picking at the remaining half your lobster roll. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does to me.” He responds, his deep voice coming out a little more hoarse than it had only moments before. “I would hope you'd know that by now.”

“I do.” You tell him, wishing you could make yourself get up and go to him. Because you knew you were right. Comfort was the way to go here. Except you were finding it hard to do what you thought might make someone else feel better when you, yourself, were also having a rough time.

“Then why are sitting over there like you don’t?”

“Why are you standing over there like you don’t need me to hug you?” You counter, standing on unsteady feet. “My jelly legs don’t work so good right now.”

“I can come to you.”

“Then come here.” You open your arms to him. Seconds later they’re wrapped securely around his middle, and his are around you too.

“What you and I have – this thing we’re building here – is so much more than some goddamned summer fling, baby girl. You gotta know that.”

“I do.” Because you did. Sometimes things really were that simple.

“Say something else. Something more.” His voice wavers just a touch, almost as if he’s close to begging.

A small sigh escapes as you try to form the right words. And then decide to go with honesty, the usual best policy.

“I don’t just know it, Andy. It - it’s more than that. I feel it. Right fucking here, honey.” Taking his hand, you place it over his heart. “Right here.” You rasp. “Where it counts.”

“Okay.” Your man clings to you even tighter. “Okay, good.”

You two stand like that for a moment, both of you holding on to the comfort you were each attempting to give the other.

“I love you.” Andy whispers into your curls as his hand smooths its way up and down your back. “So much. And I hope you know that man is an idiot who–”

“Shh.” You interrupt, pressing a finger to his soft lips. “I love you too. And also, there’s a fly enjoying your lobster roll.”

“What?” He chokes on a surprised laugh.

“Yep and – ope! Now there’s two.” You confirm, spinning him around so that he can see for himself. “Guess this date’s ruined, huh?”

You bite your lip before brushing your fingers over his furrowed brow, smoothing out the small wrinkles.

“Ruined. Right.” Your man sniffs. “On account of the flies. And not the casual cup of racist bullshit we just had tossed in our laps like it was nothing.”

“Nope." You shrug. “It was definitely the flies, because ignorant assholes like that don’t get to fuck up our days.”

“Is that right?”

“Mmhm. Although, I have to tell you, I’m still a little hungry.” You shoo the flies away before picking up your unwanted food and tossing it in the trash. Have at it bugs. And then go to link an arm through his, gently leading him out of the park.

“You are?”

You weren’t, at least not really. But you didn’t want things to end this way. Neither one of you deserved that.

“Uh huh. Know any place where we could get a nice, juicy cheeseburger and maybe a couple slices of pie?” You bat your lashes up at him, wanting him to go along with it.

“I do. As long as we can get it to-go that I can hold you while we eat.” You allow Andy to adjust your positions so that you can snuggle deeper into his side.

While you were pretty sure that it wouldn’t be today, you knew you both would eventually be okay. And you could always try lobster rolls again some other time. Either at this park, or at a different one. The place didn't matter.

But your company...now that did.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, honey.”

END

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