The dollar slipped from his fingers, just as strong hands shoved him into the booth. He let out a startled squawk before she was flinging herself on top of him. The curtain swung crazily, creating a strobe effect, as his hands naturally fell to her hips. There was a split second to glance down at her face before he whooshed in reaction to her elbow in his stomach as she grabbed for the curtain, pulling it closed.

"Parker, what the-"

Now his face stung as she slapped a hand over his mouth, making a little shushing sound. He shouldn't find this attack of crazy so adorable, but he did. She rose up on a knee, arm draping over his shoulder, as she leaned in. Her breath was hot against his cheek when she whispered,

"Sterling's here. Outside."

He gave a little nod and she slipped her hand away from his mouth, her fingers brushing against his chin. She gave a little wriggle and was suddenly sitting next to him on the bench. He missed the contact, but figured it would probably be for the best. Straightening, he fished his phone out of his pocket and texted Eliot. The other man had slipped into the bookstore while they'd took care of this. The response came almost instantly. Tilting his head towards Parker, he said quietly,

"Eliot says to stay put. He'll give us the all-clear."

There was silence for brief moments before Parker crossed her arms and said, pouting,

"You could've just faked these, y'know. We didn't have to come to the mall for real pictures."

He rubbed his forehead for a moment, wishing he had a better explanation than the truth: He wanted out. Being confined to Nate's apartment for weeks was not his idea of a good time. Telling Parker they needed the photos for a cover was just an excuse to spend a little time with her. To be even more frank, he wanted the opportunity to touch her, just a little, to pretend that she was his girlfriend and that he wasn't actually stuck in some weird friendship loop with her. So, no, the truth wouldn't work.

"Yeah, I probably coulda photoshopped it, but it would've lacked, uh, authenticity. See, the paper wouldn't have been the correct, uh, texture, see-"

She flapped a hand in his direction and he took it as his cue to stop babbling. There was another long bit of silence before Parker abruptly leaned forward to poke at the touchscreen. Cheery music started playing and he started to lean forward too. Next thing he knew, she was plastered against his side, his arm slung around her shoulders. He looked down at her in amazement. Crazy ninja-ette. There was a flash of light, a soft click, and then a quiet whirring sound. A perky voice started a countdown as Parker looked up at him and snaked an arm around his waist.

There was a look in her eyes that he'd only seen a time or two before. It was soft, tender, and a corner of her mouth quirked up. There was another flash and then she was stretching up. He dipped his head, but she closed the gap before he could. As the taste of her dances on his tongue, he ruefully thought he'd like to know one day what it was like to kiss her. He wasn't aware of much then, aside from the weight of her in his arms and the silky strands of her hair wrapped around his hands.

Two things finally disrupted the haze: his cell phone buzzing insistently against his hip and the little breathy gasp Parker made as his fingertips brushed against the nape of her neck. He pulled back a fraction and she followed for a second before shaking her head. Blindly, he groped for his phone and pulled it out. It was the all clear from Eliot followed by several pithy admonishing texts.

"He's waiting for us."

Parker rose to her feet and reached for the curtain.

"Then we should go meet him, shouldn't we?"

"Yeah, lemme just..."

He skipped the option to preview the photos and just hit print. As soon as the machine spit out the strip, they left and headed to meet Eliot at the van. Eliot always drove, but instead of taking shotgun like she usually did, Parker slid in to the seat next to him. He realized she was looking thoughtfully at the strip of photos she must've filched from his jacket. She ran her finger down the glossy paper before handing it back to him.

She said, "I want a copy," before fixing her attention out the window.

He looked and the first photo was their ignominious entrance into the booth. He had no idea how it happened and decided that they must've brushed against the screen by accident. The other photos aren't quite as, uh, casual and would definitely lend credence to the idea that they were a couple. Eliot hit a bump and he was jostled slightly, shifting on the seat so his fingers brushed Parker's hand. She didn't pull away and he thought to himself that there are all kinds of clicks.