Page 49 of Unbearable

“Well, Trent…” I paused, taking a lick of my ice cream. “I’m surprised you remembered mint chip was my favorite.”

“How could I forget? You always get the same kind.”

“Why change a good thing?”

“That’s so boring, though. You should mix it up once in a while. What would you do if Scoops was out of mint chocolate chip?”

“I’d probably leave,” I laughed. “Or I’d settle for v?—”

He interrupted me. “Vanilla.” He finished my sentence. “Maybe with some sprinkles to spice things up.”

“Wait, no,” Trent said. “You’d get vanilla with sprinkles and whipped cream.”

“Trenton Akers. Who knew you knew me so well?” I teased.

“We’ve known each other forever and spend most of our time that is not sleeping or at school together.”

“Okay, what else do you know about me? Let’s test your knowledge.”

He seemed surprised. “Besides your favorite ice cream? Your favorite band is Ellie Miles.” He started counting on his fingers for each new fact. “Your favorite book is that vampire one where he sparkles. You love sketching buildings, which sparked your interest in architecture. You’re guarded with your affections, but when you care about someone, you give them your whole heart. Your favorite color is purple right now, but it changes constantly. Last month it was yellow. And despite your tough exterior, you’re a softie.”

My mouth dropped open. “I never knew you knew all of that about me,” I said softly, staring at my ice cream.

“You’re always on my mind, Dot.”

The rest of the drive was quiet, Trent’s hand resting on the center console, palm upturned as if waiting for me to take it. Part of me wanted to stop caring about everything and just grab it. But I couldn’t let myself go therewith him.

Cabin renovations had slowed significantly since I started working remotely but being back felt good. Although I wasn’t in the Seattle office, returning to work reminded me how much I loved my career. Sitting on the guest room bed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that architecture brought me. Designing these spaces and bringing them to life was fulfilling.

Initially, I thought about pursuing architecture straight out of school but let others dissuade me. Everyone warned me about the challenging field and years of schooling. So I took a year off to figure out what I wanted to do, but that year only solidified that it was exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I loved to create, and I loved that my mind was always reveling in new ideas.

I listened to the Zoom meeting between my colleagues while mindlessly sketching on my notepad. “Next, I wanted to touch base on the Jones project. Any update, Dotty?” my coworker Jordan said.

“Yes, I’ve been coordinating with the structural engineer, and we have finalized the plans for the foundation. We are on track to start construction next month.”

“That’s great. I’ve been refining the interior layouts based on the client’s feedback, and I’ll send the updated floor plans to you by the end of the day.”

The call continued with updates on various projects from my team. I spent the rest of the day working and barely looking up from my monitor when there was a knock on my door.

“Come in,” I said, still glued to my screen.

Trent opened the door and stuck his head in. “Hey, it’s almost eight. I wanted to check on you to see if you were hungry.”

“Shit, sorry. I lost track of time. I’m still catching up from being off for a few weeks.”

He scanned the room. “This set up isn’t ideal. Why don’t you work out at the dining table, so you don’t have to sit in bed all day?”

“No, it’s okay. I’d hate to bother you, and I don’t mind,” I replied. Though working from bed wasn’t my preference, I didn’t have a lot of other options. Being out in the mutual living space did not seem ideal, especially when I was trying to keep some distance between Trent and me.

A pleased hum escaped as I took a bite of Trent’s tacos. “When did you learn to cook so well?” I asked, genuinely impressed.

He stared at me, even as my mouth was full of food, his expression unreadable.

“Uhh…” He paused and cleared his throat. “Being in the military meant I had to learn to cook if I didn’t want basic cafeteria food. I ended up being the chef because all my buddies never wanted to cook. I got bored with the same old shit every day, so I started looking up different recipes.” He rubbed the back of his neck, his dark hair falling over his brow.

“Well, you’ve definitely figured it out. I remember when you could barely make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” I teased. “Are these friends the ones getting married?”

“One of them, yeah. Mark getting married to his longtime girlfriend, and my friends Daniel and Nick will be there.”

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