Page 20 of Catch Me
After offering me a smile, he left. I dropped my head onto the pillow and continued to scratch Tessa’s ears.
“He calls you monster. Are you a monster?” Her tail wagged and she army crawled a little further up to use my pillow. “Maybe he’s a monster, huh? You’re just perfect.”
She made a playful growling sound and batted me in the face with her paw.
“Okay, don’t insult your dad. Got it. Sorry. Can I get dressed now?”
When she just stared at me, I maneuvered out of the bed. She rolled onto her side, apparently content to take over. I chuckled and grabbed my clothes before I locked myself in the bathroom. It was a lot simpler than I’d expected. It had a moderately sized shower in the corner and a claw foot tub, which was dope. I was more than a little tempted to take a bath in that thing, but I decided not to waste time on that.
Once I was ready, I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was pretty short, so the waves in it weren’t all that noticeable, but I fussed with it, trying to make it seem professional. I didn’t know what the expectation was for this meeting. Should I have worn a suit or something? That seemed dramatic for a conversation about art.
Whatever. All Travis said was to bring a portfolio, which I did. I was dressed pretty business casual, so I figured it was good enough.
When I returned to the room, Tessa was gone, which wasn’t surprising considering dogs’ short attention spans. Being around her made me miss having a pet. Before my parents divorced, we had a beagle. Ross and my mom got a dog a few years ago, but I only visited three or four times a year. With school and my shitty apartment, I wasn’t in a place to have a pet.
Travis was at the kitchen island, drinking coffee while he did something on his laptop. When he saw me, he set the cup down. “I got a mug out for you if you want some coffee. I just use milk, so I don’t have any creamer.”
“Milk is fine.”
He offered me a tight-lipped smile, then returned his attention to the computer. I poured myself a cup and leaned against the counter. There was a plate of bacon on the island along with a bowl of fruit and some toast. I hadn’t eaten last night, so it looked really damn good.
“Let me send off this email, then we can head out,” he said without looking away from the screen.
I drained my coffee and tapped my fingers on the ceramic while I waited. The amount of awkwardness I’d experienced in my time here was nauseating. This was probably how Til felt with all of his anxiety. Unlike him, I didn’t smoke, so I just had to exist in this state until I got home.
Since he was still typing, I went back to my room and grabbed my portfolio. It had only been, like, thirty seconds, but he was already standing and twirling his keys around his finger when I got back. The t-shirt he wore today was dark blue, and it hugged his broad shoulders, then was a little looser around his slim waist.
“Grab some food.” He gestured toward the bacon. “Bring it with you.”
“I’m—”
“Don’t say fine. Look at you. Obviously, you eat, so eat something.”
With a curt nod, I grabbed the paper plate he’d set beside the food. Once we were in the Jeep, I started eating. It wasn’t anything fancy, but right now, it was a five-star meal.
“How old are you?” he asked.
I glanced sidelong at him and smoothed my palms down my pants. “Why?”
“It’s called small talk. You slept in my house, so it doesn’t seem weird.”
“I didn’t ask to.”
“I gave you the option to stay in a hotel. Were you uncomfortable?”
“Why would I be?”
He was quiet for a couple of minutes. When he pulled onto the freeway, he looked at me briefly.
“You know, you don’t answer questions head-on. It kind of reminds me of Tilian, but you’re not quiet or introverted, are you?”
Being compared to him made me wrinkle my nose. With my friends, I was outgoing enough, but that wasn’t any of Travis’ business.
“I don’t need you to figure me out,” I said dismissively.
“I don’t care about figuring you out.”
Looking out of my window, I tried to see his face in the reflection. It wasn’t enough for me to understand what he was getting at.
