First Sight (28 page)

“Do you want my
coat
?” Travis asked
, looking over at me.
  “You look a little cold.”

“No, I
’
ll be
okay.  It’s not very far.”

“Here, I don’t mind,” he said, shrugging out of his black leather jacket.  He handed it to me, and I pulled it up over me like a blanket.
  It was warm since he’d just been wearing it and smelled
just like Travis—the
faint
scent of soap and
his aftershave.  He smiled as I wrapped it around myself, and for the first time that night I wished that
Marissa
wasn’t there and it was just Travis and me alone in his car.

“Thanks,” I said softly.

His eyes m
et mine for a beat before he
turned up
the heat
and pulled
out of the
parking
space. 
“Which way are we headed?”

Marissa
gave him directions, and w
e
drove
down
Wilson Blvd.
,
Marissa
chattering along the way. 
There were people milling about in front of bars and restaurants and others walking down the street, but I was happy to be warm and snuggled into Travis’s car. 
Marissa
’s
apartment building was closer than mine, so
Travis headed there first
. 
After he’d pulled to the curb, s
he
climbed out and
then
peeked back in the door before shutting it. 
“Thanks for the ride
, Travis.
  Bye, guys,” she said hastily before
scamper
ing
off into her building
,
and
the
car suddenly seemed ve
ry quiet without
her
there.

“She seemed like she was in a hurry to get out of here,” Travis said, amused.

“Who knows,” I said with a shrug.  “
She was probably rushing off to text Rob or something.
”

“Probably so,” he chuckled.

“I’m around the corner,” I said.  “Just turn right at the light.”

“Okay
,
”
Travis replied, smoothly pulling out onto the road.

As we drove down my street
,
I pointed out the building
up ahead
. 
Travis
pulled to a stop
right in
front
of it
.
“Thanks for the ride
,
”
I said, looking over at him.
  I pulled his jacket off and handed it back over.

“Anytime,” he said
,
smiling at me. 
“I’m glad we finally made it out to happy hour.”

“I know, right?  We’ve b
een talking about it long enough.”

“We’ll have to do it again soon.”

“Definitely
,
”
I agreed.
My eyes met his in the darkness, the inside of the car lit only from the street lights, and I briefly wondered what it would be like to kiss him.  He didn’t say anything, and I felt my heart inexplicably begin to pound in my chest.  The last thing in the world I wanted to do was get out of the car and walk through the cold into my apartment building.  But he was my coworker, and it’s not like we’d been out on a date or something.  He was just dropping me off after a night out with colleagues.

“
So, I guess I should get going,” I finally managed.  “
I’ll see you tomorrow.
”

“Goodnight,
Maddy
,
”
he said softly, and I had the vague feeling that he was taking his cues from me. 
If I had wanted to stay and chat for hours, or had some
how
gotten up the nerve to kiss him goodnight, he wasn’t exactly going to
put up a fight.

“Goodnight,” I said, before turning to get out.  I walked to the entrance
of my apartment building
and pulled open the door,
pausing
a second
to look back.  His car was still there on the street.  I gave a small wave, and saw a s
light
movement in the car that must have been him waving back, although it was hard to tell in the darkness. 
It wasn’t until
I walked inside
that
I finally heard the engine of his car rev as he drove away.

***

My cell phone was
already
ringing as I
unlocked the door and
walked into my apartment.  I pulled it out of my purse and saw
Marissa
’s name on the screen.

“Hey, w
hat’s up?” I asked
, tossing my purse onto the kitchen counter and
opening
a
cupboard
to look
for a snack.

“Are you alone?”

“Alone?  Yeah, I just walked into my apartment.
  Why?
”

“What was
up
with you and Travis tonight?”
she squealed.

“What?” I asked in surprise
, pausing as I pulled out a box of granola bars.

“He was totally flirting with you when
Elizabeth
and I came in
!
”

“Oh come on, he was just teasing me.”

“Yeah,
teasing, flirting…
because he
likes
you
.
  Then he
gave
us a ride home, offered you his
coat
.”

I blushed, happy that she wasn’t there to see my r
eaction and that she hadn’t
seen me lingering in Travis’s car
moments earlier
. 
“
Marissa
,” I replied as calmly as I
could
, even though I felt my heart racing a little.
  “He offered
us
a ride home—both of us.”

“That’s just because he didn’t want to be rude! 
I was sitting there right next to you
at
the bar
.  Anyway,
Elizabeth
and I both think that he likes you.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to take your thoughts into consideration.”

“
Maddy
!
”

“What?” I asked innocently.

“You’ll see,” she said confidently.  “I know that I’m right.”

I laughed at her stubbornness on the whole issue.  “
He’s our coworker,
Marissa
.  It’s not like anything is going to happen.  Anyway, I
gotta
go.
I’m starving,
and I really just want to go to bed
. 
I’ll see you tomorrow.”
  I flipped my phone shut and sighed.  Despite what I told her about nothing happening
between Travis and me
, I found myself secretly wishing that I was wrong.

The next morning
,
my mind
replayed the events of the night before:
chatting with Travis alone at the bar before the others arrived,
overhearing the conversation
between Elizabeth and him,
sitting
together
in
his
car in the darkness as we said goodnight
.  Were the others right about his feelin
gs for me? 
He would make such a great boyfriend. 
No,
I said silently to myself, shaking my head,
we’re just friends. 
Coworkers.
  Besides, he was probably just being po
lite.  That’s just how he was.

I
tied the sash of my black wrap dress as I finished getting ready for work and put on a long, delicate silver
chain
.
 
I fingered the delicate links of metal and adjusted the necklace just so as I glanced in the mirror.  I looked a little tired, but that was nothing a little mascara and blush couldn’t fix.  Slipping on my black patent heels
,
I
grabbed my tan trench coat and purse,
ready to head out the door
. 
Not bad for getting ready in such a rush.

Marissa
wasn’t there yet when I
arrived at
the office, so my morning got off to a quiet start as I sorted through my emails and read through some of my notes.  I was just getting ready to go grab a cup of coffee when my cell phone rang.

“Hey Sweetie,” my mom’s voice came on the other end of the line.

“Hi Mom!”
I said, surprised to hear fro
m her so early in the morning.

“Are you at work already?”

“Yeah, I’m sitting at my desk right now.  Is everything okay?”

“Well, I’m actually having a lot of back pain, so Dad is taking me to the doctor today.”

“Oh,” I said, my face falling.  “You seemed like you were doing better over the weekend.”

“I was, and I’m sure it’s nothing.  My doctor still wants me to come in
though
.”

Suddenly I heard
Marissa
’s voice wafting down the hallway.  “That would be so fun!” she squealed.  I wasn’t sure who she was talking to, but I wanted a little peace and quiet to finish talking to my mom.  I stood up and headed out the door, walking
the opposite way
down the hall to one of the conference rooms, which was bound to be empty this early in the morning.

“Hang on
Mom,
I’m just
going
to where it’s quieter.”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt you at work, Honey.  I just didn’t want you to worry in case you talked to Brian.”

“Wait, you already called Brian?  What time is your appointment?  I can come
,
too, if you need me.”

I rounded the corner and almost bumped into Travis.  I looked up, startled, and saw a look of concern cross over his face when
he saw the worry in my eyes. 
He hesitated in the hallway as he watched me hurry into the conference room.

“No, you don’t need to come,” my mom said.
 
“
The doctor
just wants to check me out before he prescribes new medication
to help manage the pain.  I probably just did too much over the weekend.”

“Mom, you really should take it easy.”

“I know, Sweetie.  You don’t need to worry about me.”

“
Well of course I’m worried if you’re going back to the doctor. 
Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will.
  Have a good day at work
.
I love you.”

“I love you, too.  Bye.”

I clicked my phone shut, and Travis peeked in. 
“Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” I said with a sigh.  “My mom has to go back to the doctor’s today.  I just stopped by over the weekend, and she seemed fine.”

“You look worried,” he said gently.

“I am; I’m just generally stressed out, though. 
There is
so much going on—my mom, the retreat taking so much time, the deadline for this project.  I seriously need a vacation,” I said, giving him a small smile.

“What are you guys up to?” a male voice suddenly interrupted.  I looked up to see
Jeff standing in the doorway.

“Just chatting,” Travis said easily.

“Hey Jeff,” I said, sorry that Travis and I hadn’t gotten a chance to finish
our conversation
.

“I’m headed down to the break
room.  Someone brought in donuts and bagels this morning.  You guys want to come?”

“Definitely, I’m starving,” Travis answered.

“No, I better get back to my office,” I said, fiddling with my cell phone.  I
still wanted to grab some coffee and now needed
to call Brian
to
see what he thought about Mom’s doctor appointment.

Travis’s eyes met mine.  “I’ll catch up with you later, okay
Maddy
?”  He paused, and I knew he would stay with me if I wanted to continue talking.