Following Me (9 page)

Garrett gestured to the right,
claiming it had the better view, and they nudged through a small crowd to gain
seats near the window.  Devon walked right up to the glass and stared out at
the city lit up a thousand feet below her.  She drank in the sight, wanting to
remember what it felt like to be on top of the world.

Devon pulled out her phone and
snapped a few shots, wishing she had something better to take pictures with. 
Her camera phone just wasn’t doing the view justice, but then again, maybe
nothing ever could.

“Want me to take a picture of
you?” Garrett offered, standing next to her.

Devon shook her head.  “No,
thanks.  The view is good enough.”

“You have something against
getting your picture taken?”  He crossed his arms, turning his attention away
from the window to her.

“No, I just don’t need my face
plastered in front of something so exquisite.  How could I ever measure up?” 
She gave him a soft smile.

Garrett had been unconditionally
kind since she had arrived.  He had allowed her to stay in the guest bedroom of
his apartment for an entire week.  He had taken care of her when she had been
sick, and he had shown her around the city.  They had gotten lunch a few times
before he had to go to work.  One night, she had fallen asleep while watching
reruns of
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
  After he had gotten home late from
work, Garrett had woken her up and ushered her into bed.  They had repeated
their excursion to the park complete with Popsicles another time when Hadley
had been working.  Devon found that even though she hadn’t spoken to Garrett
about why she had left, he had pried open her shell, and she was able to relax
around him.  She knew why Hadley liked him so much.

“I think this blonde runs a
little too deep,” Garrett said, deflecting the question.

“How original.  A blonde joke,”
Devon responded, rolling her eyes.

“I doubt you have one picture of
yourself in Chicago.  How will anyone believe you were actually here?” Garrett
asked.

I hope no one ever does,
she
thought.

Devon just shrugged.  She
couldn’t tell him that.

“Have it your way.  What do you
want to drink?  I’m going to the bar,” he told her with a smile.

“Gin and tonic would be great. 
Do you need some cash?” she asked, reaching into her purse.

“On me.”  He held up his hands to
show he wouldn’t accept any money from her.

“Thanks, Garrett,” Devon said
sincerely.

Where did Hadley find this
guy?

With a heavy sigh, Devon watched
him walk away.  She wished she could tell someone what she was going through. 
But
how could anyone understand?
  Hadley would have a field day, and Devon wasn’t
ready for that kind of freak out.  She didn’t really know Garrett, so he wasn’t
an option.  She knew she should try to talk to her mom, but Devon had been
avoiding her calls all week, hoping her mom would get the hint.

Each time Devon really thought
about it, she felt sick to her stomach. 
How can I tell anyone if I can’t
even decide whether or not I made the right decision?

“I can’t believe it’s already
been a week,” Hadley said, coming to stand next to Devon.  “Where does the time
go?”

“Well, you have a job,” Devon
said.

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Hadley
said dramatically.

“You love your job.”

“Yeah, well, it’s still a job,”
she said with a shrug.

“Garrett’s pretty great,” Devon
said, changing the subject.

“Dev, he’s more than pretty
great.  He’s like so freaking amazing.  And let me just tell you,” Hadley said,
angling her body to look directly at Devon, “he’s beyond impressive.”  She
raised her eyebrows and smirked.

Devon laughed at Hadley attempt
at being discreet.  It was so unlike her friend.

“Plus, seriously, he’s an animal
in bed.  I just…I’m blown away,” Hadley told her.

Now, that sounded more like
her.

“You know the kind of luck I had
in college.”

“Oh, yes, poor little Hadley
always had to date the hottest guys on campus.”

“But they all had small dicks,
and I had to teach them how to use it,” Hadley complained.

“What about Jason?” Devon asked. 
“You never complained about him.”

Hadley glanced away with a big
goofy grin on her face.  “I forgot about Jason.  But it doesn’t matte; Garrett
is better than them all!  I can’t get over how good the sex is.”

“Good,” Devon said, looking back
out across the Chicago skyline.  She didn’t want to have this conversation. 
Not only did she not want to think about Garrett and Hadley going at it like
animals, Devon really did not want to think about sex at all.  Too many
complications there.

“I know we don’t spend all that
much time together because our work schedules conflict, but our time is
well
spent,” she said with a giggle.

How did the conversation steer
in this direction?

“Thanks for making me come up
here.  It’s really great,” Devon said, changing the subject once again.

“Oh, I know what’s good for you!”
Hadley said.

“Is that so?” Devon asked
curiously.

“Psh!  I’ve always known better
than you.”

Devon wanted to ask Hadley what
would be good for her.  Maybe Hadley knew the answer.  But the moment was lost.

“Here you are, ladies,” Garrett
said, returning with three full glasses in his hands.

Devon accepted her drink out of
his hand and smiled.  “Thank you.”

“No problem,” he said with a
broad grin as he handed Hadley some bright blue drink.

Devon took a gulp of her gin and
tonic.  It was the only way she could drink it.  She didn’t really like gin,
but it gave her the best buzz.  She wasn’t sure why, but it worked so fast and
made her so happy.  She would gulp down the taste of pine needles to get to
that high any day.  Maybe she would eventually learn to like it.

She finished her drink in a
hurry, wanting to wash away the memories of her dream along with the thoughts Hadley
had forced into her mind.  Devon might be a wreck later, but it was supposed to
be her going-away party after all.  She went to the bar and ordered another. 
She knew she should take it easy, but she didn’t want to.

When she returned, unfamiliar faces
had overrun their table, and two other tables had been added to their corner. 
Hadley waved Devon over and introduced her to the group.  They were all
Hadley’s friends from work, all attached to her husband or fiancé.  Devon
didn’t care to know any of their names.  They were here for Hadley anyway.

She took a vacant seat next to
Garrett and pretended like she was interested in the conversation.  Most of the
conversation centered on things Devon didn’t think about—weddings, marriage,
and babies.

Her mother wanted her baby girl
to have a huge Southern wedding on a Nashville plantation covered in lace and
lilies and complete with cowboy boots and bow ties.  But Devon wouldn’t be the
one to have that kind of wedding.  If her appearance in Chicago was any indication,
she certainly wasn’t ready for marriage.

“Sorry I’m late,” a voice said,
breaking into the conversation.

Devon looked up to see Brennan
standing near Garrett.  He was staring at her, and she smiled at him, happy to
know someone else here.  He was dressed simply in dark fit jeans and a snug
grey T-shirt.  He had taken the time to do his hair.  It seemed a day off
suited him.

“Belle,” he said, nodding his
head at Devon.

“It’s Devon,” she reminded him,
like she had done all week.

He had taken to shortening
Southern belle when he referred to her.  She was pretty sure he would do it
just because she would correct him about it.

“Hey, man!” Garrett said
cheerfully.  He stood and shook Brennan’s hand.  “Good to see you.”

“You, too,” Brennan replied.

He never had as much enthusiasm
as Garrett, but then again, Devon didn’t think many people did.

“Take my seat,” Garrett offered. 
“I’m heading to the bar.  You want anything?”

“Just a beer,” Brennan said.

Garrett nodded and loped off
toward the bar.  Brennan took his vacant seat between Hadley and Devon.  As he
sat down, Devon noticed something was off about him.  She wasn’t sure what it
was, but his movements weren’t as graceful and his eyes were a bit glazed
over. 
Was he drunk already?

When Brennan turned to look at
her, she glanced down at her nails, acting as if she hadn’t been staring at
him.  She had been caught doing that one too many times this week.  He just
seemed like a puzzle she wanted to put together.

“When do you leave?” Brennan
asked directly, still looking at her.

Devon shrugged, glancing up. 
“Soonish,” she said noncommittally.

“Are you going to stop by Jenn’s
before you head out?”

She tilted her head to assess
him. 
Was he asking her to stop by?
  She never knew with him. 
Sometimes, she thought he had liked her presence hanging around the restaurant
and bothering him.  Other times, he had treated her more like a bug he was
trying to swat away.  His changing moods kept her wondering about him.

“Probably,” she answered.

He nodded and then looked away.

What the hell was that about?
she wondered.  She really wanted to ask him, but prying into his personal
business wasn’t a good idea because it was usually reciprocated.

Devon finished her second drink
and placed it on the table in front of them.  She glanced over at the bar,
which was now overly crowded.  She decided she didn’t want to go over there to
wait in line.

“We should have had this party at
Jenn’s,” Devon said, leaning into Brennan when she spoke.

He turned back to face her, and
she found they were much closer together than they had been.

“You think?” he asked, cocking an
eyebrow.

She glanced down at his lips and
then back up before she scooted a little farther away. 
He smelled good
.

“I, uh…well, at least then I
wouldn’t have to wait in line,” she said, gesturing to the bar.

“But then, I’d be working,” he
reminded her.  “And I kind of like being here.”

Devon swallowed and wondered if
he meant he liked being here with her. 
No, that was ridiculous.
 
Although, she liked being here with him right now, but she would never say
that.

“Someone has to be working
tonight since you’re not there, right?” Devon asked, trying to stay on topic.

He was just a lot closer than she
should have been comfortable with, but somehow it didn’t bother her.

“Yeah, Kami is covering the bar,
but she’s not that great,” Brennan said, looking down into her eyes and
smiling.

The air suddenly felt very warm,
and her cheeks flushed.

“I’m sure she’s fine.”

“Anyway, if this was Jenn’s, I
would feel obligated to make your drinks.  Then, I would get stuck behind the
bar.  So, really, it’s better this way,” he said, leveling her with his steady
gaze.

“It is better this way,” she
agreed, not able to hold it back.  “Otherwise, you would be too busy.”

As soon as the words left her
mouth, her face colored further, and Brennan smirked.  She wondered what he was
thinking. 
Did he think she was being presumptuous? 
After all, she
didn’t know if he had a girlfriend, and he didn’t know about Reid.  But her
mind, slightly addled by alcohol, had jumped right through the barriers.

Instead of trying to cover up her
embarrassment or decipher him again, she stood quickly.  “I’m just, uh…going to
go to the restroom,” she told Brennan.

A smile crossed his lips as he
stared up at her.  “Alright.”

“If anyone asks, that’s where
I’ll be,” she said as she backed away.

“Alright,” he repeated, his smile
widening.

Devon darted for the restroom,
her face flaming. 
How was she such a mess?  Had she really said that? 
Honestly, what was wrong with her?

She couldn’t remember the last
time she’d had a conversation with someone who made her feel like that much of
an idiot.  Normally, because Reid would always be at her side, she was never
put in those kinds of situations. 
What would Reid think now if he could see
her rushing off to the restroom with her face redder than a tomato?
  She
didn’t even want to think about it.

Unsurprisingly, there was a line
at the women’s restroom.  Devon stood just outside of the door, waiting for
people to file out.  After a few women exited, she edged inside and stared at
the large window before her eyes.  The entire outside wall was glass with quite
literally the
best
view of Chicago she had seen.  It was way better than
where they were sitting by the bar. 
Why would this view be hidden in the
women’s restroom?

Devon walked up to the glass as
she waited for the stalls to empty out.  Her mind was all over the place,
running between her dream, the shower, Brennan’s smile, and the sloshy feeling
in her brain, and then back around and around again.

Soon, the restroom was quiet, and
Devon entered a stall, hoping the room stayed silent.  She did her business and
thumbed through her phone.  She had been glued to it even more so than normal
because she couldn’t check in with anyone.  She had deactivated her Facebook
and Twitter accounts, and she had chosen to permanently ignore the incoming
emails.  Reid had sent another one, asking about her trip, but she would put
off a reply as long as possible.  She could feign Internet complications or
something.

It was a strange feeling to be
completely alone in a world of activity.  No technological linkages were
rooting her to the ground.  Thinking about that made her feel even worse, so
she stuffed her phone back into her purse, preparing to leave.