Blue’s Clues
I meant your man, Mar.
Me
Oh, obviously.
He’ll be there. He hasn’t missed a game yet.
Blue’s Clues
He’s almost too good to be true.
“I’m happy to hear that things are going so well,” Kirstin says as she leans on my desk. She reaches out a hand and grabs a piece of my hair between her fingers.“Although this paint in your hair makes me want to dig a little deeper.”
I blush profusely as I swat her hand away, the night a few days back rushing to the forefront. “Claire made a bit of a mess with some paints that Levi got her, that’s all.”
“Hmm,” Kirstin hums as she eyes me suspiciously. “Okay, Mar, keep your secrets.”
She pushes away from my desk and saunters back to her office, her heels clicking the only sound in the otherwise quiet office. I turn my attention back to my computer, noting the overwhelming number of unread emails.
Before I can begin tackling the mess, my work phone starts to ring. I stare at it for a moment, not used to anyone calling this line, before I answer it.
“This is Marlowe Reyes of Kirstin Davis Matchmaking Services. How may I help you?”
“Marlowe, it’s Russell,” my favorite front desk attendant informs me.
Normally, hearing from him would bring a smile to my face, but it’s the tone in his voice that halts it. “Oh, hey, Russ. What’s going on?”
“Travis is here.”
My stomach flips and a knot instantly forms. I haven’t heard from him in months, and instead of calling, he shows up at my work? He’s never once visited me here.
“I’ll be right down.”
I hang up the phone and stand, brushing my hands down my black pencil skirt. I glance back at Kirstin to see her with her brows furrowed as she stares at her computer, and I decide not to bother her. As I exit the office and stand in front of the elevators, I hesitate.
Do I go up and ask Levi to come with me? Or would that only cause more issues? I know the answer. Hitting the down arrow, I climb on and click the button for the lobby.
I watch the elevator’s descent on the panel, the numbers diminishing as I approach the main floor. Once it stops, I take a deep breath, trying to center myself as the doors open.
The first thing I notice is a group of businessmen and women off to the side in a cluster, whispering. I then notice Russell on the phone behind the front desk, his back turned to the lobby as he glances at a man pacing the marble floor. And then my eyes fall on Travis.
He’s paler than he was the last time I saw him, his hair disheveled and his clothes wrinkly. He’s fidgeting with his hands, and I don’t miss the slight shake he’s trying to hide. Travis is mumbling to himself as he paces, his eyes downcast as he shakes his head.
I take one more deep breath to center myself, brush down my skirt one last time, and walk over to him. Ignoring Russell’s inquisitive glance and the judgmental ones from the others in the lobby, I come to a stop in front of him.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, not bothering with any pleasantries. “You can’t just show up at my work.”
Travis stops and looks up at me, and my heart constricts as I see the all too familiar redness in his eyes. “I needed to talk to you.”
“Then you pick up the phone,” I seethe. Glancing back over my shoulder, I notice Russell gesture to the room off to the right. I nod, turning my attention back to Travis. “Come with me.”
I spin on my heel and make my way to one of the small meeting rooms off the lobby, not bothering to check and see if he’s following me or not. That knot in my stomach is tightening, the unknown of his reappearance and my fear of what could happen alone in a room with him consuming me.
Pushing open the door to the glass encased room, I walk to the far side and fold my arms over my chest as I hear him enter behind me. I tilt my head back to look up at the ceiling, giving myself one last moment of peace before whatever this was got started.
“How have you been?” He asks, breaking the silence.
