Chapter 29
TWENTY-NINE
Isla
When I hear the knock on my apartment door, I take one last look in the mirror and rush out of the bathroom.
Travis and I are going to the drive-in movies tonight. It’s been ages since I’ve been, and I’m looking forward to it.
I swing open the door with an extra wide smile because I’m trying to compensate for Travis’s lack of enthusiasm over the past couple of weeks. Since we ran into Katherine, things have felt somewhat off between Travis and me. There’s nothing specific that I can put my finger on—he hasn’t said or done anything I can point to—it’s just a vibe.
Sometimes I think that maybe I’m reading into it because I care so much about him, but as I take him in and notice the bags under his eyes and the way his smile doesn’t make his irises sparkle like they used to do, I’m convinced that something is going on.
“Hey.” He kisses my cheek and walks past me.
I close the door and turn around to see his gaze perusing the stacks of books in the corner of the room.
“I just need to get my purse. Give me a second.” I walk down the short hallway into my bedroom and grab my bag, pulling it over my head to rest across my chest before rejoining Travis in the living room.
He looks completely worn out.
“Are you sure you want to do this tonight? You look tired. We can always do it next weekend.”
He gives me a small smile and steps over to me, resting his hands on my hips. “I didn’t see you all day. No way, I’m canceling.”
Though we’ve been spending every Saturday together lately, Travis said he had things he had to do today. When he didn’t expand on what those might be, I didn’t ask.
“Okay… if you’re sure.”
He gives me a quick kiss. “I’m sure.” Then he takes my hand and leads me to the door. His words are convincing, but the way he always seems lost in thought isn’t.
The drive to the drive-in doesn’t take exceptionally long, and we chat a little on the way, but he’s quieter than usual. I chalk it up to him just being tired, but something is poking at my intuition that there’s more at play here.
“So what did you do today?” I ask, making conversation.
He takes a glance at me before signaling right and stopping at a stop sign. “Not much. Watered the lawn and the gardens since we haven’t gotten any rain forever and worked on other things around the house. Put some time in on the pendant light.”
“You’ve been going non-stop on that thing for the past week or two. You must be almost done.”
He shrugs. “It needs to be perfect if I want to win that contest.”
Travis doesn’t seem to want to discuss it further, so I let the subject go.
The movie being shown tonight is an old slasher flick from the eighties, and I’m happy to use the excuse to cuddle up to Travis.
After we’ve parked, he turns to me. “Do you want any snacks or something to drink?”
“I’d love some popcorn and a root beer.” Travis opens the driver’s side door to hop out, and I start to open my own door. “I’ll come with you.”
“Nah, I’ve got it. Be back in a minute.” He closes the door and rounds the front of the truck to head over to the concession stand.
I close the passenger door and lean back in the seat. Why wouldn’t he want me to join him?
I can’t decide whether I’m just creating problems in my head or if something really is going on with him. Am I so insecure now that I’ve met his beautiful ex and know how much their breakup messed him up that I’m looking for problems with us?
“No. Things are fine. He’s just tired, that’s all,” I convince myself.
Travis returns with the treats about five minutes later, and by the time we’re settled in, the movie starts, so there’s no time for conversation.
I thought maybe we’d bring some blankets and cuddle in the bed of the truck, but Travis doesn’t mention it, so neither do I. The movie is okay, though I’m too distracted by my wayward thoughts to really enjoy it.
Travis falls asleep about halfway through the movie, which I try not to take personally. It’s not like it’s my movie, but I am who he’s spending time with, and on the heels of everything, it stings.
When the movie ends and it’s time to drive home, I wait for him to suggest that I stay over at his place like he does most Saturday nights, but the invite never comes.
I know we don’t have to spend every second together. Maybe Travis has been feeling smothered and needs a little space. Things progressed quickly with the two of us once we started dating, so it would be understandable. I mean, as well as dating him, I also work for him, and I’m friends with his brother’s fiancée. Maybe a little separation would be good for us—make the heart grow fonder.
Travis parks in the lot for my apartment building and walks me into my building, following me up the stairs to my apartment. I unlock the door and then turn to say goodbye to him, but he pulls me into a kiss.
My tongue slides into his mouth, and my hands thread into his hair while his hands skate down my back to rest on the globes of my ass, pulling me into him so that I can feel how the kiss is affecting him. The sexual tension builds between us, and I’m about to draw away and invite him in when he steps back, removing his hands from me, making it clear that this is where tonight ends.
“I’ll call you sometime tomorrow,” he says, kissing my forehead.
It doesn’t go unnoticed that he didn’t say he’ll see me tomorrow. Somehow, I mask the disappointment with a smile.
“Sounds good. Talk to you then.” I step into my apartment and lock the door behind me, leaning against it for a moment, sighing in frustration.
I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s becoming clear that it’s not going away, which means I’ll have to have a conversation with him about it. Great.
By mid-week, I can no longer make excuses for him. Travis and I were supposed to get together last night, but he canceled, saying he had to work on the project for the contest.
We both know he’s making things up now. Until we saw Katherine in Seattle, he was always happy to have me hang out with him while he was working on the pendant, but now, suddenly, that doesn’t seem to be an option.
He’s avoiding me. The question is why.
And I can only think of one reason.
I’ve just finished arranging the guys’ calls for the day when Travis walks in. He’s distracted and looking down at his phone, so he doesn’t seem to notice me immediately.
When he does look up and spots me, he says, “Oh hey, got my calls for the day? I want to get started so I can hopefully finish up a little early.”
“Got something to do after work?” My tone is a little snippy, but he doesn’t seem to notice or care.
Pocketing his phone, he says, “Yeah, I need to put some final touches on the pendant light. I’m determined to win that damn contest.”
I walk over to my desk. “You seem pretty determined to win that thing.” This time he must hear my tone because he tilts his head to the side and a slight frown mars his face.
“Of course I am. The whole point of a contest is to win.” He shoves his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
“I guess, but it seems especially important to you now.” I raise my chin.
Travis’s eyes narrow, and for the first time in weeks he’s really looking at me, but not with the love or lust he used to. “What’s going on here?”
“You tell me.” I cross my arms and stare at him over my desk.
“I have no idea, but you seem upset with me.”
I shake my head and sit in my chair, turning my attention to the computer. I hear his heavy footsteps approach my desk, but I don’t look at him.
He sits on the corner of my desk, staring down at me. “Honey, what’s going on?”
The term of endearment softens my annoyance a bit, and I finally look at him. “You didn’t want me to come with you to get snacks at the drive-in.” He blinks a few times.
Okay, that was a stupid way to get into this conversation, but whatever. Mission accomplished. We’re there.
“I was trying to be a gentleman.”
“And then you fell asleep at the movies.”
He shrugs. “I was tired after the day I had.”
“Exactly. Doing what? When I asked about it, you were so cagey. You’ve never been like that before.”
He clasps his hands in his lap, a line forming between his eyebrows. “What’s this really about?”
Do I or don’t I? Oh, screw it. I can’t keep holding this back.
“You’ve been weird ever since we ran into Katherine a couple of weeks ago.”
“You ran into Katherine?” Josh’s voice says from behind Travis. I didn’t even hear him come in.
Travis turns toward his brother, whom I see now at the entrance from the hallway. “Beat it.”
Josh raises his hands and walks back down the hall.
“I have not been acting weird,” Travis says when he turns back around.
“Yes, you have.”
He unclasps his hands and puts them on either side of his hips. “No, I haven’t.” His voice has an edge of annoyance to it now.
“You’re always too busy for me. You hardly ever invite me to sleepovers anymore, and you’re tired or distracted when we’re together.”
His jaw flexes. “What’s your point, Isla?”
I stand from my chair and lean forward with my hands on the desk. “My point, Travis , is that I think seeing Katherine made you realize that you still have feelings for her and you’re trying to work those out rather than talk to me about it. You’re shutting me out.”
Travis squeezes the bridge of his nose. “Jesus. Are you finished?” He looks over at me when I don’t answer. “You’re wrong. Now, do you have my calls for the day?”
That’s it? We’re not going to discuss it further? I just get a “you’re wrong” and we’re moving on?
I snatch the papers off my desk and shove them in his direction. “Here.”
He takes them from me and stands, walking around my desk. “See ya later.” He doesn’t turn back around.
My heart squeezes so hard in my chest that it’s painful. I wonder for a moment if I should have left well enough alone and never brought it up, but screw that, I deserve answers, and if he cares about me, he should address those issues and talk to me.