23. Addison
23
Addison
F or a Monday, the airport was surprisingly busy. Natalie’s shift didn’t start until noon, and although the other full-time ticket agent, Marcus Pratt, was on the clock, the guy moved slower than molasses, which meant Addison spent the morning running around like a chicken with her head cut off. By the time Natalie showed up, she was more than ready to take her lunch break.
“You go eat, girl,” Natalie told her, making a shooing gesture toward the break room. “You can fill me in on all your Noel news when you get back.”
Addison wasn’t terribly hungry, but she needed coffee, and she knew she’d better eat something along with the caffeine or she’d end up wiggy, or worse, with heartburn all afternoon. She sat down and unwrapped the tuna salad sandwich she’d brought from home and ate half of it while she waited for the fresh pot of coffee that she’d put on to brew. Natalie would appreciate a cup or two as well.
Her feet were a little sore after the busy morning, but that was partly due to that fact that she had taken Noel to several of her favorite flea markets and thrift stores the day before, and she hadn’t thought to change out of her church boots into something better for lots of walking. With thoughts of Noel making her smile, she propped her feet up on a chair and picked up her phone, hoping to see a text from him. There was nothing there.
Maybe he was on his lunch break, too. She could text him, couldn’t she? “It’s okay to text him first, Adders,” she prodded herself.
She squared her shoulders and tapped out her message. Happy Monday, Noel. Hope your day is going well. I had a great time with you over the weekend. Looking forward to movie night with you.
Was it too much? Too bland? She hit ‘send’ before she started second-guessing herself.
Twenty minutes later, the other half of her sandwich was gone, and she was halfway through a second cup of coffee, but she still hadn’t gotten a response. “He’s at work,” she said aloud, trying to convince herself that there was nothing to worry about.
Back at her station and in between customers, she regaled Natalie about the wonderful weekend she’d spent with Noel. She didn’t tell her that he hadn’t responded to her text all afternoon.
“Are you doing something this evening?” Natalie asked.
“That’s the plan,” Addison said. “I invited him to join the gang for Monday Movie Night at the drive-in.” Her friend had brought her little family to the event a few times over the years and needed no explanation. “I’m not sure about supper yet, but I’ll probably cook something for us before we go.”
Natalie shot her a questioning look. “You’re not sure yet?”
“We just haven’t confirmed the details,” she said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.
They talked about menu options, but Addison got the feeling that Natalie was going along with the conversation with some reservations. A notion that was confirmed when her friend finally asked, “You should just text him. Ask him if he wants you to cook something. Maybe he doesn’t know a meal is part of the package.”
Addison sighed. “I did. At lunch time.”
“And he still hasn’t responded?” When Addison shook her head, Natalie asked, “Why don’t you go take a break and call him, then?”
“He’s at work,” Addison hedged. “He might be in meetings or something.”
“He also might not be in meetings,” Natalie said, giving her a stern, but kind look. “We’re not in high school, Addison. You’re allowed to expect adult behavior from a guy, which includes common courtesy. It’s been almost four hours since you texted. Most meetings don’t last four hours.”
“You make it sound so cut and dried.”
“It is cut and dried. Just call him. If he can’t pick up, he won’t.”
In the break room, Addison pulled out her phone, hoping to see a response from Noel. Still, there was nothing. His phone didn’t show if he’d read her text or not, so she couldn’t assume he’d seen it. With butterflies in her stomach, she dialed his number.
The call went to voicemail, and in a falsely chipper voice, Addison said, “Hey, Noel. I’m getting ready to head home in about an hour. I’m just calling to see if you’d like to come over for supper before the movie. I’m making chicken coconut curry. Call me back when you get a chance.” That didn’t sound pushy, did it?
Ten minutes later, she left the break room. The line in front of Natalie’s station was long, and Addison quickly signed in and started helping travelers. She gave her friend a quick shake of the head in response to Natalie’s questioning glance.
Noel still hadn’t called or texted when Addison clocked out, nor had she heard from him an hour later when the timer went off for the Basmati rice she’d made to go with the curry.
Most of the food ended up in containers in the fridge, her appetite having also made a no-show. She almost bowed out of going to the movie altogether, but realized if she stayed home, she’d just go stir crazy, wondering why Noel was ghosting her.
She spent the evening with her friends, waving off their questions about Noel’s absence. “Work stuff,” she told them, because presumably, that’s what it was. She didn’t want to think that it might be because he was having second thoughts about spending time with her. “He couldn’t make it tonight.”