It only takes us an hour and fifteen minutes to reach Kate’s apartment. It’s in a newer complex with better amenities than most college town apartments. We’re early so I put a leash on a reluctant Maddox and take him for a quick walk around the grounds. It’s a very pleasant place with two pools, a nice playground, and a basketball court. Maddox does his business and we head back to the Jeep for the wine. Kate’s apartment is on the second floor and I have to stop myself from taking the steps two at a time even though Maddox is already at her door. He looks at me, his tail wagging, his tongue hanging out of his happy mouth. Kate opens the door before I even finish climbing the stairs.
“Maddox, come here, boy,” she says. He falls in front of her from excitement and offers up his belly for her to rub. She crouches down and loves on him a bit before she turns her attention to me. She stands up slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. “Tristan. Thanks for coming. You look incredible.” I watch as her eyes leave mine to travel slowly up and down my body. I shiver at her boldness. Truth be told, I want her to like what she sees. It took me a long time getting ready today. I’m wearing straight leg dark jeans, a three-quarter sleeve black button-down shirt, and black boots. I’m a little warm, but I look hot. Sometimes you have to sacrifice comfort for sex appeal. Kate’s the one who looks fantastic. She’s wearing jeans and a tight T-shirt with a tornado on it. I point and smile at it.
“I saw this the other day and had to have it,” she says. “Come in, both of you.” Maddox jumps around and finds a comfortable place on the couch. I’m just about ready to yell at him to get down, but Kate reaches out and touches my arm. “It’s okay. I don’t mind at all.”
“You should. He already knows you’re a softy.” I give Maddox a look and his ears go back.
Kate playfully scolds me and reaches for the bottle of wine I’m clutching. “Would you like a glass?” She’s very smooth. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe she’s only twenty-four.
“That would be great. Whatever you’re cooking, it smells fantastic,” I say.
“Well, since Maddox is looking to shed a few pounds, I thought I’d bake chicken for us. You and I can indulge in the red potatoes and asparagus, but he’s only getting the chicken.”
“Thanks for thinking of him, too,” I say. Hot Mindy from Hunter’s Fourth of July pool party pops into my mind. Kate would never have screamed or reacted the way she did with Maddox. She loved him the second she met him.
“I’ve missed him,” she says. She looks at him and he wags his tail at her. He’s already hooked. He’s not making this easy for me.
“So what have you been working on at school this semester?” I ask. I need to change the subject. She’s very comfortable around the kitchen and I remember she’s been on her own for six years. Certain things you’re forced to learn quickly. I offer my help, but she shoos me away with her chopping knife. She’s graceful and fast cutting up vegetables for the salad. She seems so calm, so poised. I’m still quivering inside.
“Well, I didn’t lose a lot of time, believe it or not. When you’re sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, it’s amazing what you can accomplish. I wrote my papers, read a lot, and I even turned in a video of the tornadoes we saw. I kept busy. I only have a few more hours until I get my Master’s degree. Woohoo.” She celebrates by playfully lifting up the salad tongs in the air.
I smile. “That’s a great accomplishment for a twenty-four year old.”
“Well, I’m twenty-five now. My birthday was last month,” she says.
I didn’t know that. “Happy belated birthday, then.” I raise my wineglass to hers and we clink them together. I watch her lips touch the glass and swallow hard when I see her tongue flick out to catch a small drop of wine on the rim. My body starts tingling as I remember our few nights together and how her mouth brought me pleasure over and over. This is going to be harder than I thought.
“It was a good birthday. First one I spent with my family in a long time.” She smiles and her eyes get a faraway look as she remembers something pleasant. “Yeah, it was nice. Not as nice as yours…” She trails off. I look down at my glass. I’m not ready for this conversation. I can’t even make eye contact. I know that if I do, I will be lost in her again.
“I’m glad it was nice. You deserve it.” I ignore her comment. I casually walk over to Maddox and sit down next to him. I need distance from her. This is too powerful for me. My eyes are constantly drawn to her, her graceful movements, her calming demeanor. Her hair is down and pulled over one shoulder. It’s wavy and lighter than I remember. I want to plunge my hands into it and bring her full lips to my mouth and kiss her again. I miss her warmth and passion and that scares me. This is confusing me. I should still be angry at her, but I’m not.
“Are you sure I can’t help?” I ask. She shoots me a lopsided grin.
“It’s ready now.” She cuts up a giant piece of chicken into smaller bite size pieces and throws the plate in the refrigerator. “For Maddox. It’s too warm now.” I’m melting. I don’t want to fall for her again.
“Maddox is never going to want to leave here.”
“He’s perfect. I would keep him. Except an apartment really isn’t the best place for a dog.”
“I did take him for a quick walk around here. It’s a cute place. He just doesn’t like being on a leash,” I say.
“Do you have a large yard?” she asks. We sit down and start eating. Maddox patiently waits beside me for his food.
“I have a house just outside of town with about three acres. It’s perfect for him. It’s an older farm house that I’ve been working on for the last couple of years.”
“That sounds nice. I’m not very handy. If something breaks around here, I just need to call the manager,” she says.
“I’m sure you would be great at any restoration project. It’s not that hard. Whenever I get stuck, I call Hunter. She’s helped me out of so many sticky situations. Her dad is an electrician. He and I are practically best friends. He’s always over. I have yet to finish an electrical problem without needing him. I know he rolls his eyes whenever he sees that I am calling.” Kate laughs. “It seems most of my problems are electrical. I can’t seem to figure that part out. I can paint anything, nail anything, cut, trim, but I can’t stop blowing fuses.”
“Maybe it’s just really old wiring,” she says. She excuses herself to get Maddox’s dinner from the refrigerator. He couldn’t be happier right now.
“Yeah, we are in the process of switching it all out. I’m happy I know Hunter’s dad because if not, this would cost me a fortune.”
“I’d like to see it someday,” she says.
I look at her and nod. “Maybe next time I’ll cook. Or have something very delicious delivered.” I’m trying to keep it light. This means that there will be a next date, assuming this is one, too. Surprisingly, the rest of the dinner the conversation flows smoothly. I have agreed to be a resource on her final video project, we like opposing sports teams, she is afraid of spiders and small spaces, and I’ve shared my secret love of the Harry Potter saga. Before we know it, it’s almost midnight.
“It’s getting late. Maddox and I should get going. We have a long drive ahead of us.” This is the part I don’t like. The distance. Even if we start something, then we’ll have to face long drives every week. I drive a ton during the chasing season so that doesn’t bother me, but not being close does.
“Next time, you can come up and see us,” I say. She tucks my hair behind my ear and, just when I think she’s going to kiss me, something makes her change her mind and she slowly takes a step back.
“Just say when.” She closes the door as Maddox and I walk down the stairs. I climb into the Jeep and Maddox takes the seat next to me.
“That was a good night, huh, boy?” Maddox looks at me and leans over to kiss me. Yeah, we both had a good night. This is the way it’s supposed to be. The whole build up, the anticipation, the communication. Now we need to work on trust again and maybe we can get back to where we were.