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Julie
I finish up my last interview for the robbery story around ten. I honestly don’t feel like I’m any closer to breaking this story now than I did after the interviews I conducted last Friday. I get back to the office after stopping off at a Club Coffee for a much needed caffeine boost. I step off the elevator and look around before walking through the maze of cubicles and taking a seat at my desk. Marie is not at her desk yet, so I assume that she is late coming in to work which is not like her. She has been distant all week and I’m beginning to worry about her.
In the week since our first official date, Devan and I have either seen or talked to each other every night. The text messages continue several times daily, and we talk on the phone or video chat on the nights that we are not able to get together. Even though I had not planned on joining the dating circuit, he is fun to be around and I can see myself spending more time with him in the future. Maybe even progressing into a relationship.
On the nights that we have gone out, he always walks me to my apartment door. He still refuses to come inside, which I understand. But he still ends the night with a hot, steamy kiss. There’s nothing better than Devan’s kisses. The way he holds me close, wrapping his arms around me, like I’m the only thing in the world that matters to him. Kissing Devan is like an out of body experience every time.
I smile and reach for my phone as a text notification comes in.
Devan: Coming by today with pics for Travis. Maybe we can grab lunch? *pizza emoji*
I check my calendar before replying just to make sure that I don’t have anything else to do.
Me: Would love to. See you when you get here.
An email notification comes in on my laptop while I am putting my phone back into my purse. It appears to be from an anonymous source about that crime ring in town. There has been an increase in robberies and the local police still have not been able to catch a break, but this source says he used to be part of the group and may have some information he wants to share with me.
As I read over his email thinking about how I’m going to respond and whether I should agree to meet with him, I see Devan step off the elevator. I’m not sure why he insists on coming here to sell his photos when I know he can get so much more with other papers and magazines in the city. I have told him that several times over the last week, but he insists on coming here first. He says he likes to keep an eye on me, and I must admit, I really like that he does.
He makes eye contact with me as soon as he steps off the elevator. I can feel the blush already burning my cheeks as I smile. He gives me a crooked smile, showing me that fabulous dimple and winks at me as he walks by and enters Travis’ office. I shake my head, still grinning like a lovesick teenager, as I turn my attention back to my email.
I lightly tap my fingers against the keyboard of my laptop, my head tilted to the side and lips pressed tightly together. I’m still debating over my reply to this ‘source’ when Devan walks out twenty minutes later. “You ready to go?” He asks me as he stops by my desk.
“Absolutely. Where are we going?” I ask him as I grab my purse and push the lid down on my laptop.
“How about Vito’s? I would really love a pizza. Let me stop by reception first and finish up my business here.”
I smile at him as he holds his arm out for me. “Sounds perfect.” We walk to the elevator, his hand resting on the small of my back. It feels slightly possessive, but protective too. I have never had anyone walk with me while touching my back before, I kind of like it.
We have a relatively short wait for a table considering Vito’s is a popular place around lunch time. “How’s work going today? Are you working on anything interesting?” He asks after we get our drinks and put in our pizza order.
“I’m a reporter, Devan. It’s always interesting.” I smirk at him hoping he catches my humor.
He smiles back and chuckles lightly, “I know, I know. But you know I’m going to ask anyway.”
“Well, there is one story that I’m hoping to catch a break on. Maybe it’ll be enough to get me noticed and open up some doors for me elsewhere.” I tell him.
“Are you thinking of leaving Metropolitan Weekly?” He asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, yeah. I never thought I would be the kind of writer I’m expected to be for Travis. I want real stories, real reporting. Investigative journalism is what I’ve always wanted to do.”
“And you think this story is what will get you there?”
“I do.” I sit back and smile, placing my hands on the table. “Think about it. These robberies, they are too easy and there hasn’t been any evidence. For the amount they are saying was taken, and the frequency of robberies taking place, it just doesn’t make sense. How have they not been able to get anything yet? How has no one been arrested, or evidence turned in?” I proceed to tell him about the burglaries and how I do not think the information about them has been adding up so far.
“Oh.” He says as he puts his elbows up on the table and leans closer. He gives me his full attention, which I appreciate.
“Well, right before you came in today, I got an email from someone claiming to have been part of this group that is burglarizing parts of the city. He claims that he has a history with this group. He says that he is ready to turn on them and give me some information.”
I had been making calls and meeting with business owners over the last few weeks at some of the places that were robbed, hoping to get more information from them than what was in the other papers. I gave several of them my contact information in hopes that they would decide to share something more or remember something they may have forgotten previously.
“Wow. That’s interesting. Are you sure you can trust him? I mean, why would he want to turn on them by giving you information instead of just going to the police?” I admit, I had the same question myself which is why I had not replied to the email yet before coming to lunch with Devan.
“I don’t know, that’s what I’m hoping to find out. I haven’t replied to him yet because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to meet up with him or not.”
“Well, just be careful if you do, and make sure you meet him somewhere public.”
I narrow my eyes at him and reply, “I know. I wasn’t born yesterday, Devan.”
Devan holds his hands up as if to surrender and sits back in his seat. “I didn’t say you were, I just wanted to make sure you were being careful.”
“I will be. Like I said, I haven’t even decided if I want to meet him yet. I’m just gathering information right now, so we’ll see what he has to offer before I make any decisions.”
He concedes and appears to relax in his seat as the waitress returns with our pizza. “So, what else has been going on, angel?” He asks, setting his pizza down and wiping his hands on a paper napkin. “Do you have any plans this weekend?”
“Aside from trying to get a break on this story, nothing else has been going on. And no, I don’t have any plans this weekend.” I answer him with a grin. I take another bite of my pizza, savoring the sweet tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. I set the slice on my plate, wipe my hands on a paper napkin and take a drink of my sparkling lemonade. “Did you have something in mind?”
“How do you feel about hiking?” He asks me with a crooked smile.
I narrow my eyes slightly and pull my bottom lip between my teeth, teasing him with my glare. “You could probably out hike me to be honest. I spend most of my days sitting behind a desk at work, so I don’t get much time to exercise. Would your idea require any specialized training or gear?”
He chuckles lightly, sending a quiver up my spine at the sound. “No, angel. No special gear required. And I promise it isn’t that kind of a hike. I have a few photos I need to take around Runyon Canyon Park and thought it would make for a nice picnic lunch if you came along with me.”
“That sounds fabulous.” Not to mention, I would get to see Devan work. I started following him on Instagram after we had our first date, and his pictures are amazing. Most photographers that you follow on Instagram have staged or studio pictures with animals or people as their subjects. However, the best work I have seen of Devan’s are natural and outdoors. He uses the natural elements and daylight to his advantage, getting some of the most serene shots I have ever seen.
“Perfect. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice weather, perfect for a hike.” He smiles and picks his pizza back up to finish eating.
I pick my pizza slice up to take another bite when my phone buzzes on the table next to my plate. “Sorry. I should have put it in my purse.” I say as I wipe my hands off before reaching for my phone. I frown as I look at the screen.
“It’s not a problem.” He pauses and gives me a concerned glance when he notices my expression. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. It’s just a text from Marie. She just got to work. I guess she wanted me to know she was okay. She was running late today, which isn’t like her, so I had sent her at text before you showed up for lunch to make sure she was okay.”
“The two of you must be close.”
“Yeah, kind of.” I say, putting my phone into my purse and setting it back on the seat next to me. “She’s my only friend in the city. She took me under her wing when I first started working at the paper.”
“It’s good to have a friend like that. For me, it was Matt. I met him when I first moved here to LA. He’s a construction worker and owns his own company doing remodels and flipping houses. He did the work on my house when I first bought it and we hit it off. We’ve been best friends ever since and that was...” He rubs his chin as if in deep thought. “Five years ago, now?” He states the last part as a question. “So, Marie works with you at the paper?”
“Yeah. She’s my cubicle neighbor. She’s one of a kind, that’s for sure. Listens to imaginary music all day that plays in her head, has bright pink hair, wears bright colored clothing.” I finish the crust of my pizza and wash it down with the last of my sparkling lemonade. When I look up, I see Devan staring at me with wide eyes and a smile on his face. “What?” I ask, picking up my napkin and wiping it over my mouth. “Do I have pizza sauce on my face?”
“No. You just made me think of something. Where did you say you went with Marie last weekend?”
“Club Blitz. Why?”
“Oh my God. I think she’s the mystery woman my friend Matt is looking for.”
My eyebrows shoot so high I am sure they disappear into my hairline. “What?”
“Matt’s birthday was last weekend. His crew decided to take him out for a night of drinking and dancing, and they were at the same club as you. I didn’t realize it until now, but you mentioned pink hair and I can’t help but wonder. What are the odds that there was another woman at the same club as you with the same hair color? Let me ask you, was she wearing a yellow dress?”
“Yeah. She was. I don’t know what happened with her though. She looked happy dancing with a really handsome guy in leather, then she was gone. She said she had to bail when I spoke with her the next day.”
“Yep. That would have been him. It’s been driving him crazy all week. He said he met a sprite in a yellow dress with pink hair. He was completely smitten with her but then she disappeared. Wow. He’s gonna shit solid gold when I tell him I know who his sprite is.”
We spend the rest of the lunch hour telling each other stories of our work and making each other laugh. It is so easy to talk to Devan, like we have known each other our entire lives. I feel comfortable telling him about my childhood, about my hopes and dreams for my career. He tells me more about growing up in Iowa and the culture shock he initially experienced when he moved to LA.
Every time I talk and look into his eyes, I can see that he is paying complete attention to me no matter how trivial whatever I am talking about really is. I find myself falling for him more and more. He looks me directly in the eye when I am talking like I am the center of his universe. I have never had anyone do that before, not even my own mother. Despite the butterflies it produces in my stomach, I really like it.
Devan walks me back to the office, with his hand once again possessively pressed to the small of my back. “Thank you for having lunch with me, Julie.” He says bending slowly to place a soft kiss to my cheek. He grabs both of my hands as he stands, looking into my eyes. “Let me make you dinner tonight.”
“You want to cook for me?” I ask, both of my eyebrows raising in surprise.
“I do. Tonight. I’ll text you my address, you can come over around seven.”
I think about it for a minute, I have not been to Devan’s house before. I really would like to see where he lives, and I have never had a man offer cook for me before. “I’d love to.”
He grins down at me, never breaking eye contact, the sparkle in his eyes is mesmerizing. He lowers his head and gives me a chaste kiss on the lips, pulling back slightly before whispering, “Thank you. I’ll see you tonight.” Then he stands and kisses the backs of both of my hands before letting them go. He turns and walks away. With my hands hanging loosely at my sides, I stand outside of my office building for another minute watching him leave.
Marie smiles at me as I walk back toward my desk. “You have a good lunch?” She asks.
“I did actually. Devan came by and we went to Vito’s.”
“Oh, I love Vito’s. You’ve been spending a lot of time with him lately.” She says as she smiles and winks at me over the divider wall.
I put my purse back into my bottom desk drawer and open my laptop. “Yeah, I have.” I respond. “I’m seeing him again tonight too. He wants to make me dinner at his place.”
“Ooh. That could be fun.” She laughs as she sits back down.
I choose not to respond to her again, letting my own imagination fill in the details of what may or may not take place tonight after dinner. I really want to ask her about last weekend again and see if something happened between her and Devan’s friend that made her run off like she did. I decide to leave it alone though, it really is none of my business and I hate to get involved.
As I pull up my emails, I decide to respond to this ‘source’ and see what kind of information he has. I close my eyes, shaking my head as I think about Devan’s overprotective side at lunch. Even though it had irritated me at the time, I can’t argue with the fact that it would be stupid to meet this guy. I do not want to jump right into meeting him in person, but maybe he will give something up by email first. Just some tidbit that I might be able to use to validate him and see if he is worth the effort.
I spend the next few hours going over more emails and making phone calls about the stories that I have been assigned for the next week. Devan had texted me his address around 4:30 and I realized it was only a ten-minute drive from my apartment. I leave the office at five so that I can get home and have enough time to get ready for dinner at Devan’s tonight.
I take a quick shower and dry my hair, pulling it into a loose ponytail. I dress in a light blouse and blue jeans and leave my apartment at 6:30. I decide to stop off at the liquor store around the corner for a bottle of wine on my way to Devan’s house.
I did not notice the car that was parked a block away with the man sitting inside in the dark. I did not notice the eyes that followed me from my apartment building to my Honda parked in the parking lot. And I did not notice when a car pulled out behind me on the road and followed me to the liquor store.