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Martin: I’m down for it.
Tanner: Oh sure, stroke his ego.
Garrett: I’ll bring the pizza.
Caden smiled. It was what his friends did for each other. When Luke came home from the hospital after nearly being killed by a gang, they all came over to Caden’s place where Luke was staying for a few days to make sure he was okay. Blake was no different. He might be a hot head who ran first and asked questions later, but he was their hot head.
Caden: I can be there in 15.
Martin: Ditto.
Tanner: Fine.
Garrett: Ordering pizza now.
Luke: You guys cool if Orly comes?
Caden: Wouldn’t let you in the door without her.
Martin: duh lol
Tanner: Seriously?
Garrett: She’s family, Man. You never have to ask.
Luke: Thanks. See y’all in 15.
***
Hallie sat on her couch with the TV turned on while she scrolled through her phone. She picked up Thai food take out on the way home and had polished it off almost as soon as she’d walked in the door. She had skipped breakfast that day, and even after her coffee with Caden, she’d been famished by the time she got home. Her apartment was a simple studio, with a small kitchen, a queen size bed, and a loveseat placed in front of a small flat screen television that sat on a bookshelf overrun with books and a few mementos she’d picked up in India and China.
The place wasn’t big, but it was hers, and it was affordable, so she never had to worry about having enough money to pay rent.
She still couldn’t believe how easily she’d caved into her attraction to Caden, even after the events that transpired the day before. The man could easily be her undoing, the reason she gets locked up in a psychiatric hospital, or worse, prison, but there was something about him that made her throw caution to the wind every single time. She wavered between regretting giving him her cell phone number and eagerly awaiting his call or text while lazily sitting on her couch and watching television to pass the time. She’d already watched an episode of Friends and was now on her second episode of a true crime documentary series. It was getting late and she’d all but given up on hearing from Caden tonight.
A sigh of disappointment escaped her lips, but it wasn’t like she actually expected him to… No, she had and that’s why the silence of her phone only stung more. Trying to regret giving him her cell phone number while at the same time building up all this hope that he’d actually call or text her tonight was exhausting. She’d been a fool and fallen for his charm - again.
Maybe he changed his mind. After all, she was a person of interest and he was an FBI Agent. Hallie set her phone down on the couch and stood to get herself a refill of water when it suddenly buzzed. She jumped and reached for it, but it was only her mom calling. “Hi Mom.” she answered on the second ring, collapsing back onto the cushions.
“Hi Baby, how are you?” Her mom’s voice always took on this sing-songy tone when she talked to Hallie. It was sweet, but super embarrassing when she did it in public. Hallie also never knew if she was just making conversation or digging for something - more.
“Good. Just another day at The Mystic Cow.” There was no way Hallie was telling her about the FBI bringing her in for questioning, not once, but twice now. At least not until it became absolutely necessary.
“I was thinking, maybe you need to start getting out more. You know, meet people.”
Hallie laughed. “Is this your attempt to set me up again?” Her mom was known for trying to get her to go out with some of her friends’ or neighbors’ sons.
“Of course not,” her mom said, defensively. “I have no control over who you’re going to meet when you go out. I just want you to have some fun instead of sitting in that store of yours all day. It’s not healthy, and I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy,” Hallie said. “I don’t need a man to make me happy, Mom.” She ignored the part about being healthy because Hallie knew exactly what her mom was talking about. Her parents always felt that if she had more friends and went out more, her little “issue” would fade away. Of course, it didn’t work that way and the thought of having to explain herself to a bunch of people terrified her.
“That’s just because you haven’t found the right man,” her mom insisted. “Anyway, that’s not what I was calling about. Your father and I want to have a BBQ this weekend and we were hoping you’d come by.”
“I have that conference on Saturday. I already paid for it and it’s too late to get my money back,” Hallie said.
“I know. It’s right here on my calendar. I was thinking about Sunday around noon. We could spend the day together, maybe even get our nails done.”
Hallie nibbled on her bottom lip. She hadn’t wanted to tell her parents about Caden yet, but they tracked her cell phone so there was no point in lying about it. “I - I might already have plans on Sunday.”
