Draw Me In (32 page)

So
even though I knew he
’
d
be completely opposed to the idea, I put my future temporarily on hold.

I
was going to wait for him until he was able to live life with me.

In
fairness, I think maybe I
’
d
been waiting for him all along.

***

“
It
’
s like you never left!
”
Cara cooed, clasping her hands
together tightly in front of her chest. She was ecstatic to have me back.
Apparently during my sabbatical they
’
d
hired a guy named Dustin that not only beat my record for the number of cups
broken during one shift, but he
’
d
also somehow swapped out the decaf and caffeinated for an entire day and as a
result, had several bug-eyed, jittery customers to explain his mishap to. Made
my espresso disaster seem a little less catastrophic. As awful as it was to
admit, I kind of liked when other
’
s
failures made my own failures seem just a bit less fail-worthy. There was
plenty of room for all of us to co-exist together. The world was full of
screw-ups and the accident-prone. What was one more to add to the fold?

I
used that logic to convince Cara to keep Dustin on staff. It wasn
’
t right for me to take his job just
because I decided to waltz back into the shop. I
’
d train him and show him the ropes
and hope he didn
’
t
completely fall off of them as he tightrope walked for this circus we had going
on here. It was my little way of giving back, because let
’
s face it, I had totally sold out on
Cara and Rick for a guy. Luckily, they understood Leo wasn
’
t just any guy. Luckily, they
’
d given me all of their support to go
chase out that dream.

But
now here I was, back at home, Leo-less.

I
brewed up my last order for the day and slung my apron onto the hook as I
entered the break room at the back of the store.

“
See you tomorrow?
”
Dustin asked around a mouthful of
tuna salad. He was a freshman at UVA studying graphic design. He wanted to go
into video game graphics, which would be a good fit because he constantly made
these noises that sounded like old-school Nintendo sound effects. It was a bit
like being in a real-life Super Mario game with all the one-ups and extra
lives, golden coins and such. We
’
d
get backed up at the counter and it was as though he
’
d gotten that star that made you run
super fast as he wove in and out behind the register. I swear his body even
began flashing in rainbow colors like it did in the game. Or maybe I was seeing
things.

“
Yep. Bright and early. Got the
morning shift.
”

“
Me too,
”
Dustin mumbled with a lopsided grin.

I
’
d promised to demonstrate my infamous
latte foam art tomorrow, and the thought of teaching made me temporarily forget
the fact that Leo was supposed to be coming home today, though I had yet to
hear from him.

The
past seven days trudged by about as quickly as a death dirge. It had to have
been some sort of unconscious coincidence, but I
’
d donned black all week to coincide
with my mournful mood. For a brief moment, I
’
d even entertained the idea of dying my
hair to really pull it all off, but luckily Ian slapped me silly and instructed
me to snap out of it. Goth didn
’
t
look good on me, though I did challenge him, stating the fact that I could make
myself look like one frighteningly realistic zombie. Ian vetoed that idea and I
was grateful for his direction and ability to pull me back down to reality. I
clearly needed some help.

I
gathered my purse from my coffee shop locker and hoisted it over my shoulder as
I pulled my phone out from inside and pushed on the door to exit.

No
new messages. No texts.

I
fired another one off.

Is
today the day? I
’
ve
got a surprise for you that may or may not involve a bathtub full of gelato.

If
that didn
’
t
demand a response, I
’
m
not sure what would. Maybe I should include the word naked in there. Even
illiterate guys seemed to be able to recognize that word.

I
dropped the phone back into my bag and began my walk home.

The
city had transitioned from spring into the sticky, humid beginnings of summer,
and I hadn
’
t
adjusted my wardrobe to meet that change yet. My sweater clung to my stomach,
sweat gathering just above my waistline. Though I didn
’
t really have that tub of gelato for
Leo, a tub of cold water sounded just as refreshing. I loved New York, but I
could definitely do without the sweltering heat that threatened to melt me on a
daily basis.

I
could also do without the crowds.

For
some reason, everyone decided to join me on the sidewalk today. I pressed in
and out of businessmen and women, their briefcases ramming into my thighs as I
wove through the streets. There were nannies with strollers used as bumper cars
that collided against one another and college students like myself that hustled
from one class to another. It was a mess of chaos masquerading as order and
routine because we did this everyday. There was always a rush that vibrated in
the streets. You
’
d
rarely ever see someone walking to his or her destination. These sidewalks were
not meant for the leisurely stroll. We had a gigantic park for that, don
’
t get me wrong. There were places you
could slow down your pace, but this block wasn
’
t one of them.

So
my lazy movements didn
’
t
fit in.

As
I rounded the corner to head toward the loft, I spotted the beast.

No,
seriously. He was a beast. Like as in wild unkempt hair and claws the size of
daggers. His face was coated in synthetic fur at least three inches long and
the paint that covered his eyelids and cheekbones shaped his masculine features
into those belonging to an animal you
’
d
encounter in the forest. Dark rimmed lashes, a raccoon
’
s dark mask. A circling mane of a
lion, clinging to his cheeks and jaw.

“
Hey!
”
I shouted, pushing up onto my toes
to catch a better glimpse. There were at least a dozen people between us, and I
could hardly see his head as it bobbed above the rest.
“
Walker!
”

I
didn
’
t
think he could hear me, and that was probably due to the fact that he had these
pointy rubber ears adhered to his own. I picked up my speed, elbowing people
out of the way as I inched closer.

Five
dirty looks and kick against my ankle and I screamed,
“
Walker, stop!
”

But
he didn
’
t,
and instead kept his determined effort moving forward. If I didn
’
t break into a full on run, I was
going to lose him.

“
Stop that beast!
”
I shouted, but no one took notice. I
knew that New York got away with a lot, but this was not normal. A life-sized
animal-man and a pint-sized woman chasing after him? Come on. Someone had to
take notice and help a girl out, right?

Um,
no. Unfortunately, I was on my own in this.

I
gripped my bag at my side and began running full force. Feet slapping the
concrete in angry claps. Most people would run
away
from someone dressed like Walker, but he had answers I needed,
so I pushed and jabbed and snaked my way to him, completely out of breath once
I had him in my sights.

“
Walker!
”
I yelled once more, apparently loud
enough for him to hear this time because he spun on his heels. I was suddenly
staring straight at that hairy face.

“
Julie?
”
His eyes expanded. I wasn
’
t sure why he wore the look of guilt,
but it instantly made my stomach curl with apprehension. Maybe I shouldn
’
t have tracked him down like this.
That wasn
’
t
the greeting I was hoping for.
“
What
are you doing here?
”
His eyes flashed wildly, paranoid.

“
What am
I
doing here?
”
I drew my chin back, accused.
“
I
was sent home on a plane a week ago, remember?
”
I tried not to let the anger seep
into my voice, but it was hard to differentiate between the sound of anger and
the sound of surprise in this situation. It seemed astonishing to me that he
’
d wonder why I was home when he knew
full well how Leo had sent me packing.

“
Right,
”
Walker nodded, tufts of his fake
hair swishing in the wind.

“
But what are
you
doing here?
”
I asked again. Last I knew, he was back in Italy at the Villa, probably hanging
out on some nude beach with Sofia. At least that
’
s what I
’
d hoped he was doing. I didn
’
t like the thought of him being in
New York, because it hinted at the idea that maybe someone else was here too,
trying to keep hidden just like Walker. Masked. Covered up.

“
I got called back for a show.
”
Waving his claws over his face, he
asked,
“
Isn
’
t that obvious?
”

I
supposed he was right. Reality crashed in, hitting me square in the gut. It
drew acid up into my mouth.
“
Yeah,
”
I conceded, feeling defeat wash over
me.
“
I
see.
”

We
stood there for a few wordless moments. I think Walker could sense the
disappointment in my eyes, because he stooped down to meet them and said with
more empathy than I would expect from a beast,
“
You haven
’
t heard from him, have you?
”

 
A lump caught in my throat and I tried to
force it down. I couldn
’
t
hold our eye contact for fear of crying, so I shoved my gaze down to the gritty
pavement and shook my head.
“
No.
I haven
’
t.
”

“
Dammit,
”
Walker growled. I could immediately
see how he was perfect for the part. The animalistic sound vibrating out of his
chest made the fine hairs rise on my flesh.
“
Leo,
”
he hissed, as though his name was a
curse.

“
It
’
s alright,
”
I waved him off, shrugging.

“
No, it
’
s not.
”
Walker
’
s broad shoulders pulled in
frustration. He slipped his canvas bag from his shoulder to retrieve his phone
and passed it to me.
“
Gimme
your number. I
’
m
gonna get some answers for you and call you tonight, okay?
”

Hope
bloomed. I bit my bottom lip between my teeth and nodded so quickly I
’
m sure I resembled a bobblehead. I
punched my number into his cell and handed it back to him.
“
Thank you, Walker. I really
appreciate it.
”

He
flashed a grin and took my small hand into his oversized, gloved one.
“
Of course.
”

I
hoped for more, but that
’
s
all he offered.

“
I gotta get to rehearsal,
”
he finally said, pointing his thumb
over his shoulder to indicate the actor
’
s
studio I knew to be a block away.

“
Yes, of course.
”
I didn
’
t want to leave, because being close
to Walker, even though I hardly knew him, felt like being close to Leo. But I
guess I hardly knew him, either.
“
I
’
m glad I ran into you.
”