I peeked out his window at the city. “I’m really looking forward to seeing Seattle.”
“Tomorrow we can see whatever you want. Everything is within walking distance.”
I turned to him. “It’s also perfectly fine if we don’t sightsee, by the way. I can imagine you have a lot to catch up on after being away for so long. I can help with anything you need around here. We should go food shopping and stuff.”
“Yeah, I have absolutely nothing in the fridge. We can do that, but I’m not gonna put you to work, Hazel. This is supposed to be a vacation for you.”
“Actually, it’s not, Matteo, remember? I want to experience life with you as it is. So, yes, while I’d love to see Seattle at least one day, the rest of the time, just do what you normally would do without me here. That likely doesn’t include sightseeing. I’ll just go along for the ride.”
“So, you want me to sit around scratching my stomach like Al Bundy from Married with Children while eating pork rinds and watching TV?”
“If that’s what you do, sure.” I shrugged.
His tone turned serious. “This trip is a test in a sense, isn’t it? To see if there’s something about my life that turns you off?”
I hated that he thought that. “That’s not it at all. Please don’t feel that way.”
“Well, it is a competition, isn’t it?”
His change in mood surprised me. But I guess it was stupid of me to expect him to display no frustration, given this messed-up situation.
“Matteo, at this moment, no, there is no competition. I’m just so happy to be here.”
His expression softened.
A knock on the door prevented us from continuing the conversation.
“Are you expecting someone?” I asked.
“Not at this hour,” he said as he walked over to answer it.
When he opened the door, I was surprised to see an attractive girl standing there. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and was holding a large, orange-haired cat.
Bach.
He started to meow at the sight of Matteo.
“Hey!” Matteo said. “I wasn’t expecting you to bring him back tonight.”
“Yeah. I know we said tomorrow. But I figured you missed him.”
Matteo rubbed the cat’s ears. “I did.”
Her eyes met mine, and she seemed surprised to see Matteo had a guest.
Yeah, sure. You came to his apartment this late at night because of the cat.
“Hazel, this is Carina,” Matteo said. “Carina, this is Hazel.”
Carina had dark brown hair, big brown eyes, and full lips. And there was absolutely zero doubt in my mind that she’d slept with Matteo.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, feeling a bit unbalanced.
“Same to you.” She tilted her head and asked, “How do you two know each other?”
Matteo answered before I had a chance to say anything. “Hazel is someone I met while traveling. She’s from Connecticut.”
“Oh...okay. Interesting.” She looked between him and me. “Well, welcome to Seattle.”
Surely she really didn’t mean that. “Thank you.”
Carina finally set the cat down, and it purred, weaving in and out of Matteo’s legs.
“So, nothing crazy to report as far as Bach goes?” he asked her.
“Nope. I actually had a tough time getting him into the car. I think he finally got used to being at my place and didn’t want to leave.”
“Yeah. He’s probably gonna hate me now that he’s seen how the other half lives. You have so much more space.”
“Well, he’s welcome to come visit whenever he misses it.”
“Thanks again for taking care of him.”
“My pleasure. Anytime.” She looked over at me. “Well, I better get going. Hazel, it was nice meeting you.”
I swallowed. “You, as well.”
As she turned to go, she asked Matteo, “You’re returning to work after the holidays, right?”
“Yup. I’ll be there right after Christmas break.”
“I know everyone’s looking forward to having you back.”
“I’m sure once I get there, I’ll be happy to be back,” he said. “The idea of returning is a little daunting. But I’ll get into the swing of things fast. I do miss my kids.”
“They definitely miss you.” She sighed. “Alright. Well, you guys have a good night.”
“Thank you,” I muttered. The door closed, followed by a few seconds of awkward silence. “She seemed...nice. So, you work with her?”
“Yeah. She teaches English at the high school.”
“Ah. I know you said it was a friend watching your cat, but I hadn’t imagined she was so…” I shook my head to stop from making a total fool of myself. I was coming off as really jealous.
“Alright, Hazel, ask what you really want to ask.”
“It’s none of my business.”
“I don’t hide anything. There’s nothing going on with Carina now—although we used to date. But it was a long time ago.”
That admission stung, though I’d known something had happened between them even before I asked.
“There’s nothing lingering between you two?”
“Not on my end.”
“But she still likes you.”
“I don’t know. Maybe? It doesn’t matter to me.”