The waitress scowled at her, turned, and walked off.
Travis chuckled and reached for her hand.
“She would have been all over you if you had shown the least interest. Even with me sitting here.”
Travis squeezed her hand. “Please don’t let mean girls bother you.”
“I’ll try—” She was interrupted when glasses and cups were set down. She turned to the waitress. “Thank you.”
“Do you know what you want to order?”
Travis looked at Nia. “Do you know?”
“Yes.” She ordered, and then he did.
Travis asked her a lot of questions that she answered.
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
He skipped over that question and asked her one of his own. She noticed that when she tried to ask him certain questions, he changed the subject. It happened all day, but he never did answer. She figured he was apprehensive about telling her things, but they had just met the day before.
The day seemed to fly past. Nia couldn’t remember feeling as free as she did with Travis. She loved everything about him. The only thing that got her down was all the looks he got from other women.
When she told him, he pointed out that m
en were looking at her, and she didn’t believe him.
He stopped her and pointed. “Look over there, see that man staring at you?
She smirked. “He could be gay and be staring at you.
He threw back his head and laughed. “I’ll prove it to you one way or another.”
She just grinned, and they moved on. They got back to the room right as the sun was setting.
“Are we going to drive tonight?”
He shook his head. “No. The time got away from me. I’m sorry. We’ll start out tomorrow. Okay?”
“Sure.” She pulled out her nightgown. “I’m going to shower.”
“All right.”
He lay back on the comforter with his back to the headboard and turned on the TV. “I’m going to watch the news and check in at the office.”
“If you need to get back right away, I can drive us tonight.”
He looked at her like she was crazy. “No, baby. Go on and take a shower.”
She moved toward the bathroom.
She kind of got the vibe he was bored or wanted to get away from her. He’d gotten tense when they got back to the room. She’d play it by ear to see how he acted in the morning.
It wouldn’t be long before she got to see her friend. She missed her terribly since she’d moved to Jacksonville for a job.
Nia had never been able to find another friend like her. Nia knew she and Aleena were a bit peculiar and didn’t fit the mold of people their age, but it hadn’t bothered her so much until she had no one.
Her life was open to so many possibilities. She tried to get excited, but all she felt was scared. “Someday, I’ll find my place in the world. I just need to take one day at a time.”