Rushed(9)

Despite my foul mood, I stop by the electronics store, looking over the models. Tyler said he didn't want a high-end phone, something cheap and just for voice and texts I guess.

"Excuse me Miss, can I help you?"

I turn my head and see the store clerk, a young woman about my age who's got that sort of empty, 'hey, I'm smiling because it's my job' sort of smile on her face. I did a couple of retail jobs when I was in school, I can understand. "Well, I'm looking for a phone. A friend is here from the States, and wants a simple phone. No data plan."

"Simple, huh? Well, there aren't too many phones like that any more . . . let's see."

In the end, I picked out something I think he’ll like and head back to my apartment. I open Tyler's phone and start the drudgery part of my job, the little things that I made sure to write down. First, I programmed in the phone numbers for the team offices and Coach Blanchard, the Fighter's head coach. Next, on a whim I turn the camera on and take a selfie, smiling and tagging it to my phone number.

That night, while I'm laying in bed, I'm still not able to get Tyler off my mind. He's so handsome, and my body remembers the feelings it had years ago. If anything, the desire is even more acute for me because I actually know what it’s for, and what it can lead to. The idea of Tyler and I sends warm shivers down my spine and pools in my belly, until I remember the look in his eyes when I was just about to ask him if he remembered me from summer camp. It was a look of total non-comprehension, and my question died on my lips before it ever came out.

Still, I can't get him off my mind, and as much as it hurts, I'm looking forward to tomorrow.



"So the next property is a little closer to the stadium than what you originally said you were interested in, but it's so convenient, right next to the expressway, and you have a tremendous view of the Lake as well," the real estate agent, a stacked blond who's been flirting with Tyler since the moment she met him at the office, glows as we approach the tall white high rise. "Best of all, the rent won't break the bank, the owner only wants sixteen hundred a month."

"That's better than the last place, over by the university area," Tyler notes, looking up. "They wanted another eight hundred a month. What's the difference?"

"This building isn't as new, and it doesn't have the wrap around balcony," the agent says, "but on the other hand, you won't have as many girls interested in a place like this."

Oh my god, can it get any more ridiculous? I clear my throat, and look at the packet the agent's given to both of us, me more as an afterthought. "The rent includes utilities?"

"Except for hydro, yes. Oh, and one other difference, this unit has only one bathroom, but that shouldn't be a problem for you, right?”

"Right," Tyler muses, looking up again. "Well, let's check it out."

We take the elevator up to the tenth floor, and I'm jealous as soon as I walk in. Freshly laid parquet flooring, a nice sized real kitchen with a door and a pass through island, a dining nook that is big enough to not intrude on the living room area, and two bedrooms? I know my place isn't the worst, but this makes my place look like a craphole.

"The views are nice," Tyler says as he looks out of the balcony.

"It is," the agent says, pushing close enough to Tyler that her breasts are pushing against his arm. He notices, and while he gives her a little smile, he still steps away from her. She's not his type, I can tell that for sure. "On the other hand, the place downtown . . ."

"Was eight hundred dollars a month more," Tyler finishes. "Excuse me for a moment. April, can I talk to you in the bedroom?"

His words, even though I know they’re innocent, cause me to blush again, and the real estate agent gives me a knowing smile even as she stares daggers into my back so hard I can feel them. I follow Tyler into the bedroom though, where he closes the door. "What can I do for you, Tyler?"

"Honest opinion . . . which is better, this one or the more expensive one?"

"From a team perspective, they would like you more toward Downtown. Low crime rates, smaller space, less chance of you getting in trouble."

"But?" he says, his eyebrows quirking.

"But you took one look at the water and the parks, and you made your decision," I finish for him. "You like having that much nature visible outside your door."

Tyler gives me another look, one of the ones that I've come to understand means that he is pleasantly surprised. I want to tell him that it's not because I have magic powers but because I remember so much about him, but I just can't seem to. He obviously doesn't remember me anyway, so what's the point of looking like a schoolgirl with a crush?

"Okay," Tyler says after a moment. "So what's next?"

"Next . . . well, you need furniture for this place, and your car is just a short term rental, so we need to get you a longer term replacement. Even though the stadium is going to be just a five minute walk from here. You could walk to work most days."

Tyler thinks about it, then shakes his head. "I think I'll keep the car still. Is there any way we can get another Mustang?"

"Let's find out."

The real estate agent isn't quite as happy as she had been when Tyler says he'll take the apartment, as she's got to be losing out on a bigger bonus for it, but still, Tyler's sexiness is magnetic, and I notice that she writes another phone number on the back of her business card that she hands him after he signs the rental agreement.