Hello! I'm not sure what else to say but I have another chapter of Coffee Beans... but you guys already knew that, so I'm going to let y'all read.
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO
After a long day at work, Katie trudged over to her apartment complex. Her neck was wrapped up in a wool scarf Kayla, her friend from Indiana, made her. Katie's brown hair was dotted with snowflakes, masking the actually flour in her hair. It was the first day of December, so Juniper called most of the employees in early to discuss what to do for the Christmas season. While Juniper was talking to the older employees, like Thalia, about new drinks and pastries to add to the menu, newer employees, like Katie, were put on decorating duty. Even though Katie had been working at Juniper's for three weeks, she was still considered a new employee. They had to take down the autumn decorations and replace them with tinsel and snowflakes hanging from the ceiling. They also had to wash the chalkboard by the door and add new "winter" themed drawings. The new employees also had to decorate the walls with stockings and replace most of the mugs with Christmas and holiday themed ones. Basically, the newbies had to do all of the hard work while the older employees argued on whether to put peppermint in the Frappuccino's or have it be optional.
After the new employees were done decorating the shop, most of them went home to grab a few more hours of snooze time. Katie, however, had to stay and serve cranky customers at rush hour, all while keeping a smile on her face. She needed the tips, after all. While Juniper didn't usually put Katie on register duty, because of how vicious some customers got in the morning, today was an exception. Juniper and Thalia were still trying to sort out the details of some event they were doing in the coffee shop, Katie had to work the register, get the pastries cooking, and serve and make the drinks.
During her time at the register, the people weren't as rude as she thought they would be. Especially this one blonde guy that waited to order for ten minutes, while Katie was handing out the drinks to other waiting customers.
"I'm am so sorry," Katie apologized, sliding over to the register, "What would you like to order?"
"I'll just have a lemon tea, just to keep it easy for you," the guy said. Katie tapped in his order and looked up to thank him. The boy had honey blonde hair and light blue eyes. He looked about her age, if not a few years older. His skin was tan, which was strange since it was the wintertime. He smiled at her and Katie got a glimpse of his pearly, white teeth.
"You can order more, if you'd like. I'm going to be in a frenzy whether you take it easy on me, or not," Katie said. The guy raised a blonde eyebrow.
"Are you trying to get me to pay more?" he asked.
"Oh gosh! No! I am so sorry," Katie said, panicking. This has got to be some sort of infringement in employee rules, Katie thought. And if not, this has got to be some infringement on etiquette rules! I will be right back with your lemon tea. Please excuse-" The guy raised a hand, stopping her. And now I seem pushy, Katie thought.
"I'm kidding," he said, shooting a smile, "But it's fine. I have to go record soon and a lemon tea is all I need." Katie walked over to the hot water kettle and grabbed a green mug. Pouring the water in the mug, Katie looked behind her shoulder. They blonde haired guy was still there. Katie wondered why he wasn't taking a seat. Usually, Katie would take a few orders and then hand them to the waiting customers. Shrugging, Katie went back to making his tea.
"What are you recording? Are you a singer?" She asked, making conversation.
"Singing, guitar, and piano. Just basic things," the boy said nonchalantly.
"Right," Katie said, nodding. She took a lemon slice and plopped it inside the mug. I can't do any of those things. "My friend, she records her own songs, too."
"Really?" the guy asked, "What's her name? Would I know her?" Katie smiled and grabbed a tea bag, placing it inside the mug.
"No, I don't think so. She's from Indiana. I'm pretty much the only person that has heard her music," Katie said, grabbing a coaster and walking back to the register. She handed the guy his tea and waited for him to leave or take a seat. Instead, he stayed there, staring at her expectantly.
"Am I getting this tea for free? Or…" he asked, holding a five dollar bill.
"Oh, right!" Katie said, smacking her forehead. So that was why he stayed to talk with me! Katie thought. "I'm new at the register, and as you can tell, I'm not that good at it." Katie laughed awkwardly as she took his money and gave him the change. The guy took the extra money and placed it all in the tip jar.
"You're doing fine," he reassured her, "It was nice talking to you." Katie didn't say anything for she was serving another customer. After fifteen more minutes alternating between the back kitchen and the front room, Juniper hopped in at Katie's aid. She and Thalia spent a lot of time discussing… who know what, so Katie had already worked a few hours past when she was supposed to clock out.
Anyways, it was a hard day at work. All she wanted to do was eat some cereal and maybe invite Travis over to watch a movie. Just as Katie stepped into her apartment building, Katie saw Connor at his mailbox. Looking down, Katie saw her green Juniper apron and realized that she forgot to take it off. Bolting out of the room and into the snow, Katie ripped off the apron and shoved it deep into her bag. Out of sight from Connor, Katie composed herself and tried to calm her heart from the mini heart attack she just had. Stepping back onto the concrete and shaking the snow off of her boots, Katie tried to look as casual as possible as she tightly gripped her bag and prayed that Connor didn't see Katie in her Juniper's Tea and Coffee Shop apron. When she stepped inside, Connor side eyed her and furrowed his eyebrows.
"Katie, did you just run outside?" he asked. Katie walked up beside him and unlocked her mailbox.
"Uh, nope. Not me. I just got here," Katie said. She grabbed her mail and closed the mailbox. As she looked over Connor's shoulder, his hands were on his mail, but they were just flipping through them. In fact, Connor wasn't even looking at his mail. He was shifting his gaze from the door and the stairs. "Waiting for someone?" Katie asked, looking at the empty staircase. Connor glanced their surroundings then cleared his throat.
"I'm on a stake-out," Connor said. Katie raised an eyebrow.
"People actually do those?" Katie asked sarcastically. "Where's your newspaper and sunglasses?" Connor rolled his eyes and pouted.
"Please, Katie. Do you know how obvious a guy reading a newspaper and wearing sunglasses would be?" Connor asked.
"Well, it's also kind of obvious since you've been standing in front of your mailbox for three hours," Katie added.
"We've only been doing this for two hours. Travis and I plan to switch every hour and a half. That way, people won't get suspicious."
"But you and your brother look like the same person," Katie said. Connor furrowed his brows in thought.
"Ooooh," he finally said. Katie leaned up against the mailboxes and crossed her arms.
"And why are you even on a stake-out in the first place?" Katie asked. Connor leaned in towards her.
"So, The Flying Shoes just got news of a new employee at Juniper's Tea and Coffee Shop. You've probably never heard of that place. It's unpopular and it sucks," Connor said, adding in his totally unbiased opinion, "We don't get along, it's a long story… anyways, we heard that there's this new employee and that she lives in our apartment building!" Connor waited for some sort of reaction out of Katie. Feigning surprise, Katie threw her arms up.
"Wow. Small world!" Katie said, currently panicking inside. Katie wondered as to how they got that sort of information. Katie remembered her and Grover's conversation from weeks ago, talking about how the Stolls absolutely resented Juniper's and anything related to them. Katie felt the color slowly leave her face. Gripping her bag tight, Katie felt the need to write in her notebook. Whenever Katie was feeling distressed or in despair, she just broke out her leather-bound book and wrote a paragraph or two. Katie felt as if she was transferring her emotions from in her head and onto the paper.
"I know! Anyways, we've been trying to catch her in the act. Scare the competition, try to get her fired… or quit. You know, harmless things like that!" Connor said.
Katie's face paled even more. She tried to imagine what would happen if Connor did catch Katie walking inside with her apron. He'd probably be shocked at first, and then she would deny it. But no lie could cover up the blaringly obvious fact that she worked for their hated enemy. Connor would definitely tell Travis, and Travis… Well, he would tell everyone else. Katie wanted to believe that Travis was better than that, but now that she got to know him better, she was positive that Travis wouldn't forgive anyone that was associated with Juniper's.
"You people are vicious," Katie said, shaking her head. I can't believe they were trying to do that to me, Katie thought, good thing I didn't walk in with my apron!
"Hey," Connor said, pointing a finger at her, "I resent that. Besides, you wouldn't believe some of the stuff they've done to us." Katie placed her hand on her hips, interested.
"And what has… Juniper's? Is that what they're called? What have they done to you?" Katie asked casually.
"Hey, bro! I got bored upstairs so I figured I might join you here!" Travis said, hopping down the stairs, skipping three steps at a time. "Oh, hey Katie!" Travis said excitedly. He was so full of light and energy. His curls practically bounced on their own.
"Hi… Travis," Katie said, slightly disappointed that Connor was interrupted.
"What's wrong?" Travis asked, stopping beside her, "You look tired." Katie looked up to see Travis' concerned face staring down at her.
"Yeah, I had a long day at work," Katie said.
"Ah," Travis said, "Writing all day does seem tiring." Katie nodded, playing along. She eyed him carefully, not sure if he was being sarcastic. He turned away from her and Connor handed Travis their mail. Katie let her suspiciousness dissipate. Travis wouldn't know about her job. How could he? Besides, Katie lied to Travis about her job:
"Look… Katie?" Travis asked, trying to meet Katie's eyes. They were in the in the dark, sitting on Travis and Connor's sofa watching one of The Matrix movies. Katie sat curled up in a ball, staring deeply at the TV screen. Travis was sitting lazily next to her, with his arms spread out on the back of the couch. "Katie?" Travis asked again.
"I'm trying to watch a movie, Travis. And if I remember correctly, tonight was your night to choose the movie," Katie whispered, not taking her eyes off of the screen.
"I know… but this can't wait," Travis said. Katie sighed and turned to look at him.
"What is it, Travis?" Katie asked. An intense fight scene was still playing in the background. Travis looked down at his lap.
"I'm… sorry for being such a jerk. You know, when you first moved here. I may've been cranky or whatever, but that was no excuse. I'm also sorry for not being conscious about your feelings when I told you that you couldn't work at the Flying Shoes," Travis said, "Actually, I did know… I just didn't care… about your feelings, I mean. But I do now!" Katie stared into his blue eyes for a few moments, processing what he just said. Travis stared back at her, waiting for a reaction.
"Was that really that important?" Katie asked, turning back to the TV screen. Travis gaped at her, astonished. He expected her to forgive him or add something to his apology. He didn't expect her to not acknowledge it at all. Travis just laughed it off and turned to the TV. The truth was, Katie panicked. After Travis finished his apology, Katie started to feel something bubbling inside her chest. It made her want to scream and laugh at the same time, and she wasn't sure why.
"It is important. To me. I needed to apologize. We're friends now, and even though I know that you don't hate me- not anymore, at least- I just needed to get that off my chest," Travis said. Ooh, the bubbly feeling was back. Katie sighed deeply and unconsciously leaned in towards Travis. She breathed in his coffee bean scent and closed her eyes, giving up on the movie entirely. "So," Travis said, "Where do you work now, since you couldn't get the Flying Shoes job?"
Katie's eyes flew open. Oh geez, um… "I don't have… a job," Travis looked at her curiously, "Yeah, I'm not going to work. I'm just going to focus on my writing. I'm currently working on an article for Olympus Magazine. You know, to show my writing skill."
"Yeah!" Katie said, being pulled back into reality. Eager to change the subject, she grabbed Travis' arm and pulled him towards the staircase, "Let's go upstairs. I am starving. Do you think we can meet Silena for dinner?" Katie held onto Travis' arm as they bounded up the stairs to their apartments.
Katie could feel her secret being revealed. For the past few weeks, she thought she was off the hook, and that she could manage a year in working at Juniper's without getting revealed. In one single moment, Katie found out that the Flying Shoes knew about a new employee (her). Katie's security crumbled.
"Uh, I'm not sure. Ow!" Travis cried as he tripped on a step, "Slow down, will you?" Katie unlocked her apartment and pulled him inside, sitting Travis on the couch.
"Call Silena. I need to um, use the bathroom," Katie said, shoving the phone in his hands. Travis watched her curiously as she disappeared into the hall. He then shrugged and punched in Silena's number, dismissing Katie's weirdness.
Katie slammed and locked the door. Taking a deep breath, Katie muttered reassuring words to herself. You can do this. You can do this. This is ridiculous. Breathe in. Out. Katie then remembered that she had her journal with her. Taking out the leather book and a pen, Katie flipped to a new blank page and started writing about how terrified she was of losing her… friends. As she wrote, Katie started to feel more confident. They wouldn't fine out. She had Grover on her side, and together, they wouldn't even give the Stolls the chance to figure out their secret. Slamming her book shut, Katie tucked it back inside her bag, purposely having it cover her green apron.
"Katie?" Travis said, knocking twice on the door, "Silena said to meet us at the Flying Shoes. She was talking about some sort of restaurant she wanted to show us." Katie flung open the door and smiled cheekily at Travis.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go," She said, fishing out her apartment keys and dropping her bag on the kitchen floor. Grabbing a pair of mittens from the coat rack, Katie and Travis left her apartment.
"Do you want to go inside?" Travis asked, "I'm freezing out here." He wrapped his arms around his body and flipped the hood of his hoodie up. Katie watched him in her winter coat, boots, itchy-wool scarf, white hat, pink earmuffs, and pink and white mittens.
"I told you that you should've gotten a heavier coat," Katie said, shaking her head. Travis' nose scrunched and he made a face.
"I told you that you should've gotten a heavier coat," Travis muttered, mimicking her know-it-all tone. Rolling her eyes, Katie hit Travis' chest for his immaturity. Travis scoffed and crossed his arms, walking inside the coffee shop, abandoning Katie in the snow. She huffed indignantly and followed him inside. Katie and Travis may be friends, but that doesn't mean they get along half of the time… er, most of the time.
Katie plopped down on the couch across from Travis and scowled when she saw his feet on the table. "It's your shop. You know that you're the one that going to have to clean that up," Katie said, nodding towards his dirty sneakers on the tabletop. Travis inhaled and slowly dropped his feet onto the ground. Katie smirked at her small victory and stared out the glass door, waiting for Silena and Clarisse to arrive.
"So, where do you think Silena's going to take us?" Katie asked.
"Dunno," Travis replyed, making it a point to look away from her. Katie rolled her eyes.
"Do you think we're going to Juniper's Tea and Coffee Shop? I heard they make great sandwiches and blueberry scones," Katie said innocently. Travis' eyes flew to Katie's as soon as she mentioned Juniper's. He hopped over the coffee table in a single bound and violently sat down next to her.
"No, Silena would never take us to Juniper's," he said, saying the word "Juniper" like one would say "nose picking". "Silena would go to that abomination, ever. Plus, those nature freaks don't know anything about pastries. I bet they wouldn't know the difference between a macaroon and a macaron." Travis said, raising an eyebrow. Katie rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"Please. Even the students in the Level 1 Baking Class knew what the difference between a macaroon and a macaron was," Katie said.
"You took a baking class?" Travis asked, propping his arm up so he could turn and face her.
"Huh?" Katie asked. She then re-run her previous sentence in her head, the words sinking into her brain. "Uh, yeah. In high school. It didn't quite work out. I don't want to talk about it," Katie said, covering her face with her hands melodramatically. Her shoulders shook with fake sobs. Ugh, Katie you are such a bad liar! She chided herself. She felt Travis awkwardly pat her shoulder. When Katie lifted her head from her hands, she looked up to find Clarisse staring down at her.
"Wow, Stoll. Made a girl cry, and it's not even 2 PM," she said. Katie stood up from the couch and Travis followed her lead. "Well, Chris is waiting outside. We'd better not leave him out there for long, or else there might be one more elderly lady with one less wallet." Katie stared at her, alarmed. Clarisse was staring at the door with a hint of pride on her face. Unsure if Clarisse was telling the truth, Katie turned to Travis, to see his reaction. Travis didn't look surprised, but instead he was looking suspiciously at her. Katie gave him a hasty smile and headed for the door.
Chris indeed was outside, waiting in the snow. His hands were in his pockets and there was no hysterical old lady nearby, so Katie could only assume that Clarisse was joking. "Got any word from Silena yet?" he asked, turning towards the rest of the group. As if on cue, Clarisse's phone buzzed with a text message. She took it out and read off the text.
"I'm here already. Laugh out loud. Meet me at 2763 North Street. I'll be sitting at a table, so just ask for Silena, laugh out loud. Who laughs out loud two times?" Clarisse asked, reading Silena's text quite literally and unenthusiastically.
"Whatever, let's just go," Katie said. She then heard a groan beside her.
"Do you know how far North Street is?" he complained. Katie huffed and ripped off her mittens.
Placing her pink and white mittens on Travis' cold hands, Katie said, "Here. Now, hush up."
Clarisse snickered the entire way and Travis tried to hide his hands in his pockets. Hey, Katie thought, My hands are freezing because of you! The least you could do is appreciate the mittens, bub.
As they walked to the address Silena texted them, the group passed by the Olympus Magazine skyscraper. Katie sighed dreamily at the building, imagining the thirteen floors Zoë described. Katie half-hoped that Zeus would walk out the building and they would run into each other again. She also hoped that when he saw her, he would give her the job on the spot, but hey, that wasn't going to happen.
A few paces past the Olympus Magazine building, the group passed another towering skyscraper, one about as tall as Olympus Magazine. Katie scanned the black-glass building and her eyes locked onto the glass double doors. On the door, there was a big, golden T. A chill ran down Katie's spine. The Titan. That building belonged to The Titan, the rival magazine to Olympus M.
The Titan's CEO is a man named Titan Kronos the second. Yeah, Titan is his name. The Titan was founded by Kronos II's father, Titan Kronos the first. He tended to go by his middle name, Uranus. There were terrifying stories about the things the two magazines have done to each other. There was once a scandal about The Titan stealing an entire magazine concept from Olympus M. There was another where Olympus M managed to hire one of Titan's own to their side. The former Titan now has her own section on Olympus M about beauty and love. Her name is Mrs. Aphrodite.
Anyways, the two are enemies, both trying to claw their way to the top. Currently, Olympus M is in the lead. However, the two magazines will not stop unless one disappears from the face of the Earth.
Just then, the black double doors swung open and a young lady clothed in silver walked out. She looked awfully upset and she stomped over to a sleek, black car parked at the curb. Katie squinted her eyes, sure that she'd seen the girl somewhere before.
"Zoë?" Katie whispered. What was Zoë doing at The Titan? Katie asked herself, Doesn't she work at Olympus Magazine? Katie watched as Zoë got in her car and drove it around the corner and out of sight.
"Welcome to The Golden Apple," a waiter with graying hair and a tuxedo said.
"We're looking for Silena Beauregard," Katie said to the waiter. Without a word, their waiter took them to an empty table in the back of the room.
"This must be a mistake," Travis said, "Our friend said she would be here."
"You're here for Silena Beauregard, right? She reserved this table and said it was for her four friends," the waiter explained as he set down the silverware and their menus. After he walked away, the four people looked at each other curiously.
"Did Silena set us up?" Chris asked.
"Oh yeah," Clarisse said, falling on her chair. "Well, Chris, it looks like we're on a date," Clarisse announced. Chris shrugged and sat in the seat next to hers. Katie side glanced at Travis. So, that meant that her and Travis were on a date. Travis pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit down.
"Oh, what a gentleman," Katie said, sitting down, "I'm swooning." She dramatically cupped her head in her hands and batted her eyelashes at Travis. He laughed and sat down beside her.
"Is it just me, or are we… underdressed?" Travis whispered in Katie's ear. Katie scanned their surroundings and found that he was correct.
The restaurant was extremely fancy. There had to be at least three grand chandeliers on their floor. Their cloth napkins were folded into swans and their tablecloths were lace. The people in the restaurant seemed so posh, and a bit intimidating. The restaurant looked like a place where the rich and famous met for an annual "my horse is better than yours" get together.
"Do you understand this?" Travis asked, motioning towards the menu. Katie opened hers up and found all of the food choices were in French, German, or some kind of fancy English that was past Katie's vocabulary. Katie shook her head.
"I feel like we should leave, but Silena went through all the trouble of setting us up," Katie said. Travis nodded, still trying to decipher the menu. "Poor girl. Too bad this is a lost cause," Katie added, casually flipping through the pages. Travis looked up and gave Katie a peculiar look. It was a mix between hurt and… relief?
"Yeah, I mean, look at Clarisse and Chris," Travis said, motioning towards the couple across from them. Clarisse was picking the invisible food from between her teeth using a knife and Chris was sitting there with his arms crossed, sending quick glances at Clarisse. She did the same, and whenever their eyes met, Chris would make a face, crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue. Clarisse would try to act tough, but the corners of her lips would curl up without her consent. Clarisse and Chris sure didn't seem like a lost cause.
Katie turned to look at Travis. If Silena thought that her and Travis had the same amount of chemistry as Chris and Clarisse… no. Katie shook her head at the thought. However, the unfinished sentence haunted the back of her brain. Maybe Travis and I aren't a lost cause.
When their waiter came back, Katie and Travis already decided that they would close their eyes and point to something on the menu. If they didn't like what they got, they promised each other that they could eat off of the other person's plate.
"Excuse me," Travis called out, right before the waiter walked away, "Is this meal paid for?"
"Yes, sir," the man said. Travis clapped his hands together and smiled.
"Great! I'll have a Merlot for me and the lady," Travis said, pointing a thumb at Katie.
"Merlot. A fine choice of wine," the waiter simply said, then walked away.
Katie sighed and sat back in her intricately cushioned chair. The restaurant was awfully quiet. The only noticeable sounds were the snorts made by Clarisse when she couldn't hold back her laughter. The rest of the people inside were speaking in hushed whispers, glancing at their table every so often. Suddenly, there was a giant whoop from the left corner of the room.
"Here's your Merlot," the waiter said, bringing their wine in an ice bucket. After the waiter left, Clarisse reached over the table and grabbed the wine bottle from the neck.
"Wow, Travis! Fancy," Clarisse said. Opening the top off, Clarisse poured too much wine into each of their cups.
"To the first date," Chris said, raising his glass in the air, spilling a bit of his wine on the tablecloth.
"The first date!" Clarisse, Katie, and Travis echoed. Bringing the drink up to her lips, Katie smelled the tanginess of the wine. Closing her eyes, she took a big sip and sighed.
Another whoop rang through the restaurant. Opening her eyes, Katie craned her neck to see what was going on. Unable to see anything peculiar, Katie stood up from her seat.
"I'm going to use the restroom," Katie announced.
"Don't even think of me joining you," Clarisse muttered, taking another gulp of the wine.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Katie said, rolling her eyes.
Walking to the left corner of the room, Katie weaved passed nicely dressed people tittering about their jobs and how successful they were. When she reached the restrooms, Katie ducked behind the divider, separating the bathrooms with the restaurant, and peeked at the source of the excited cheers.
Two familiar faces popped into Katie's view. One of them was definitely Luke. Katie could see his blonde hair catching the light from the chandeliers. He was laughing alongside another girl. At first, Katie had no idea who this girl was. She was wearing a leather jacket and combat boots. Her hair was black with strands of blue hair.
"Thalia?" Katie whispered. She stuck out like a sore thumb. Luke was wearing a tuxedo, like most of the people in The Golden Apple. His hair was slicked back, and even though it was faint, there was a nude bandage on his cheek.
How did Thalia get in a fancy restaurant like this? She asked herself. She walked over to their table and tapped Thalia on the shoulder.
"Hey," Katie said, "What are you doing here?" Thalia jumped out of her seat and took a big sip from her wineglass. She blinked rapidly and gripped the back of her chair.
"Katie! Luke got a job promotion!" Thalia said, and then gave another excited yell. Luke lifted his glass, humoring her, and together they took a big sip. "Ahh." She shook her head violently and her newly dyed hair shook, falling in front of her face. Shoot, Katie thought, What is Luke's job, again? From the three weeks she's known Luke, Katie never bothered to ask him where he worked.
"So, how long have you been here?" Katie asked, helping Thalia back in her chair. She tried extremely hard not to laugh at her friend's expense. Luke looked at his watch. Katie peeked over his shoulder and her eyes popped upon seeing his watch. Where did Luke get that kind of money? She asked herself.
"Three hours." Luke's voice was groggy and he had a hand on his non-bandaged cheek. Katie was a bit hesitant to ask Luke about his injury. Luke slowly looked up at her and caught her looking at his cheek. His face immediately darkened and he looked away from Katie. When he turned to Thalia, his expression relaxed back to normal, but the grip on his wineglass was so tight, Katie was afraid he was going to shatter it.
What was that? Katie asked. I've never seen Luke so… angry. When Luke caught Katie looking at his cheek, his eyes narrowed, his nose crinkled, and he almost glared at her. Thalia didn't notice, but Katie was starting to feel a bit apprehensive. Nevertheless, seeing Luke's expression made Katie even more curious as to what happened to him.
"Let's go," Thalia said before Katie got a chance to get the question out. Luke set down his wineglass and helped Thalia up from her chair.
"See you later, Katie," he said, giving her a seemingly normal smile. Katie forced a smile back, but Luke had turned away and they walked out of the restaurant.
Walking back to her table, Katie shook her head, shaking the image of Luke's face out of her head. She didn't want to think of that right now. And besides, she was on her "first date" with Travis. Their food had arrived and Chris and Clarisse were close to finishing theirs.
"Not hungry?" Katie asked, as she sat beside Travis. The plate in front of him was untouched, like hers.
"I was waiting for you," Travis said. Katie smiled and that caused Travis to return it. Across the table, Clarisse rolled her eyes at them. Chris looked awfully amused at her expression.
"Well, let's eat," Katie said, taking a bite of her- something green and mushy.
"How well do you think it went?" Travis asked. Katie glanced at him.
"What went?" she asked.
"Our date." The two walked inside their apartment building and started walking up the stairs. Katie thought for a moment, teasing him.
"I'd say it was pleasant," Katie said, unwrapping her wool scarf from around her neck.
"Pleasant?" Travis asked, clearly not satisfied with that adjective. "Was it not magical, life-changing, or exciting?"
"Well, maybe not life-changing, but it was a nice experience," Katie said. Travis put a hand to his chest.
"You pain me, Katie." She snickered at his expression and he smirked. "So… who were you talking to, back at the restaurant?" Travis said, quickly changing the subject. Katie stumbled slightly, but Travis got a hold of her arm.
"I see her sometimes when I'm writing. You know, when I'm in the park," Katie said.
"Isn't it cold?" Travis asked. Katie bit her lip and fished her brain for an answer.
"Yeah, but you know us writers. We have to get our inspiration somehow," Katie said, nudging his arm.
"Crazy," Travis muttered under his breath. Katie's jaw dropped and she elbowed him.
"This is coming from the guy who climbed out his four storey window to break into my apartment," Katie reminded him.
"Well, I'm dangerous like that," he said, growling in her ear. Katie shoved him away and stopped at her apartment door. She took the keys from her pocket and unlocked the door. Turning around to say goodnight to Travis, she realized that he stopped with her.
"Can I help you?" she asked. He didn't say anything for a while.
"Do you think the date went well enough to get a goodnight kiss?" he asked, moving in towards her. Katie smirked and put a hand on his cheek.
"I think so," she said, starting to lean in. "Too bad I don't kiss on the first date." Stepping inside her apartment, Katie waved to Travis and shut the door. After taking off her winter wear, there was a knock on her apartment door. Katie didn't need to open the door to know who it was.
"Go to sleep, Travis," Katie called out. She could hear his laugh through the door. Katie let out a smile herself. She felt a buzz in her body, unsure if it was because of the wine or something else.
Yeah. That's it. Probably not my best one... but hey! I introduced The Titan! That's going to be important. Also, what's going on with Luke? Remember that I love your reviews!
~ xhiddendreamx