The Author and Her Bodyguard

Chapter 40

"You are going to eat me out of house and home!" Tate exclaimed as I loudly slurped the last of my VERY large mocha frappuccino while batting my eyelashes at him in mock innocence. I skipped ahead of Tate and turned to smile at him over my shoulder as we left the InternationalSisterStudio.

It had been a long week of watching hundreds of actors and actresses audition for the smaller roles of the Seapunk Princess movie and I had never grown to hate the lines I wrote so much in my life. 

Wiping the whipped cream from my face I sighed in satisfaction, watching Tate bristle. "Well, make sure you don't trick me into going to an awkward family dinner where I play a game of twenty questions about my love life next time."

I tossed the empty cup into the recycling bin and shot Tate a mischievous grin. "So if I want an extra pump of chocolate in my coffee, I'm gonna get an extra pump of chocolate in my coffee."

Tate threw his hands up in the air. "You are taking advantage of our deal!"

"You are the one that agreed to buy my coffee for a month. Make it clear in your agreement next time if you are going to be stingy," I countered as we made our way to Tate's car.

"Psh. You are one to talk. You were the one tricked into signing a dating clause," Tate muttered looking glum.

I smiled, looking up at the evening sky, watching the horizon turn bright orange. "Fair." 

Our shadows grew long behind us as the sun continued its descent, sending bleeding brushstrokes of darkness across the pavement behind us.

Tate groaned, staring down at his flip phone. "This thing is always dying. I should probably get a new one."

I snorted. "Dude, yes. It's like fifteen years old."

We climbed into the car and Tate set his phone up to charge before reversing out of our reserved spot and out of the parking lot. The radio played Kings & Queens by Ava Max as we drove, setting a techno rhythm to our drive.

"Iz likes you by the way."

I smiled. "Iz is great. She sent me an email with like forty book questions. I may need to write a short side story to answer them all."

Tate tapped the wheel to the music as the chorus came on, muttering some of the words and epically failing to get them right.

"If all of the kings had their beans to go

We would pop the change and raise a bowl!"

I snorted but didn't bother correcting him. This was his usual response to every song. I would love and hate to do karaoke with him. 

"Iz would flip!" Tate said once the chorus was done. "Like start screaming and we'd have to all buy earplugs type flip."

I leaned my head back against the seat, smiling at the image. "I know."

Suddenly, Tate's phone, now partly charged, started to ring. He hit the speakerphone button without glancing at the screen.

"Tate here, what up?" he shouted as he turned down the music.

"TATE?!? Why haven't you been picking up!" I recognized the panicked voice instantly, my heart stuttering in response to hearing him for the first time in weeks. It left a strange ache in my chest.

Tate snorted. "Woah, dude. Relax. My phone was dead. Just had a chance to charge—"

"Are you okay? Is Summers okay?" He continued, his voice chorded in concern, which was unlike the boy I had grown to know.