I'm late!
Rounding the street corner I catch sight of the restaurant where I'm sure Hailey is sat patiently waiting... because she is never late.
I, on the other hand am never on time.
Glancing at my watch I'm relieved to see that I'm only running 15 minutes late, if I arrive within the next 5 minutes I'm pretty sure she'll consider me to be on time and I might even score a couple of brownie points, I'm collecting them you see, I'm hoping that if I collect enough I might be able to convince her to get down and dirty somewhere other than in a bed... for one night only!
Deciding I have time to spare I stop as I pass by a department store and inspect my reflection.
I'm still wearing the cream chinos and short sleeved khaki shirt that I wore for work and I'm aware that I'm not looking my best...
I have had a really long day, followed by a really long detention duty, followed by a really long game of 'where are my car keys?'
As I look down at the briefcase in my hand I realise just how much I look like a science teacher.
I'm a palaeontologist, it's what I studied all those years for, imagining myself graduating and heading in to a careeras something of an Indiana Jones character having adventures, finding lost worlds and new species of dinosaurs for but looking at my reflection now, I see myself slowly turning into my high school geography teacher and it causes me to grimace, I guess it's true what they say, those that can- do those that can't- teach!
Is this all I am now?
Pulling off my glasses I decide that what I really am, is late and if I don't want to lose those brownie points I'd better move my ass.
Entering the restaurant I spot Hailey immediately. She's sat at a table for two next to the window, silently sipping on a glass of red wine.
She's wearing a pale pink sun dress, and her blond hair is in a perfectly straight bob. She's bathed in the orange light of a dying sun and when she spots me standing in the door way the smile that lights up her face causes me to glow pink with shame.
These last few days my thoughts have been everywhere except on Hailey... okay, everywhere means Taylor but looking at her now I'm ashamed of the game I've been playing.
If Hailey knew, it would hurt her, and God knows I've hurt her enough in the past.
I resolve to put all thoughts of Taylor out of my head. If she happens to call I will be polite and friendly and when I hang up I will tell Hailey exactly who I've been speaking to, because it will have been completely innocent and I wont have anything to hide
As I sit down Hailey hands me a glass of wine that she already took the liberty of ordering and informs me that she ordered me the green salad and garlic bread as a starter.
My jaw tenses and I don't know why.
When we were dating in high school it was a habit we got into...not the wine, but Hailey picking my starter because she knew that I would be late.
Why does it irritate me that she's just picking up where we left off?
"How was your day?"
She has to ask me twice before I snap out of my thoughts and I inform her it was long whilst taking a sip of the overly sweet wine.
I look around the restaurant, it's nice...comfortable, not too fancy... I think I could get away with ordering a beer with dinner but as I suggest it to Hailey she harshly informs me that this is not the place to be drinking beer- what would people think of us?
Again I survey my surroundings, it seems 'beer happy' to me but I let the idea go as I return to sipping at the thick... sweet wine...that could possibly be blood, it looks like blood. As I swirl it around my glass I decide it's thick enough to be blood if the owners are really cheap and have watered it down a bit to make it go further...
Haileys speaking to me, I'm aware of it but I'm not aware of what she's saying, my mind is filled with all the possibilities of how a glass of blood would happen to be served to me at dinner
" Travis?"
My eyes shoot up from my glass and I notice that Hailey is looking at me as though she's waiting for an answer.
Uh... what was the question?
I try to think of an answer that will cover all the questions of the world. Something that doesn't give it away immediately that I have been with her for 5 minutes and haven't heard a single thing she's said.
At a loss I give in and admit defeat
"Sorry Hailz, what were you saying?"
"How was your day, did you speak to the principal about getting some time off?"
Time off? Okay, now I'm completely lost
Flashing her my most innocent smile I ask her what she's talking about and the look of disappointment on her face only increases my sense of shame
"Travis, we talked about it last night, I have an audition in L.A next month, I asked if you could get some time off work to come with me, you know, a couple of days away, just the two of us"
Blurry memories and half sentences come back to me, how come I didn't remember that conversation before now?
Two words... Taylor Swift.
It'd been just after I got off the phone with Taylor. I'd gone down into my living room where Hailey had presented me with her idea, unfortunately I had been too busy fantasizing about a luscious blond in a white bikini to hear much of what she was saying
I'm a complete jerk...
Hailey and I have only been back together for a little while and I'm already taking her for granted
Looking into her pale blue eyes I notice the look of concern for the first time
"Travis, are you ok?"
Running a hand through my hair I inform her that I'm fine
"I know this has all happened so fast, us getting back together. Are you feeling a little overwhelmed?"
She reaches out and touches my hand and all I can do is shake my head, but inside I wonder if that's the truth, I mean she's right, everything has happened so fast.
One minute I'm yelling at Taylor, then I'm hugging her and telling her I forgive her, then Hailey and I are doing shots at The Dog And Parrot and talking about old times, then 're-enacting' old times.
Am I overwhelmed?
Looking into Haileys eyes which are shadowed by concern and hope and that eternal optimism that I've always liked about her I decide tough luck if I am and then I jump head long into things
"Sure I'll come to L.A with you, it'll be fun"
She squeezes my hand and a smiles lights up her entire face
I find it sort of strange that I feel no urge to smile back, only the urge to finish this glass of wine and then get right on to the next one
