Breathe Me

Chapter-11

Chapter Eleven

Catherine

STIRRING THE ICED tea, I watched the throngs of people pass by. Sitting outside in hundred-degree weather was a favorite thing of mine. It helped that there were misters running; otherwise I'd have had to move inside the coffee shop so I wouldn't pass out from heat stroke.

I was on the patio of one of Sam's coffee shops. I'd been able to leave work early, something about there not being enough for me to do, so I'd gotten flexed out and needed a pick-me-up. Feeling tired but still not wanting to go home, I watched the street vendors, tourists and families hurry by, doing their best to avoid the searing sun. A lot of them were reddened, flushed from the warmth and sweating under their crisp white "Vegas" T-shirts and straw hats. Some were really burnt lobster red after spending a long day at the hotel pool. The sun was intense in Vegas, more so than any other place I'd ever been. Sunscreen was an absolute must, but most of these strangers didn't know that and were now suffering the consequences.

Why was I there? Samuel hadn't yet invited me there, and he wasn't working that day-to my utter disappointment-so why was I there? Maybe he just wasn't working at this one, I wasn't sure. I didn't know why I was there and couldn't quite put my finger on it. Maybe, in some small way, I wanted to see him. I probably should've just caved in and called him. After the long day of listening to complaints from patients about not getting what they needed now that they were home, I was mentally drained and needed a distraction. He was a mighty fine one for that, and I couldn't stop thinking about making love to him or clinging to him in the pool.

So there I was, sitting by myself, listening to music on my IPhone and people watching. It was the weirdest form of therapy, but it was already helping numb up my head. The cool mist landed on my face, immediately evaporating before it could soak in. I tapped on the table, worrying about life and things the way they were. Why didn't I just call Joss and give her an earful? But that wasn't what I needed. I didn't know what I needed, and that was the most frustrating thing ever. Why didn't I know? I was almost twenty-five, I should've known by now. I had a college degree, my own place, a good job. What more?I sipped the cold beverage; it felt like a blizzard running down my throat, somewhat relieving the unrelenting heat rising from the asphalt after a day spent absorbing the sun's warmth. It would remain this way all night long until morning. Only then would the sidewalks be cooled enough to sit on once more.

"Cathy?" Sam's voice echoed past the soft music in my ears. I pulled out my earphones and followed it, finding him looking curiously at me. "Wow, I didn't know you'd be here. Why didn't you text me? I could've met up with you."

"I, um... I didn't know I'd be coming here. I just dropped by after work." I cleared my throat, straightening in my chair. Oh yay!, Caught red-handed. "What are you doing here?"

"This is my coffee shop, remember? The Cup O' Dream Coffee Shoppe? I own it."

I turned to read the sign, acting unconvincingly like I hadn't remembered. "Really? Oh... I guess I forgot." Yep, totally busted. I sucked in a breath and threw him a goofy smile. Maybe I could throw him off my trail if I just acted oblivious. He looked doubtful but went ahead and pulled out the chair across from me, plopping down, looking even more tired.

"There's some problem with one of the machines. Guess it's not heating up the water hot enough or something crazy like that. I'm supposed to meet the technician any minute now." Tilting his head, he studied me, his looks darkening as he followed my gaze toward the crowd. "It's nice, isn't it?""What?""People watching. I sit here a lot just watching them walk by. It's hypnotizing, like you could sit here forever and no one would know anything about you. An anonymous watcher, like a statue or gargoyle."