Chapter 10

Authors note: If you like my story please vote and comment. It lets me know that you enjoy the direction it is going in. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Enjoy!

I woke up early on Monday, too excited to stay in bed even though I probably should have gotten more rest. Nicole was getting here today, and even though she didn't arrive for another 4 hours (four hours and 18 minutes to be exact), I was already anxious and wanted to make sure everything was ready for her stay.

 I got up and tidied my already tidy bedroom. I vacuumed, cleaned the windows, cleaned the bathroom...again, made breakfast.

"She's not going to stop being your friend if there's a speck of dust," my father teased.

I glared at him. "Eat your breakfast," I snapped.

"2 hours and 15 minutes," I said out loud. My dad finished his breakfast and put his plate in the sink.

"Oh!" I said, remembering, "I packed lunch for you and put it in the bottom tray of the fridge. I made muffins for Nicole, so I had to make space."

He took his lunch. "Oh, yum, grilled chicken and broccoli again." He said sardonically.

"Well, when you actually eat the food and bring down your cholesterol, you can request better tasting meals. You don't want another heart attack."

"Si, ya. Igualita a tu madre," he said waving me off. 

"El pez muere por la boca," I said, cleaning up the table. 

I knew that he would most likely take a bite of the food and then walk down to the local deli and buy himself a sandwich. He tried to hide it from me, but I would find the receipts in his pockets when I did the laundry.

Still, some days it was so busy at the hospital that he couldn't leave for his unhealthy meals. In this case, hunger became the best sauce, and he would have it the healthy meal I made for him. At least on those days, he would at least have a healthy lunch and dinner. It may not seem like a lot, but it added up to 2 to 3 times a week.

He pouted and put on his shoes with resignation.

I cleaned up around his bed and picked up an empty beer bottle off the floor. I held it up and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You promised," I said, putting it in the trash.

"A coworker gave it to me after work yesterday. It's just one, Cecilia."

I rolled my eyes and he ignored me. 

"Remember, I have an 18-hour shift, so I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked.

"No, sir, remember I am sleeping over at Maria's house."

"Oh, that's right, your track friend, alright, well be safe," He said, kissing the top of my head.

I rolled my eyes.

"Eat your lunch!" I yelled back, and he quickly closed the door to pretend he didn't hear me.

'An hour and forty minutes until her plane lands,' I said to myself, looking at the flight tracker on my phone. I had 30 minutes before I had to leave the house. I decided to get dressed to pass the time. I chose a mid-length skirt that had a higher waist. It hung close to my body, which would be nice in the fall weather but still was flowy enough to be comfortable. I paired it with a cropped fisherman sweater and a pair of doc martens.

We were getting into the last week of August, and the temperature had started to drop to the mid-70s. To Maria and Lana, it was still warm. To someone used to a year-round 90 degrees, like myself, it was cold weather—especially at night when it dropped to the 60s.

I texted Maria as I took the elevator to the ground floor. The plan was to pick up Nicole from the airport, then come home so she could quickly drop off her bags, and then we would take an uber to Maria's. 

Maria invited us to hang out in her indoor pool and then watch a movie. 

I ran into the airport 10 minutes before she was supposed to get off her plane and waited at arrivals.

Suddenly someone caught my eye.

Robert.

He was at the other end of the baggage claim looking for his bag on the belt.

His wavy hair looked golden brown under the harsh airport lights. He was wearing a light blue button-down with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of black jeans. I could see the muscles on his forearms when he picked up his bag. His jaw clenched from the effort. Suddenly he looked up and saw me staring.

I quickly looked down at my phone —busted.

I looked up again on the fence on whether I should say hello or not. It would be the polite thing to do. Robbie was still looking at me as he shouldered his bag but now had a funny look on his face, as if I were the strangest thing he had ever seen.

Ass. Ignore him it is.

I answered Maria's message, asking me what time she should expect me when I felt a looming presence.

I looked up to see Robbie standing next to me. Of course, he would say hi. He had probably been forced into etiquette school since before he said his first word.

"Hi, Lia"

"Hi Robert," I said, giving him a forced smile.

"You didn't see me?" he asked knowing very well I did. The airport was empty at this time. 

"No, I did."

"You weren't going to say hi?"

"You looked really busy; I didn't want to bother you."

"I looked really busy looking for my luggage?"

"It could be a difficult thing to do. Sometimes other luggage bags look like yours. Unless you did something like tie a ribbon on it or have a funky name tag. I mean, you want to make sure you don't take some other guy's underwear home," I trailed off towards the end, realizing I was babbling and cleared my throat.

"Yes, that would be awful." He stared at me as if I was speaking in tongues.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm picking up my friend from the airport, you?"

"I just got back from Bolivia," he answered.

I wanted to say 'I wish you would have stayed there,' but instead I gave him a polite nod, "that sounds nice," I said, hopefully sounding uninterested. 

He opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment I saw Nicole walking through the airport and I let out a gasp. 

"Nicky!" I yelled, using his shoulder to prop myself up higher and stand out while I waved.

Nicole looked up and smiled. She ran towards me, jumping into my arms in a huge hug. Her weight made me lose my balance, and I felt Robert's hand on my back to catch me.

"I'm here!" She squealed. "But I still need to get my bags."

I heard Robert clear his throat and his eyes flicked between me and Nicole.

"Oh, Nicky, this is Robert, Robert, this is my friend Nicole."

"Robert was my dad. Robbie's fine," he said.

He held out his hand, and she took it while giving me a look. After 12 years of friendship, we had developed a silent language through looks. Right now, she said: 'he might be an ass, but I would not kick him out of bed.'

All of a sudden, a curious look came across her face. I followed her eyes and realized she was looking at Robert's hand. Specifically, the one he used to catch me earlier. It had remained on my back and found its way down to my lower back. I could feel the heat of his large hand through the thin material of my skirt.

As I said, Nicole should work for the CIA. She NEVER missed anything.

Robert, also not lacking in perceptibility, noticed her stare, and followed her gaze. His eyes slightly widening as he realized what he had done subconsciously. He quickly took his hand away and straightened up.

He cleared his throat. "So, Nicole, this is your first time here?"

"Kind of, my cousin lives in Brooklyn, but she usually comes down. I haven't visited since I was eight."

"Oh, you're staying with them?" I could tell from his tone he was asking these questions to be polite. He could probably care less.

"No, I'm staying with Lia," she said, putting her arms around my neck and her head on my shoulder. "We are going to hang out with her friend Maria right now."

I appreciated the fact she was acting as if I had never mentioned him before. This is why Nicole was my best friend. She always knew what to say. 

"Maria is my sister, if you are going to my house, I can give you guys a ride," he offered.

"No, Robert, that's okay. We need to pass by my house and grab some things," I said picking up a back Nicole had practically kicked over. She had two other bags on her shoulders. She was here for a week, but I'm sure she brought half her closet. 

"I don't mind. I am heading over there anyway," I knew he did mind and was just being polite.

"Really, it's okay. I want Nicole to experience—" I didn't get to finish because Nicole cut me off.

"Sounds great! Thank you! Let me grab my other bag!" and ran off. Robert shrugged and slipped her bag off my shoulder. 

Great, another car ride with Robert.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

A/N

Hope you guys enjoyed it! Please leave your thoughts and comment, like, and vote if you liked it! It let me know that you like the direction it is going in. Constructive criticism is always welcome!