just another moment of oddness? Fate laughing in his
face?
“Looks like they both chose fake names for us,” Pete
smirked. “Can’t blame them. I mean, we didn’t tell them our first names either.
So all around it makes sense.”
Pete’s voice was a distant buzz in his ear. He had to know
the truth. Taking out his cell phone, he brought up his Ariel’s phone number
and texted.
How’s it going today?
Trav
He hit send, then held his breath and watched.
Mackenzie—Ariel?—took a sip of her drink and picked up her
book. He breathed in a sigh. Apparently not. More coincidence. Was his life
full of them?
Then the object of his suspicion put down her book on the
coffee table, picked up her bag from the floor, rifled through it and pulled
out her phone. She slid it open and after a moment of staring at the screen, a
slow smile crept across her face. Her thumbs flew across the keypad and then
she shut the cell and put it on top of her book.
No fucking way was—
His phone vibrated on the table.
Trav picked up the phone and glanced at Pete. He was staring
at him with a blank expression.
“What?”
“Just wondering what you’re up to. You have that look,” Pete
said.
“What look?”
“The same look you always got right before a convoy. That
intense Don’t bug me, important shit is coming up look.”
Travis declined to comment. He took a deep breath and opened
the phone. He said a quick prayer—for what, he wasn’t sure—and opened the new
message.
Good. Having coffee with a friend and studying.
Ariel
Holy shit.
She was there. His Text Girl, fifteen feet away.
“I’ve got it!” Pete’s palms slapped down on the table.
Trav jerked back, glad he wasn’t already holding a coffee.
It’d be all over him by now. “What?”
“The Little Mermaid,” Pete said, looking smug.
Trav stared at him for a good twenty seconds. “What the fuck
are you talking about?”
“The name.” He jerked his thumb toward the couch. “Ariel. I
told you it sounded familiar. She’s the hot redheaded mermaid. Disney.”
Trav let his body fold until his forehead landed with a
thump on the table. “You’ve got to be shitting me,” he muttered into the wood.
“No, really. Her name was Ariel. I remember now.”
Trav knocked his forehead twice more against the table then
sat up straight. “No. Listen closely to me, Pete. Ariel is the Text Girl.” He
held up his cell phone as evidence. “Remember? The one you’ve been giving me
shit about?”
Pete’s face cleared and he smiled. “Right. Text Girl.
Forgot.”
“Mackenzie from last night, the brunette, apparently her
real name is Ariel. And now watch.” He typed in a text quickly. “I’m texting
Ariel, as in Text Girl.” He hit send then pointed toward the couch.
Pete turned to watch as a few seconds later, Mackenzie-Ariel
picked her phone up and opened it.
“Dude, that’s insane,” Pete stage-whispered. “Now what?”
“Now…I don’t know.”
Chapter Six
Trav didn’t have a clue how to fix it. He was worried about
the girls thinking they were creepy stalkers for just being at the same place
two days in a row. But this? How could he explain that not only did they bump
into each other by accident, but he was also the person she’d been texting for
weeks now? And that he knew, but not before they slept together?
Clusterfuck, all around. He could barely believe the
situation himself and he knew all the facts. He wouldn’t blame her one bit for
not believing him.
“All right, all right.” He gathered his thoughts, planning
even while he spoke. “In another minute or so we’ll go over and act like we
just saw them. Say nothing about the texting. I’ll figure it out.”
“Let’s go get some grub,” Pete said cheerfully, not at all
sharing the nervous gut Trav was battling. “I’m starving.”
Trav ran a hand over his hair and stood. “Now or never.” He
followed his friend to the front of the line and kept
face?
“Looks like they both chose fake names for us,” Pete
smirked. “Can’t blame them. I mean, we didn’t tell them our first names either.
So all around it makes sense.”
Pete’s voice was a distant buzz in his ear. He had to know
the truth. Taking out his cell phone, he brought up his Ariel’s phone number
and texted.
How’s it going today?
Trav
He hit send, then held his breath and watched.
Mackenzie—Ariel?—took a sip of her drink and picked up her
book. He breathed in a sigh. Apparently not. More coincidence. Was his life
full of them?
Then the object of his suspicion put down her book on the
coffee table, picked up her bag from the floor, rifled through it and pulled
out her phone. She slid it open and after a moment of staring at the screen, a
slow smile crept across her face. Her thumbs flew across the keypad and then
she shut the cell and put it on top of her book.
No fucking way was—
His phone vibrated on the table.
Trav picked up the phone and glanced at Pete. He was staring
at him with a blank expression.
“What?”
“Just wondering what you’re up to. You have that look,” Pete
said.
“What look?”
“The same look you always got right before a convoy. That
intense Don’t bug me, important shit is coming up look.”
Travis declined to comment. He took a deep breath and opened
the phone. He said a quick prayer—for what, he wasn’t sure—and opened the new
message.
Good. Having coffee with a friend and studying.
Ariel
Holy shit.
She was there. His Text Girl, fifteen feet away.
“I’ve got it!” Pete’s palms slapped down on the table.
Trav jerked back, glad he wasn’t already holding a coffee.
It’d be all over him by now. “What?”
“The Little Mermaid,” Pete said, looking smug.
Trav stared at him for a good twenty seconds. “What the fuck
are you talking about?”
“The name.” He jerked his thumb toward the couch. “Ariel. I
told you it sounded familiar. She’s the hot redheaded mermaid. Disney.”
Trav let his body fold until his forehead landed with a
thump on the table. “You’ve got to be shitting me,” he muttered into the wood.
“No, really. Her name was Ariel. I remember now.”
Trav knocked his forehead twice more against the table then
sat up straight. “No. Listen closely to me, Pete. Ariel is the Text Girl.” He
held up his cell phone as evidence. “Remember? The one you’ve been giving me
shit about?”
Pete’s face cleared and he smiled. “Right. Text Girl.
Forgot.”
“Mackenzie from last night, the brunette, apparently her
real name is Ariel. And now watch.” He typed in a text quickly. “I’m texting
Ariel, as in Text Girl.” He hit send then pointed toward the couch.
Pete turned to watch as a few seconds later, Mackenzie-Ariel
picked her phone up and opened it.
“Dude, that’s insane,” Pete stage-whispered. “Now what?”
“Now…I don’t know.”
Chapter Six
Trav didn’t have a clue how to fix it. He was worried about
the girls thinking they were creepy stalkers for just being at the same place
two days in a row. But this? How could he explain that not only did they bump
into each other by accident, but he was also the person she’d been texting for
weeks now? And that he knew, but not before they slept together?
Clusterfuck, all around. He could barely believe the
situation himself and he knew all the facts. He wouldn’t blame her one bit for
not believing him.
“All right, all right.” He gathered his thoughts, planning
even while he spoke. “In another minute or so we’ll go over and act like we
just saw them. Say nothing about the texting. I’ll figure it out.”
“Let’s go get some grub,” Pete said cheerfully, not at all
sharing the nervous gut Trav was battling. “I’m starving.”
Trav ran a hand over his hair and stood. “Now or never.” He
followed his friend to the front of the line and kept
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