During the duration of the meeting, I tried my best to pay attention but was finding it very hard to focus. My mind kept wandering to Fallon and what she might be doing right now. She's probably sitting in her apartment binge-watching some shows she hasn't seen in a while. I smirk at the memory of her watching, The Walking Dead when we first talked on the phone.
"I will get back to you within a month," Mr. Tyler's voice pulls me from my thoughts. "I'll let you know my decision then."
"Sounds good," my father says.
We all stand and shake hands before they leave the room. "That went better than I expected," my father says, buttoning his jacket. "I think this calls for a celebration!?"
I pull my phone from my pocket and check my messages. A frown makes its way to my face when I don't see anything from Fallon.
"Why the long face," Nick says, nudging my shoulder with his.
I sigh and place my phone back in my pocket. "I haven't heard from her in a while, that's all."
"She knows you are busy. She probably didn't want to disturb you."
He has a point. Fallon is thoughtful like that. I nod and down the rest of my wine. A waitress comes around, fills up our glasses again, and slips her number under my glass. I roll my eyes and crinkle up the napkin, tossing it on my empty plate. I'm not trying to be rude, but I'm not interested.
My eyes land on my mother who has a wicked smirk plastered on her face. "What's the matter," she says. Her smile getting bigger. "I thought waitresses were your type."
"Clare," my father warns.
"What?" She says innocently. "I was just pointing out that she's a waitress too..." she trails off...
I clench my jaw, preventing myself from screaming at her. I'm growing tired of her childishness.
"Clare," my father intervenes. "Now is not the time to start your foolishness."
"Foolishness?" She chuckles darkly. "I'm not the one being foolish here. I'm simply trying to get it through his thick head that, that girl is no good for him."
I hate how she calls her girl. She has a name and she will learn to call her by it.
"And how would you know, Clare?" My father asks. His voice is cold and serious. "You never gave the girl a chance."
"I don't need to give her a chance," she grits. "I can smell her kind of a mile away."
"What exactly is her kind, mother?" This time it was Nick who spoke up. I'm shocked. He never back-talks her.
"I'm not doing this here," she says and stands from her seat. "Let's go, Travis."
My father downs the rest of his drink and stands. If I had to leave with her, I would drink the whole fucking bottle. "I'll see you boys at home," he tells us before escorting my mother out of the room.
"I can't believe her," I mutter more to myself and run my fingers through my hair, messing it up.
"I'm sorry," Nick says, placing his hand on my shoulder.
Shrugging his hand off, I stand and toss a hundred on the table. Normally I wouldn't leave that much, but I'm in no mood to wait for change and walk out of the room, leaving Nick alone.
When I made it back to my room, I wasted no time stripping off my clothes and climbing into bed. I knew there was a reason for her tagging along. Like I said before, she avoids business trips like the plague. She's trying to drive a wedge between, Fallon and me. But all she's doing is pushing me closer to her.
Fallon and I have only been together for a week. We are still in a very fragile state and are still trying to feel each other out. I have to keep my mother at bay for as long as I can. That way she doesn't scare her away.
I roll over on my back and place my hands behind my head. The sound of the rain hitting the window is calming. It's just what I need after the day I had.
I close my eyes and such in a deep breath. Fallon's face popped into my head and that's when I remembered that I was supposed to call her. I spring from my bed and grab my phone from my pants pocket and quickly call her. I sign in frustration when I get her voicemail.
"Hey, beautiful. I-I know it's late and that you're probably sleeping." I glance at the time, 1:30 am. She's definitely sleeping. "But I wanted to say goodnight and that I'll see you soon."
I hang up the phone and plug it in. I fling the covers back and climb back into bed. Once again, I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the rain. It doesn't take me long to fall asleep.
This is sort of a short chapter and I'm sorry. Hope you still enjoyed it. Don't forget to hit that star, comment, and share. And I'll see y'all in the next chapter.