Too Bad, Baby.

12 TIA: DISTRACTIONS

TIA
Track: IN MY PLACE (by COLDPLAY)

CHAPTER 12

A day has passed since Calyx dropped me off at the Rivington. It was almost dinner time and he still hasn't given me a call. I tried the home number and his cellphone, but he didn't pick up, so I left him messages.

It wasn't like Calyx hasn't been off the grid before, but there was an unusual feeling I couldn't shake off. I didn't know what it was for anyway, but it kept me apprehensive for hours.

There was a knock on my door. I peeked through the peep hole and saw Matt. I let him in.

"Hey beautiful," he greeted, giving me a peck on my cheek. "How's the suite life treating you?"

I giggled. "Suite my ass," I grinned. "It's alright. It's a room, it has a balcony and it's comfy, so I can't complain."

"I wish you called me earlier," he said. His blue eyes glimmered under the soft light in the room. He looked surprisingly striking wearing only a v-neck gray pullover sweater and an off-white twill washed cut off pants. I adored his black Nike athletic slingback sandals that went well with his clothes. "It's getting chilly outside."

"I know," I said. "I love it."

He smiled. "I know you do. So," he began. "What do you want to do?"

I shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not so sure."

"You look worried," he observed. "Everything alright?"

I avoided his eyes.

"Hey, you know you can tell me anything," Matt said assuring. "And I mean anything, Tia."

"I'm sorry Matt," I said. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm worried that you may think you're just- my second choice," I said truthfully. "You are not. And I'm truly sorry if I ever made you feel that way. And I'm not leading you on or something, God no. I just feel very comfortable with you and I like you-"

"Whoa," he disrupted. "Hold your horses, sweetie. Calm down. I never felt that way, no.. I'm perfectly happy with what we have. Do I want us to become more than this? Of course, but I'm getting there. These things take time, especially for you and where you're coming from. There's nothing to be worried about. Now, tell me- what's bothering you?"

"This is gonna be awkward." I warned.

"Fire away."

"I'm worried about Calyx. He hasn't come here yet nor returned any of my calls. He does this a lot but now, I dunno. I'm worried," I felt a little better as I went on. "It's not like I'm being needy or anything, I just worry about him, you know?"

Matt stared at me blankly for a second. A twinge of pain registered on his face. "You care too much about him."

I sat down on the bed. Matt stood and watched me without another word.

"I'm sorry, Matt. I understand if you'll want to leave now."

He moved towards the bed and sat beside me. "Now why would I do that?"

"I'm being unfair to you. I don't even know why I called you. I mean it's very crappy of me to do this to you."

He took my left hand and started stroking it gently with his fingers. "I'm glad you called me. However, it makes me sad whenever I see you like this. It bums me out, you know."

"You make me feel better," I told him honestly. "Always."

"Really? I do?"

"Yeah," I replied. "It's kindda weird, but you never fail to make everything seem easier, lighter for me."