Next to her Dylan simply sighed heavily with a half shrug.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not sure what she was planning but I thought it was just a date.”
Walking towards the elevator, Sophia grimaced at Dylan’s revelation before combing her fingers through her bob. Around her plain, dull colors dominated, and even outside the windows things looked bleak. Maybe it was because of how bad she felt.
“Jocelyn doesn’t do ‘dates’, exactly. But anyway, what are you going to do now that your evening went down the shitter?”
“Well, I booked this reservation for two and it’s nonrefundable so I guess I just lost forty dollars.”
Tapping the downward facing triangle on the elevator, Sophia frowned lightly before her mouth seemed to open on its own. She wasn’t sure how it came to this when only a minute ago Dylan was calling her a child. Really it didn’t matter, though.
She’d never pass up a chance to go to Michael’s Bay.
“I’ll go with you, if you want. I mean, if you don’t mind.” Furrowing her eyebrows, Sophia stared at the glowing button as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. She had a hard time believing those words just came out of her mouth. Dylan was staring down at her five-foot three-inch frame; she knew because she could feel it against the crown of her head. Pursing her lips together, she scrunched up her nose at her own stupidity. Of course he would say no. She’d just ruined his day, his date, and his underlying chance to get laid.
“Sure.”
When Sophia whipped her head up at his approval, Dylan felt a slight smirk cross his face. She looked totally shocked; her rounded features turning slightly red. He might not have appreciated what she did, or how she did it, but she’d gotten him out of a serious bind. Jocelyn was interesting, sure, but it was just a date. Sleeping with her wasn’t on the agenda and wasn’t something he did on a first date anyway.
“Really? Oh yeah! I love Michael’s Bay!” Dylan watched Sophia do a little dance and realized he felt much better about tonight than he had when he got here. In the few minutes he’d known her he could tell she was sort of a free soul. Whenever he went on dates, it almost seemed forced on some level, but she was just so incredibly chilled out. It was hard to be tense around her, and he didn’t know why. Frankly he wasn’t going to question it either.
“I’m so glad I get to eat something yummy.”
*****
Stepping into the elevator, Sophia wiggled her toes and pushed hard on the button that led to the first floor of the apartment building. It wasn’t overly luxurious, but Jocelyn didn’t want to live in a moderately affordable home. Glancing around the nice box, Sophia wondered what her cousin was going to do when Jocelyn’s brother stopped wanting to pay for her. They’d been living together for nearly two years now, but already Sophia had to guilt trip Oliver into the failing investment.
“Sophia?” Sophia snapped back to the present at the call, Sophia shook her head lightly to get away from the thoughts. Her eyes turned to Dylan and a small, guilty smile overtook her lips.
“Sorry… I spaced out. What did you say?”
“I asked what you do for a living.” His words came out a little bland, but she didn’t really react on it. Instead, her mind turned to her equally failing career and her smile turned into a frown.
“I’m an artist, but not one of the shitty ones that gets discovered for stupid ‘modernism’. I heard on the news once a while ago that this cleaning lady for an art gallery got fined five hundred grand for throwing away trash disguised as art. I’m one of the good ones that hasn’t gotten discovered and fades into obscurity… What about you?”
Sophia posed her question as the elevator came to a stop, letting out a shrill ‘bing’ to signal they’d arrived at the ground floor. While the doors opened, Dylan was quiet, but as soon as they were walking across the smallish lobby he spoke up. His voice leaked distaste as he described his situation.
“I’m unemployed right now. I can’t seem to find a job anywhere.” Nodding absently as they neared the lobby door, Sophia frowned lightly as she debated that predicament. Getting a job, even as a bus boy, wasn’t easy now. The economy wasn’t doing very well and it was just a vicious cycle of despair. In that way she supposed she was glad Oliver was basically paying for everything. She was free to save up what little money being a cashier gave her.
Really what she wanted to do was sell a few artworks for a ridiculous amount of money and never have to work again.
“That sucks. I work part-time at this store called the Fashionista and it’s absolute hell. One of the conditions of my cousin Oliver paying the rent for Jocelyn’s apartment was that I had a job and was saving up. That’s more than I can say for her, though. Lazy bitch.”
Once outside the apartment complex, Dylan rubbed his jaw absently in an effort to hide his grimace. He hated freeloaders, but at least Sophia had plans with her life and was actively pursuing them. It was more than he had, at least. No matter where he went he just couldn’t get hired.
“Well it’d be worse if I wasn’t on medical leave. I got back from Afghanistan about eight months ago and got shoved into the reserves. I don’t think the doctors like me all that much because I’m perfectly fine.” Pausing mid step, Sophia looked up at Dylan with widening eyes. Things seemed to snap into place in that moment.
No wonder he wasn’t a huge bodybuilder, he had to be efficient and not just ogle-worthy.
“Holy crap- really? You’re in the Army?”
“Navy. Spent five tours out until I broke my leg in three places and had to get a few metal rods inserted.”
Reaching up to rub his jaw again, Dylan took the sharp turn onto the sidewalk with a slight frown on his face. He didn’t particularly mind disclosing such information about himself. Actually, he was very proud of his service. It was the fact that he was out for good now, it seemed, that made him angry.
“That’s so cool. That means you’re not entirely organic. You’re, like, some early form of cyborg.”
Wandering down the sidewalk, Sophia’s mouth just ran off on her. What she’d said made her stop dead as a wash of mortification crashed into her. Before her Dylan also paused, and her eyes widened almost comically wide as he slowly turned around. She really wanted to snap her eyelids shut, but they wouldn’t obey. How she could be so disrespectful was beyond her; the observation just slipped out before she could tell her brain not to.
“Oh my God! T- that’s not what I meant! I mean- I just… Y-” Sophia’s face turned a bright red the color of a healthy tomato before Dylan couldn’t keep a straight face anymore. His laughter burst out of him and cut her off as she fumbled over her apology. It was a hearty laugh; a laugh he hadn’t had in a long time. Everyone he knew always showed sympathy when he disclosed his injury, but she’d basically called him a science experiment. The description was apt, too, since she wasn’t exactly wrong.
Reaching up to rub his neck, Dylan forced his amusement down enough until he could offer a response.
“No one has ever said that to me before. I guess you’re not wrong, either… Oh man… That was great.”
The smile that split Sophia’s face was crooked, and her shoulders slumped dramatically in relief. When she lurched forward there was a small sashay in her step. Even Dylan’s smile didn’t fall as they continued walking.
“I offend a lot of people so I say ‘sorry’ a lot.”
The journey to Dylan’s truck wasn’t long, and Sophia admired the shiny, black paint job for a moment. She liked trucks well enough but was too scared to drive one herself. For now, she was content with her beat up two-door. Dylan didn’t offer a verbal response even as he pulled out his keys and remotely unlocked his vehicle. For a second she wondered what would happen if her and Jocelyn’s roles were reversed. Her cousin didn’t like even being a passenger in a truck even though this one was fairly small.
“So you said you’re an artist, right Sophia? What else do you do in your spare time?” It wasn’t unti
l Dylan was driving that he posed his question. Keeping his eyes on the road, he had absolutely no clue what Sophia would say. That sense of misdirection was actually pretty nice considering he felt he could read people well.
“Uh-h… I like going to my friend Tanya’s house and getting mobbed by her horde of dogs. But most of the time I just go to work, wander around the city or stay in my room and do my best to avoid Jocelyn. She cramps my style so bad, and I’ve been in a real slump lately. I mean, it could just be because I’m smoking a different type of weed but I re-”
“You smoke weed?” Driving steadily down one of the many roads that led to the boardwalks, Dylan furrowed his eyebrows and tried not to frown. Now it made sense why Sophia was so laid back. He’d never met a stoner before in his entire life, so he just couldn’t identify it. When she didn’t reply he glanced over and it was written all over her face that she hadn’t meant to let that tidbit of information slip.
“Yeah… I just do it for recreation, but I’m not a pothead, I swear.” Speaking a bit hesitantly, Sophia frowned as she kept her eyes firmly glued to the dash. Most people didn’t really care about the issue unless it was pressed onto them, and she hoped that was Dylan’s stand. Others couldn’t find a better thing to do than talk and downgrade someone that smoked weed without a medical condition. For her the silence that weighed on the cabin of the truck was heavy and uncomfortable. It seemed to stretch on a lot longer than a single half block.
“It’s not a big deal, I guess- but that stuff’s still illegal and I’m not going to get a ticket if you’ve got any on you.” Adjusting his grip on the steering wheel, Dylan really wasn’t sure what he thought about Sophia’s habit. Drugs were never something he really learned about. All he knew was that he had to stay away, and that was what he did.
In the Navy, he’d watched one of his shipmates get dishonorably discharged for having a bottle of medication that didn’t have the right name on it. There was no way he wanted to go through that humiliation.
“Oh- no! It’s at home. S- so… what do you like to do?” Finally forcing her eyes away, Sophia looked up at Dylan as she changed the subject. His expression was stern; the kind of stern a person got from driving with concentration. Then again, he drove a truck twice the size of her small car, so he probably needed to focus. Against the light of the sun that was slowly setting his profile was strong and solid.
Dylan didn’t answer her, but Sophia wasn’t really paying attention to her own question now. She could see the lines in his face from stress, giving him depth. His nose had obviously been broken, but it was barely noticeable. Under his crew neck t-shirt, the muscles in his arms would flex every time he moved to turn the steering wheel.
Somewhere in the back of her mind a seed started to sprout; a seed of creativity.
“Sophia...” When Dylan parked the car in the overly crowded parking lot of Michael’s Bay Sophia still wouldn’t stop staring at him. He turned fully, but he didn’t think she was really seeing him. She had this look on her face that was far away. Carefully lifting his hand, he waved his palm in front of her face but even that didn’t seem to break her daze. Grimacing lightly, he wondered if this was normal. While he didn’t want to jump to conclusions he didn’t think she would’ve spaced out so badly if she wasn’t high.
Instantly he shook that thought away though. Judging her for smoking marijuana was like someone else judging him for going into the military. It was just something he wanted to do and it kept him happy.
“Sophia- you in there?” Blinking hard when Dylan nudged her shoulder, Sophia felt her face flame again. Her eyes instantly diverted to her lap as the smell of seafood invaded her nostrils. The drive had to have been at least twenty minutes, and for that entire time she’d been staring at him.
Embarrassment wasn’t even a strong enough word to describe her feeling.
“I’m sorry… I was just… thinking.” Across the center console Dylan chuckled and the sound of his keys jingling could be heard. Still Sophia didn’t look up despite the way her fingers fumbled with the door handle. Using a horizontal handle for so long on her own car made the vertical one of his truck a bit unexpected and difficult. Jumping down from the cabin, she shut the door and rubbed her face harshly with her palms.
At least there was a bright side to her inattentiveness. He didn’t appear to think she was weird.
*****
“Oh! I forgot to tell you, Dylan. I get free food from here.” Bypassing the line of people waiting to get a table, Sophia smiled up at Dylan. She was hoping the owner of Michael’s Bay, aptly named Michael, would extend her little plastic card to her companion as well. It just wasn’t right that he went through all this trouble and she was the cause of it.
Well, she wasn’t really the cause but she was related to the cause. It was close enough in her book.
“Why?”
“I painted the inside. Come on, I’ll show you.” Slipping through the door Dylan opened for her, Sophia went straight past the hostess booth and into the restaurant. The smell of all types of seafood hung heavily in the air. As she walked she took deep breaths. In front of her were tables, all covered in food and surrounded by patrons. There was nothing really special about this particular room, though. It was only for people who had smallish groups. Decorations were minimal and muted. Talking was soft and everything gave off a more intimate, date like feel.
Sophia led Dylan through towards the back half of Michael’s Bay. The food might’ve been the same throughout, but the atmosphere was totally different. Instantly boisterous laughter and shouting could be heard. People were sitting at the bar as well as tables meant for groups of ten or more. It was the scenery that made her pause in the huge archway as pride bubbled in her chest.
Every wall had a mural on it. Behind the bar, a huge octopus hid behind bottles of alcohol and across from it, a shoal of fish swam. Even from so far away she could see the incredible detail on every scale and in every eye. If she had to pick a favorite, though, it’d be the wall that held the door to the kitchens. Michael had wanted something different, and that was what she gave him. Instead of a plain, boring painting, the wall came alive. She’d built it up with clay, creating a 3D piece of dolphins. Each one was unique, textured and painted with care.
“I painted all of this. It took months but Michael was really happy with it. He especially liked the kitchen wall. So, anyway, he wanted to pay me but I told him I’d rather get free food. I didn’t think he’d actually give me free food for life, though. He paid for all of the materials and I’ve probably eaten my way through half of what it cost to do all of this.”
Looking around, Dylan was stunned by the sheer talent that surrounded him. He heard Sophia explaining, but didn’t really look away to offer any kind of response. It blew him away that one person could do one thing so well. If he were completely honest with himself, he couldn’t even wrap his head around it. Sure, he was good at some things; being the absolute best, though, was another story. No one he’d ever encountered before anywhere or at any time could paint like she could.
“It’s incredible.” Breathing out the compliment, Dylan wasn’t sure Sophia heard him over the noise but when he finally turned his gaze to her she was blushing again. She did it so easily, and he couldn’t help but smile to mirror hers.
“Thanks. You’d think after doing this I’d be famous and wouldn’t have to work at Fashionista… but not really, I guess. Uh- so, do you want to sit? No offense but I’m absolutely starving. I mean, I was eating noodles with no sauce!”
It only took a moment for the hostess to seat them, and Sophia busied herself with looking over the menu. Everything looked so appetizing, but she wanted to try each item before doubling up. Since it was hard to decide what to order, she went from the front of the menu to the back.
Today was lobster bisque day; just thinking about it made her mouth water.
“So… what happened, if you don’t mind my asking? To your leg, I mean.” Sophia only spoke up after
they’d placed their order, and she watched as Dylan developed a slight frown from across the table. A shadow passed through his already dark eyes, but she didn’t feel bad for asking. Rarely did she ever have an opportunity like the one presented to her in that moment. Most of the time she only heard about veterans on the news.
“I was doing a routine patrol with my unit and we got fired on. I was the only person that got injured, thankfully. It was stupidly dangerous but after I got shot in my calf, I ran for the opposite side of the building where the insurgents were and distracted them long enough for my unit to shoot them down. It wasn’t until I got back to base that the doc told me the bullet had nicked my femur and running around had broken it in several places.”
The way Dylan spoke told Sophia he didn’t really feel disgruntled about the actual attack. He was in a war, after all; it was dangerous no matter where he went. Watching him reach up to rub his neck, she found her own small frown creeping onto her face.
“Would you do it again if you knew you were going to be medically discharged?”
“Yeah, definitely.” Dylan’s response was instant, and he leaned back in his chair as his mind ran over the memory once again. It’d been one of the most conflicted moments of his life. Breaking his leg so badly meant he couldn’t be in the active Navy, but no one had died. He didn’t know if it would’ve been the same outcome regardless, but he liked to think it couldn’t have ended so well otherwise. Too often troops got attacked and only a fraction came back alive.
Across the table Sophia nodded, but she didn’t try to continue the conversation. Opening his mouth, Dylan noticed the way her baby blue eyes flickered down to his lips but ignored it for now.
“Why do you live with your cousin if you don’t like her? I get that it’s free, but is there some other reason?”
“Well… first because it’s free. Second, Jocelyn has had a lot of housemates in the past and none of them can stand her. She didn’t want to live alone. I guess I just live there because it’s easy. I mean, I’ve saved up a few thousand dollars so far because of it. And since I only work part-time, I have a lot more time to work on my art. It’s not like I’m just wasting my life like Jocelyn. Oliver is her brother, and he pays for everything since he’s filthy rich. Instead of giving his money away like an idiot, he invests it. If I weren’t around, Jocelyn would probably be homeless by now.”
THE HEALING HEART Page 75
