Page 45 of Without You

Katie

“How was your day of class?” Brody asks over the phone. “I meant to ask you when you first started, did you take a picture holding a sign so your mama could post it everywhere?”

“No, smart ass. I didn’t. But, to answer your other question, it was awesome. As usual.”

“Really disappointed in you that you didn’t take a first day of school picture. You know, in a short little plaid skirt and knee-high socks.”

“Am I going to a porn shoot or massage therapy school?”

“Could be both. Who am I to judge?”

I laugh quietly. “You’re crazy. And if you must know, I wore jeans and a t-shirt. Just like every day. Very non-co-ed of me, huh?”

I can hear the smile in his voice when he says, “And yet I bet you no doubt are still the prettiest one there.”

Brody Redding. Who knew he would one day be my own personal romantic? Certainly not me when I had a crush on him when I was only sixteen and never really lost it. I haven’t been pining over him for all these years, but yet, having him back in my life brings it all flooding back.

“Are there a lot of people in your class?” he asks when I don’t know how to respond to his comment about me being pretty. I love that he’s genuinely interested in this part of my life. He seems to truly care and is curious, not just for show.

“Not really, which is nice because then we get more attention, you know? And bonus, I’m not nearly the oldest one there!”

He chuckles. “Well, that’s good.”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to feel out of place.”

“Glad you had a good day, Katie. Was thinking about you a lot, and I wanted to call or text but didn’t want to interrupt if you were busy.”

“You’re sweet.”

“Hardly. I didn’t tell you what I was thinking about.”

Chuckling, I decide to shift the focus onto him. “And what about your day? How was it?”

He had a big shipment of cars and trucks come in today and I know he was both excited and anxious for it.

“Good. Stressful. Tiring. We tarped all the ones that we aren’t working on yet and have them out of the way so we can get to work. But having them delivered made it real, you know? It’s a little weird.”

I smile to myself and pour hot water over a tea bag. “Weird how?”

“I’m just me. Never expected this.”

“You should have. Tell me about the vehicles. Are they cool?”

“Not yet, but they will be,” he says confidently, making me laugh.

“Oh my gosh, you’re so full of yourself.”

I wish I was with him right now because I can picture his grin when he replies, “Confident. Not full of myself, I’m just confident. That’s different, right?”

“Right,” I murmur, sipping on my hot tea.

“You like your teachers? Or professors, whatever they’re called?”

“I did at first, now I kind of hate them,” I joke. I don’t hate them, but I’m ready to stop seeing them every single day mainly because I’m ready to be done and getting on with the next part.

“Sounds about right. I hated even the teachers that I liked by the time I graduated from tech school.” I hear a door closing in the background and then a horn honk like he’s just unlocked a vehicle. “So what are you doing now?” he asks, a car door shutting and engine starting up in the background.

“Just looking through all the paperwork from the salon. I have so many thoughts rolling through my head right now, I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”

---