Page 14 of I Think We’re Alone Now

“I think you should tell them again. And keep telling them until they listen to you,” he said. He planted his feet on the ground and turned slightly, twisting the chains so that he was facing me. “Elle, you are so smart and talented, you could do anything with your life. If what you want to do is sing and make music, as ‘not Glitter,’ then I have no doubt you can do it. And if Reverb records can’t see that, then go out and find another record company that can.”

“And if no one else wants me?” I felt the fear niggle at me as I said the words out loud. I knew deep down what I wanted, even if I wasn’t very good at vocalizing it. And what I wanted was to be a singer.

“Well, I highly doubt that’s the case, but if for some reason it is, drop back and punt.”

“What?”

“Football terms for figure out plan B.”

“Oh,” I said. “I wish I was as confident about what I wanted to do with my life as you are.”

“Who said I knew what I wanted to do?”

“You don’t want to be a cop?”

“Eh,” he shrugged. “I could take it or leave it.”

“Then why did you apply?”

“Seemed like the logical thing to do,” he answered with another shrug. “I joined the army after I graduated because I knew college wasn't for me. I’m not like Bryan. He always knew that he wanted to be an accountant. Me, well, I had no idea, and the service seemed like as good a place as any to figure that out. I was going to re-up, but then I had a kerfuffle with one of the police dogs and got bit. I was offered a medical discharge and kinda took it as a sign to do something different. I was an MP, so the police academy seemed like the next logical step.”

“But you’re not passionate about it?” I asked, taken aback by his admission. Travis always seemed so self-assured in everything he did. To hear him say that he was making these life choices on a whim messed with my mind.

“Nope. I got the chance as an MP to be security detail for a couple of bigwigs, kinda like I’m doing now for you, and that was a lot of fun. Not a ton of demand, in the military or civilian life, but it was fun.”

“The label is still looking for someone to take over as my full-time security. I could put in a good word for you.” My heart sped up at the idea that maybe we could keep this going—that maybe this could be more than just a fling. Travis could be my bodyguard, traveling the world with me. The whole thing played out in my head—the two of us spending our days hanging out, seeing the sights of whatever city or country we were in, then after my show we would spend the rest of the night in bed, tangled up in each other.

“Thanks, but I’m already conditionally accepted to the academy. Just waiting on a start date,” Travis said, cutting into my fantasy.

My stomach lurched at his rejection of my idea. Apparently all I was to him was a fling. Of course I was—why would I have thought differently? He’s going to go off to the police academy and do his thing. He’ll probably find a nice girl, and they’ll get married, have the requisite 2.5 kids and a golden retriever. All while staying here in Pine Grove. I was silly to think that he would ever be interested in me in any other way. I could never be that girl in his mind.

The only thing I’ll ever be to him is Bryan’s little sister.