The Artist

Chapter 13

Mia bounced up and down on the balls of her feet in the snow as she tried to warm herself while standing by her car, holding her phone up to her ear waiting for the person on the other end to pick up. When she heard the familiar voice greet her with a hello, she told him, "Chris, I locked my keys in my car."

"Again?" He laughed. "Mia, that's like the third time since Christmas!"

"I can't remember where I put them!" She tried to defend herself through her own laughter. "This actually wasn't my fault though. I put my keys on my seat but then I got out and started scraping the ice off my windshield but it got windy and blew my door closed."

"That still doesn't explain the other times," Was his sarcastic response.

Mia laughed before asking him, "How about you cut the sass and come pick me up?"

"Why don't you call the boyfriend?" Chris asked her, but when Mia said he was working, he asked, "I mean I might be busy right now."

"Oh shut up, you're probably lying on the couch on twitter or taking pictures of Dodger," She shot back at him.

Chris beamed, loving her wit and sass, smiling to himself while he got up to put his shoes on but teased her, "If I come get you, will you finally admit the Patriots are better than the Eagles?"

"I'd rather eat my own hair."

The response made him bust out in laughter, complete with a left boob grab before he informed her, "That sounds disgusting!"

"Um, duh that's the point," Mia snickered. "So actually in all seriousness, can you please come pick me up if you're not busy?"

"I'm just walking out my front door," He told her as he locked the door behind him.

She thanked him before she told him she'd wait inside and just to text her when he got there. Chris tossed his cell phone on his passenger seat and started his car so he could pull out of the driveway and head to Mia's apartment building. It wasn't much of an inconvenience for him; he was going to leave in about a half hour to go to her art class at the rec center anyway, but Chris knew even if it was an inconvenience, he would have dropped everything for her.

He jumped at any chance to spend time with her, especially since Daniel had come back from Christmas and was feeling threatened by Chris. Because of that, he had started sucking up to Mia so they'd been spending more time together which meant she had less time for Chris so he jumped on every chance he got to be with her.

Soon enough, he had Mia in his front seat and she leaned over, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders and hugged him tightly, telling him, "Thank you for coming to get me."

"Happy to," Chris was honest. "I've missed you."

"I know, I've missed you too. I'm sorry I haven't gotten to see you the past week," She apologized while buckling her seatbelt. "I'm also sorry we couldn't come out and party on New Year's with you guys. Daniel really wanted to stay in."

"Hmmm," Chris nodded as the events of the evening filled his mind.

Mia looked over at him and instantly could tell something was up. She could see right through him and he knew it. Chris kept his eyes straight ahead on the road, hoping she wouldn't say more, but she asked, "What's up?"

"What do you mean?" He shrugged.

She narrowed her eyes, smirking as she asked, "I mean you're acting all weird. Tell me what's going on."

"Mia, it's not a big deal," He scratched at his well groomed beard.

She reached over, putting a hand on his shoulder as he drove and urged him, "Spill, Evans."