The Exception by Lauren H. Mae

Thirty

“You want to ride around the city on that?”

Trav tried his best not to laugh but the look on Sonya’s face made it hard. Her expression was somewhere between horror and fascination as she walked around inspecting the electric scooters for rent.

He nodded. “Sure. Ever since I got home, I’ve been making a list of off-the-beaten-path attractions I want to see and I’d much rather see them with you than alone. I’ve also always wanted to ride one of these.”

Her eyebrows shot up in mock surprise. “You make lists?”

Trav chuckled. He should’ve known that would be her takeaway from all of that. “I guess you’ve already rubbed off on me a little bit.”

She chewed her bottom lip. “What if we run into someone from work?”

“Then they’re skipping out too and we pretend we don’t see each other.”

“I thought we were going to stay in bed when I agreed to this,” she grumbled.

“Already trying to get back in my pants,” he said, shaking his head. “We’ll have plenty of time for that before we have to get your car from Dani’s. Time will be tight for the next few weeks. Let’s enjoy it.”

They weren’t going to get many chances for a real date while he was still in school, and he wasn’t willing to give her the wrong impression about his intentions. There was that word again, but Adam was right to push him on it. Trav wanted to spend time with Sonya, not just sleep with her, and she deserved to not have to question that.

He slipped his hand into hers, squeezing. “Besides, you know you always end up enjoying the things I coerce you into.”

Her face softened as if she were realizing the same. “We could just take the metro.”

“We could…” Trav paused his coercion efforts when a playful grin stretched across her lips.

“But if we did that, I wouldn’t be able to say I’ve ridden an electric scooter around D.C.”

“Looks like I may be rubbing off on you a little bit too.”

“Maybe,” she conceded as she stepped onto the scooter and focused on the instructions like she was trying to memorize them.

Trav laughed to himself and used his credit card at the kiosk to pay for the scooter rentals. She’d probably be a scooter expert by the end of this outing, and when he turned around, her scooter was already creeping along the sidewalk. This was going to be fun.

He grabbed his own scooter and joined her. “You ready?”

She nodded, her dark eyes sparkling. “Show me what’s on your list.”

* * *

“Now that is a very large cock.”

“That’s a phrase I’d like to hear from you more often,” Trav said

She pushed an elbow into his side. It only made him laugh harder.

Sonya rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the first stop on their date day, a giant blue rooster sculpture on the rooftop terrace of the National Gallery. All the years she’d lived in D.C. and she’d never noticed or even heard about the rooster sculpture, but somehow it was the first stop on Trav’s list of D.C.’s hidden gems.

She’d also never expected to call in sick to work and then spend the day riding a scooter and playing tourist. It was a great plan, though. Downtown in the middle of tourist season was the very last place anyone from work would be, making it the safest place to spend the first day she’d ever played hooky from anything in her entire life.

She was still wrestling with whether Trav was a good or bad influence on her, but at the moment, she was leaning toward good. It was a gorgeous day, she was with a guy who had a way of making a trip to see a sculpture of a rooster into an adventure, and she felt free.

“So what do you think?”

“It’s so random, but cool. I didn’t peg you for an art guy.”

Trav held up his phone to take a picture of the sculpture. “I’m not really, but who wouldn’t be intrigued by a huge blue rooster on a roof?”

He was smiling like a little kid, and she shook her head. “Do you want a picture with the rooster, Trav?”

He frowned and she giggled. She’d intentionally used the same placating voice she’d used with Emma’s boys when she’d gone with Emma to take them to see Santa last year.

“Only if you’re in it with me, smart ass.”

Her shriek when he grabbed her around the waist had all of the other tourists staring at them. “Trav!”

She was laughing too hard for her protests to be taken seriously and he started laughing too, moving them around until they were in the position he wanted with the rooster behind them. He snapped a selfie and released her, pausing to look at the picture and smile before shoving the phone into the pocket of his cargo shorts.

Sonya’s curiosity peaked. “Are you going to let me see it?”

“Eventually.”

His smirk told her that he knew that would annoy her and she refused to give him the satisfaction.

She stretched her lips into a wide smile. “Fine. So where are we going next?”

“Actually, the next stop is inspired by you.”

* * *

Sonya’s laughter was a sound Trav would never get tired of and when they pulled up to the second stop on his list, it echoed through the grove of elm and holly trees for a solid minute.

When she caught her breath, she stole his by turning one of her heartstopping smiles on him. “Really, Trav?”

“Yep. I know you’re a fangirl of his and everything.”

She rolled her eyes but accepted his hand as they rounded the memorial, coming face to face with a larger than life statue of Albert Einstein.

“I am not an Einstein fangirl.”

“Einstein studied physics. Everyone knows that.”

Her sigh sounded like it came up from the depths of her soul before she shot him a side-eye sharp enough to maim.

“You know, we’re going to have to talk about your terrible imitations of me.”

They spent a few minutes walking hand in hand around the monument and he realized he could watch Sonya smile to herself as she ran her fingers across the quotes etched into the stone benches encircling the statue all day.“Have you been here before?”

She shook her head. “It’s one of those things I keep saying I’m going to do but never do.”

He lifted her hand to his lips. “See? Playing hooky every now and then can help you cross things off your list too.”

Sonya smiled up at him. “I’m starting to see some benefits to occasionally going off plan.”

Something in her voice told Trav she wasn’t just talking about calling in sick to hang out with him all day and he squeezed her hand tighter. He had a feeling that being with a guy like him in general was another one of those off-plan decisions. He was determined to show her all the benefits involved with that.

“Ready for more adventures?” he asked.

“Lead on, soldier.”

They made a few more stops on his list, the spy museum winning the day as the thing both of them enjoyed most.

Watching Sonya get competitive with a tour group of senior citizens over the fake mission they’d all been assigned was definitely Trav’s favorite part. It was pretty much a wrap for the other side when the only way to get one of the clues was by crawling through a fake vent duct that outlined the perimeter of the museum, but that hadn’t dampened Sonya’s level of effort. She’d scrambled through the duct, laughing the entire way as he brought up the rear, happy to go wherever she led him.

Once their mission was successfully accomplished and the little old ladies were revealed as double agents, a triumphant Sonya couldn’t help herself from gloating about it for the entire ride to the National Mall. Trav had already determined that Sonya had a side of her that she kept hidden. He didn’t realize that hidden side of her would take so much delight in beating the Golden Girls at what basically amounted to a scavenger hunt.

And he loved every second of it. Maybe he wasn’t the only big kid in this relationship. Maybe the kid inside of her just needed a little more encouragement to come out and play.

All that competition had them both starving by the time they reached the next stop on their tour, the National Mall. They spotted a food truck claiming to have the best burgers in D.C., and she’d dragged him over to try it in a full embrace of their adventure day.

Now, they were enjoying an impromptu picnic under a willow tree in the gardens and between the shade and the cool breeze off the pond, it was a nice respite on a hot summer day. As far as Trav was concerned, it was another perfect thing to add to the perfect date day they were having.

“That was delicious and I’m stuffed!” Sonya announced before falling back into the grass with her hands over her belly.

“Definitely the best burger I’ve had in years,” Trav added, laying back in the grass with her.

“It’s so gorgeous out here.”

“It is,” he agreed. But he wasn’t talking about their surroundings. He’d seen how much moonlight loved her that night on the dock, but sunlight might love her more. Its rays kissed her brown skin and made it shine like a newly minted penny.

She turned her head and caught him staring at her, but he didn’t care.

“You know we have to go meet Dani soon,” she said.

Trav nodded, knowing their day was inching to a close and soon he’d be back in the world of sterile hallways, twelve-hour shifts, and pretending he wasn’t completely weak for the woman next to him.

She hooked her pinky with his and a shy smile played on her dusky, pink lips that he could no longer look at without wanting to kiss.

Yeah. Work was going to be a goddamn struggle.

“I had fun today,” she said. “As far as first dates go, you’re rewriting another page in my diary.”

A surge of satisfaction mixed with a hint of possessiveness pulsed through him. He wanted to erase her memories of anyone she’d been with before him and replace them with new, even better ones.

“Good. I want to rewrite all of them.”

Her smile grew even wider and he recognized that dreamy look in her eyes. He was just starting to understand the meaning of it. He shifted closer to her; close enough that the tips of their noses brushed together.

She whispered, “I read this article once about the best places to make out in D.C. and did you know that we’re in one of those places right now?”

Trav swallowed hard. “I didn’t. We should see if they’re right. For research purposes of course.”

Sonya’s smile was an invitation that he eagerly accepted by pressing his mouth against hers in a kiss that Trav hadn’t realized he’d been looking forward to.

Salt from the fries they’d shared dotted her lips, enhancing her natural sweetness and making him want a better taste. Her eyes fluttered shut and she parted her lips on a soft sigh that erased the world around them.

Trav closed his eyes and smiled against her lips. The park was okay, but he was pretty sure that any place he kissed Sonya would be the best place.

* * *

“Thanks for taking care of my car and for leaving my bag. I know that was kind of unexpected.”

Sonya had been more relieved than she’d let on when she’d gotten the text from Dani letting her know that her bag was in the bed of Trav’s truck. She hadn’t thought that part out when she’d decided to stay over. When was the last time she hadn’t thought something out?

Dani smirked and held the keys to the Pathfinder out for Sonya to take.

“You know I’ve got you,” she said, looking Sonya up and down. “Unless they’ve changed the dress code at the hospital, I’m guessing you didn’t make it to work today?”

“I… called in sick.”

Dani’s mouth fell open and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Wow. That says a lot. Am I going to have to wait until the next girls night for details or do I get a teaser for being such a good friend?” Dani paused and lifted one eyebrow. “Twice.”

“What are you… ” The words trailed off when understanding dawned on Sonya. That little gift Dani had given her had come in clutch. It might’ve even saved lives because that night had been so intense that Sonya felt like she would’ve died if it hadn’t gone all the way. She was pretty sure Trav felt the same way.

Sonya’s cheeks burned but she couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her lips.

“Call me this week. Maybe we can get dinner… on me.”

Dani grinned. “Deal. Where is Trav anyway?”

“He’s waiting downstairs. His mom called just as we were coming in.”

“Tell him I said hi and that he can also thank me any time.”

Laughing, Sonya turned toward the elevator and waved over her shoulder.

“Good night, Dani.”

When she made it downstairs, Trav was leaning against the wall with his phone pressed to his ear, but when he saw her, his lips curved into a smile.

“I gotta go, Madrecita. Yes, I’ll invite you over to my place for dinner as soon as I buy a dining table.”

His cheeks turned red and Sonya could only imagine his mother getting on him about buying furniture. She couldn’t blame her. While the air mattress had been comfy, a bed was preferable. They’d gone online that morning and ordered the last mattress set they’d tested along with a bed and it was all being delivered in a week. He would just have to come to her place until then.

Seeing each other all of two days and she was already planning out their time together.

Trav finished up his call and slipped the phone into his pocket.

“Everything good?” he asked.

She nodded. “I was thinking that maybe we could stop by your place so you can pick up some things and then head back to mine? I can drop you off at your place on my way to work tomorrow so people won’t see us come in together. It’s on the way, so it’s not a big deal.”

Why was she rambling? She never rambled. She needed to get all of this out of her system before work the next day because right now, she didn’t know how to even look at Trav without thinking about the way he touched her and getting warm all over. If she didn’t get it together, everyone was going to know as soon as they saw them together.

She wasn’t sure if him spending the night at her place would help that effort, but she really wanted him to stay anyway.

Trav draped an arm over her shoulder as they headed for the garage where Dani had parked her car. “I don’t need convincing. Your place sounds good.” Ever the gentleman, he held open the car door for her before walking around to the passenger side. “Besides, I kinda like that you can’t get enough of me.”