The Entangled Engagement of Indigo

Chapter 9

"Great natural light. Are these the original hardwood floors?" Mrs. Khan with her bright Lilly Pulitzer dress stopped tapping her white manicured nails on the iPad to turn towards him.

Tate pushed his elbow off the fireplace mantle and gawked at her dazedly. He hadn't heard an actual word from the esteemed real estate agent that his dad referred to him. He'd tuned her out ever since she strutted through the door and began praising the curb appeal of his house and how it'd be an easy sell.

He didn't want it to be an easy sell. He wanted it to sit on the market for days and weeks; months if he was really lucky. He didn't actually want to move. It was something he had to do. He couldn't see himself living in that house without Indigo living on the same street as him, and he couldn't live in that house if she married another man. His life was a conundrum.

"I'm not a wood-ologist or anything but..." Abigail glanced down at the unstained oak floor and then stomped her foot—the rubber of her weathered Vans bounced off the material. "It looks original."

Mrs. Khan peeled her aghast gazed off of Abigail and set them on him, "The floors are in excellent condition. The entire house looks barely lived in." She gestured to the sleek and simple living room; identical built-in bookshelves adorned with a few of his favorite books framed a gas fireplace with it cast stone mantle, subtle crown molding, modern twin couches sat upon a dusk blue rug as the panoramic glass patio doors slid back showing off the lush, manicured backyard that had perks of its own.

"Your interior designer did a magnificent job, might I add. I'd have to see those bedrooms, but from the looks of things down here, this place can easily sell for..." Her head tilted as her mind calculated figures. "500K. We can always tell the buyers your name and add an extra hundred."

"That's it!" Abigail outburst. "This is a mansion. In a gated community! What kind of game are you playing, lady? This place would be at least eight million in Cali—"

"But this is Texas, darling." Mrs. Khan cut her off before she could finish. "Things are different here."

"Then hell, I'm doing shit all wrong." Abigail clenched her waist. "What kind of pad can I get for thirty grand?"

"Texas isn't California, but it's not Oz, either." Mrs. Khan headed out of the living room, "There are four bedrooms, right. Are they all upstairs?"

"The three bedrooms, yes, but the master suite is downstairs just down that hallway." He pointed her to the left.

"I'll show you where it is?" Abigail hustled over to the lady and escorted her out of the room.

He gave her a grateful head nod and walked outside. The air in the house was too thick for him. The walls felt as if they were closing in on him. Or maybe that was time.

Tate's heart was doing this weird thing. It flooded his mind and brought fond memories to the forefront of her psyche. The thought that popped in his head was the first time he visited the very place he stood now. Tired of living in a one-bedroom and bath apartment, he wanted a bigger place, a place that would sustain him for his future. A future he was for sure included Indigo.

Time surely wasn't on his side. He hadn't planned to be away from home for so long. A three-month assignment on the screenplay of Chronicles of the Undead to ensure a seamless transition morphed into a twelve-month job when the success of the show skyrocketed and his romantic novel was being turned into a film.

He was going to give her a couple of days to calm down, and then he'd call and explain himself. The word 'mistake' flew out of his mouth that morning a year ago, but he wasn't talking about what happened the night before. That night was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time. He'd had countless hookups, but the women were never in tune with his body the way Indigo was. And the sex wasn't even the best part. It was the moment after. Bodies intertwined, panting breaths, and racing heartbeats; he looked into her eyes and knew that he was home.

That night was not a mistake but being in a long-distance relationship was. He already had enough obligations; he didn't want to add an out-of-state girlfriend to the mix.

"Hey!" Abigail shouted from the house, yanking Tate from the deep recesses of his mind. "Get your ass outside."

"I am outside." He yelled back, bemused.

"Not this outside." She jabbed her thumb behind her. "In the front. Your girlfriend's and her big ass dog are on the move. Carpe diem, Mr. Steal Your Girl."

"Don't call me that." He said jogging back to the house.

"Isn't that what you're trying to do." She followed him through the living room while Mrs. Khan chatted away on the phone about dates. "Trying to steal her from her fiance."

"No." He stopped at the front door. She gave him a look of disbelief. "I'm not. I don't want to steal anybody. If she loves him as much as she loved me... I'll move on. Get over it."

"But if she doesn't..." She held the door open for him while he laced up his shoes.

"Don't jump ahead of yourself, Abby." He patted her shoulder and quickly shut the door before she could follow him out.

She was really becoming the little sister he never wished for. He knew Abigail didn't believe him, but it was true. He'd keep his feelings to himself if Indigo was really in love and the man she was marrying treated her like she deserved.

As he walked down his driveway, setting his eyes on Indigo talking to Gambit and made a vow to himself to not stand in the way of her happiness.

"Morin' neighbor," He casually waved before looking down the vacant street. The neighborhood was dead at ten on a Sunday morning. The churchgoers had already paraded out around nine, and those that remained relaxed in bed would not roll out until noon.

He jogged over to her truck and ruffed Gambit up with quick rubs and comments about how much he missed him. "My Lil' dude. I missed you." He dodged the pooch's slobbery kisses. "And you missed me too, big fella."

"Good morning." She opened the truck door all the way and eyed him sideways. "What do you want?"

"Nothing." He said then rose to his full height. "Going to the park?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Yes."

"Then we should go before it gets too hot." He hustled around to the passenger side of the truck.

"We?" She asked as Gambit jumped into the truck.

"Yes, we." He gestured from himself to Gambit sitting in the middle of the seat and then to her. "We. You said we could talk later... and this is later."

Indigo rolled her eyes. She didn't really feel like holding a grudge. He said he was sorry, and it took less energy to move on. "Fine. Let's go."

She jumped in the car and slid out the driveway and hoped he didn't touch her playlist because she didn't know how she'd react. 

Do you think Abigail is right, he's trying to steal Indigo from her fiance? 

Will he be able to bow out gracefully if he isn't the man she truly loves?

Why do you think he was against a long distance relationship?