Free First Sight by Laura Donohue

I’d get out and explore the city a bit today .   I haven’t seen many of the museums here yet.  I noticed all the people ice skating and saw the sculptures, so I thought I’d come check this out.  I was just looking at that crazy sculpture of an old typewriter eraser when I saw you standing over here.”
    I laughed when he mentioned my least favorite sculpture.  “I never liked that one either.”
    “It’s weird, right?” he asked, continuing to stare down at me.   His brown eyes were so intense, I found myself having trouble concentrating on what he was saying.
    “Definitely , ” I agreed.
    “So , how was your night?”
    For a second he looked almost wistful, like he had wanted to be with me last night .  I was sure that he didn’t want to spend Friday night watching a bunch of girly movies with my friends though.  Was he feeling wistful because yesterday was Valentine’s Day?   Or just because he didn’t know many people here yet and wanted something fun to do on a Friday night ?
    “Oh, it was fun,” I said casually.  “ We had some wine, watched a bunch of chick-flicks….”
    “Ugh —chick-flicks!” Travis teased.
    “And what did you do last night that was so much better ?” I asked, taking a sip of my cappuccino.
    “ Not much actually,” he said with a wry smile.  “ Ordered a pizza, had a few beers…and I watched an action movie.  Definitely better than those chick-flicks.”
    “Right,” I scoffed.  “ Typical guy response .” I smiled to let him know I was just kidding.
    “Hmmm… you might be right, ” he mused.   He paused a moment , as if deciding to go on or not.   “Actually, my ex-girlfriend texted me while I was watching it—although she wasn’t really someone that I wanted to hear from.”
    “Did you just break up?”
    “No, we broke up last summer.”  His voice had taken on a serious tone.  I searched his face for any kind of indication that he was still interested in her, but his countenance seemed perfectly neutral—comfortable, like it didn’t matter at all that he was discussing his ex-girlfriend with me.  I wondered if that meant his relationship with her really was over— ancient history .  That seemed to be the case.   “She just sent me a message because it was Valentine’s Day.  We don’t keep in touch, and I didn’t bother texting her back.  I actually think she was out at a bar with her friends and sent it to me then —sort of like drunk - dialing.”
    “Drunk texting?” I asked with a grin.
    “Exactly.   So I guess you didn’t have any ex-boyfriends calling you last night?”
    “No, nothing like that,” I said , shaking my head.  “My ex and I are definitely over.”
    Travis nodded thoughtfully , seeming to note that piece of information.  “Do you mind if I join you to check out the National Gallery?”
    “Not at all.   You haven’t been there yet ?”
    “Not yet .”
    “ I want to see a special exhibit, but I can show you some of my favorite pieces in the permanent collection there , too —if you want.”
    “That’d be great,” Travis said, smiling.
    We exited the sculpture garden and walked over to the intersection to cross the street.  I tossed my cup into the trashcan as a crowd of people started to gather , waiting for the light to change.  There was a group of students there, seemingly on some type of school trip.  A teenage boy squeezed by me, pushing me against Travis.  I saw him watching the boy, as if annoyed by the fact that he had shoved by me , but then he glanced down t o make sure I was okay.  As the “walk” sign lit up, people surged forward.  Travis easily moved ahead, but as people around me elbowed by, I started to fall behind.  He turned back to look for me and saw me struggling to keep up with him.  He reached back , and his hand gently grabbed my arm, tugging me toward him.
    “Thanks,” I said breathlessly.
    “That crowd looked like they were going to swallow you whole,” he