Matteo
I like that. When can I read it?
Jade
After I convince myself it’s not complete trash.
He doesn’t respond at first and I set my phone back down, planting my hands on the counter as I stare down at the mess I still need to organize. My phone vibrates again after a moment, except this time it’s not the normal short pattern from a text message.
My eyes widen as I glance at the screen. He’s calling me. We only spoke on the phone one time when I was rambling to him about this book last Sunday. Other than that, all communication has been through text.
My palms are instantly clammy. I swallow roughly, feeling the vibrations of the second ring. I could let it go to voicemail. I suck in a breath, holding it for a second before answering the call on an exhale.
“Hello?”
“I hope it’s okay I called,” he says in a rush. My breathing quickens at the sound of his voice, low and gravely.
“No, it’s okay. I just—I wasn’t expecting it.”
He’s silent for a moment and I quickly shuffle some of my things around on the counter. My eyes are beginning to feel like they’re permanently crossed. This mess will be here for me to sift through in the morning.
“You’re not busy, are you?”
“No.” My footsteps are light as I exit the kitchen, heading down the hall to my bedroom. “What are you doing?”
“I just got out of the shower, getting ready for bed. We have an early flight in the morning.”
“Are you guys flying back to Hillford?”
“Yeah,” he says. “Usually at the end of a roadtrip we fly home the same night, but since it’s so late, we were able to just stay tonight.”
“That makes sense. With the time difference, you guys wouldn’t be back until early morning anyways.”
“I sleep like shit on planes,” he admits as I put him on speakerphone and set my phone on the counter. I grab my toothbrush, sliding some paste across the bristles. “What are you doing?”
“Getting ready for bed, too.”
“Perfect timing,” he says softly.
“I’m going to brush my teeth. Tell me about your game or something so we’re not just sitting in awkward silence.”
Matteo laughs softly as I wet the toothbrush and put it in my mouth. He starts to tell me how their team is turning things around. They’ve won every game on their road trip and his points are up. I scrub my teeth as I listen to him intently, smiling at how his voice fluctuates with emotion.
Something about him demands my attention. I know better than to get involved with him, but that doesn’t mean I won’t let myself feel the way his presence draws me in.
I don’t bother to tell him I’m finished as I pull my hair back into a braid and walk into my bedroom. The words finally fall from his lips, the silence stretching as I’m sliding in between the covers on my bed.
“Sunny?”
“Yeah?”
“I didn’t know if you were still there.”
“Yeah,” I breathe, ignoring the smile creeping onto my face. “I was just listening.”
“I didn’t call to tell you all about my night.”
I lie down on my side, tucking my other hand beneath my head. “What did you call for then?”