Not much. I’ve been chilling on the couch trying to decide if I want to read or watch tv. You?
Can I call you?
She didn’t respond.
She just called.
Holy shit. Holy shit. She’s calling me. Oh fuck, what do I do? What do I say? Fuck, it keeps ringing. I need to answer. Deep breath. Okay, okay. I got this.
“Hey,” I answered, trying to act casual.
“What’s up? You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. I just… I would rather talk to you than text.” I ran a hand through my hair.
“Oh.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yeah.” She let out a little giggle. “It’s okay.”
“Did you pick?” I asked.
“Pick what?”
“TV or book.”
She hummed. “I was leaning toward reading. I’ve got this book that’s been sitting on my nightstand for weeks. I haven’t had time.”
I grinned. “What’s your most read genre?”
“Thrillers or murder mysteries, probably, but I read some fantasy and romance too. Do you like to read?”
“Not typically, but I’ve been reading a lot this week to keep busy.”
“Oh, nice. What do you like?”
“A little bit of everything. This week, I've read a non-fiction, a romance, a sci-fi, a memoir, and a horror.” I found myself smiling at the phone, imagining the way she might look right now, maybe curled up somewhere cozy. “What do you like about thrillers?”
She laughed this sweet snort-laugh, and I swear, my heart clutched its metaphorical pearls and fainted like an old lady in a soap opera.
“I like trying to figure out the twist before it hits, even if everything falls apart first.”
“That's fair. Life tends to fall apart a lot.”
“Yeah, like when your first kiss with a stranger while being held at gunpoint by a crazy man goes viral.” I could hear the smile in her voice and even picture her biting her lip.
“First kiss?” I asked. “Does that mean there's gonna be a second?”
“Oh my gosh.” She let out a breathless giggle that made me grip the phone tighter.
“But you didn't say no,” I murmured.
“I didn't say yes either.”
“Yet,” I said. “You didn't say yesyet.” I leaned against the couch as my thumb rubbed absent circles on the back of my phone.
“I’m glad you texted me,” she said, her voice softer. “You’re easier to talk to than I expected.”
