For you, I’ll always wait, I replied.
You’ll never have to again,he said.Can I call you?
I sat up and pulled the blanket around my shoulders as I opened my computer on the coffee table.Sure, I texted him.
The call came through, and I gave myself one more look before answering it. His face popped up on the screen, only illuminated by the light from his computer, and the shadows lit his godly features in the best way. His lips quirked on the right side, that crooked smile making my muscles weak.
My home was on the screen, and my mind eased as the remainder of that fear was pushed to the very back of my mind.
“Hey, baby,” he said softly.
“Hi,” I replied, enjoying the warmth and comfort in my soul as we settled into a soft lull to admire one another.
“How was the conference?” I asked.
“Fun, actually. Though, most adventures with Zayn are,” he answered.
“I think we should hook him up with Lana the next time she’s here,” I said, solely based on the few minutes I’d spent with Zayn at the speed dating event.
“Something tells me that would be dangerous,” he replied.
“Definitely,” I said. “They might burn the city down, but at least it would be entertaining.”
Our soft chuckles resonated in the space, and I couldn’t help resting my head on the back of the couch. I could tell he was itching to say something by the intense way he watched me, like a question was just on the tip of his tongue, and he was only waiting for the opportunity to say it.
“How was your day?” he asked, though I knew that was far from his actual question.
“A little boring, honestly. I watched tv, did a little reading—“
“Did you have the book I got you already?”
“I have it in an eBook, but not a physical copy.”
“Dammit,” he said under his breath. “I guess I have to find more.”
“You know I can’t keep these books here,” I said, batting my lashes. “They wouldn’t fit Tyler's aesthetic.”
Gavin’s smile widened. “I have somewhere you can keep them.”
I tried not to grin or blush, but he knew me too well, and I could hear his scoff as I pushed my hair back off my face.
“Did I wake you?” he asked.
“Not really,” I said. “I woke up about five minutes before you called.”
My smile must have faltered, or a solemnness threaded my voice because Gavin leaned up toward the screen, his eyes narrowing.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Ah… it’s nothing. Just a bad dream while I fell asleep on the couch,” I replied, squirming slightly. "Actually, it was more like a nightmare," I muttered.
“Was it about him?” he asked. “Your ex, I mean.”
I considered telling him. He deserved to know what had happened, deserved more of an explanation than this back-and-forth I had been giving him. And if I wanted to indeed be with him…
“Yeah,” I answered. “I dreamed that he found out where I was.”
Hurt and frustration clouded his eyes. “That’s why you deleted everything,” he realized, saying the sentence to himself more than to me. “Chloe, did he hurt you?”
