I stare.
Blink.
Stare.
Then blink again.
What the actual?—
Holy fucking shit.
My heart kicks, as if it’s been only tapping since he walked away.
Now it’s kicking.
He answered.He actually?—
I didn’t think he’d…
I shoot up from the lounge chair so fast
my wine glass teeters.
I catch it before it slips off the edge,
steadying the phone in my other hand,
snapping the fastest screenshot of my life,
my thumb shaking.
Celie needs to see this. Now.
Before I convince myself
I hallucinated the whole damn thing.
I send the screenshot with no context, just:
BITCH
Then minutes, minutes, minutes?—
Bubbles.
Typing.
Gone.
Typing again.
Then the phone rings.
I don’t get a breath in when Celie’s voice explodes through the speaker.
“YO. SHUT THE FUCK UP.”
I let out this laugh-scream. It’s all I have.
