He chuckles. “Fuck it. I’m just gonna ask. Have you talked to Eli since you’ve been on break?”
I’m honestly surprised he’s asking. I did leave that day, so I really only told Charlie, and she and Beck were a day behind me, so it sounds like she didn’t tell anyone, including my brother, that we broke up.
“No, I haven’t.” I sniff. “We actually broke up before I left.”
“Before you left? Were you broken up when I saw you at the library?”
“He came over on Friday before I left, and we broke up.”
He huffs a laugh.
“What?” I ask.
“Did he break up with you, or did you break up with him?”
“Why does it matter?” I laugh dryly.
“Because if he broke up with you, he’s a bigger idiot than I thought. But if you broke up with him, well, that’s pretty fucking fantastic.” He barks out a laugh.
His laugh makes me smile.
“I broke up with him.”
He pulls in a breath. “Good. He didn’t deserve you.”
“Thanks, Silas. That’s sweet of you to say.” I look at the time and see it’s three minutes to midnight. I breathe in. “It’s almost midnight.”
“Yeah, it is.”
We’re both quiet for a minute.
I break the silence first. “I guess I’ll let you go. We’re leaving in the morning, so I should probably get some sleep.”
“Can you hang on until midnight?” he says quietly.
If I looked at myself in the mirror, I would probably see pink in my cheeks. “Okay. I can wait.”
“I have a confession to make.” His deep voice sounds even deeper.
“Oh? Tell me. Or maybe I don’t want to know.” I try to act like I don’t care, but I so do.
“I wish I were with you tonight. I wish I could kiss you at midnight instead of being on the phone with you. I’ll settle for this. For now. But, Brooke?” He pauses.
“Yeah?” I breathe.
“Next year, when the clock strikes midnight, it’ll be my lips you kiss. I promise you that,” he practically growls.
I’m literally speechless as heat flows through me at the thought of kissing him again.
Fireworks startle me out of my haze, and I look at the time on my phone. Midnight.
“Happy New Year, Brooke,” he says softly.
“Happy New Year, Silas,” I reply with a whisper.
I can’t sleep. After we hung up, I tried reading my book, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
With a huff, I get out of bed and head to the door. Maybe a cup of chamomile tea will help me relax and get some sleep.
