“You being mean to me,” he said, like it was obvious. “Look, I know our timing has been off, but I was traveling.”
I sighed and pressed the phone between my ear and my shoulder as I slid on my panties and a pair of sweats. “I’m not being mean and I’m pretty sure you weren’t traveling without your phone.”
While he chuckled, I hit the speaker button and dropped the device on my bed to pull on my shirt. “Well, yeah. I had it with me, but time zones and whatnot.”
I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see it, leaving my bedroom and making a beeline for the kitchen. Since my plan had already imploded, I was getting that wine now. “What do you want, Jesse?”
“There are a few things we need to talk about,” he said after a brief pause. “Actually, that’s an understatement. We have a lot to talk about.”
I let out a quiet, incredulous laugh. “That might be true, but you’ve been ignoring me.”
“I haven’t.”
“Then why haven’t you called me back?” I reached my kitchen and went straight to the wine rack to pull out a bottle of red. “Don’t give me that bullshit about traveling. We both know that’s not why you didn’t pick up.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said, sarcasm slipping into my tone. “Did running off to another continent take up a lot of your time?”
“A little,” he said easily.
I uncorked the bottle and tried to ignore the way my heart was going ballistic right now. “What were you doing there anyway?”
“Long story.”
“Jesse.”
“I’ll tell you everything soon,” he said, his voice frustratingly calm. “I promise.”
“Why do you sound like this?” I asked, pushing up on my toes to get a glass off the shelf. “Why are you pretending nothing is wrong?”
“A lot’s wrong, baby.” He let out a quiet chuckle. “I’m just trying to focus on the positives.”
“What are the positives? They must be pretty fucking terrific for you to sound like you won the lottery.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Yes.”
“Look, it will make sense soon, okay?”
I closed my eyes for a second, trying to steady myself before I shook my head, my voice suddenly coming out a lot quieter and a lot less defensive. “What are we doing right now, Jesse?”
“I’m building suspense.”
“For what?” My heart couldn’t takesuspenseon top of the intensity of the emotions swirling around inside at hearing his voice again. “Just tell me why you called. Please.”
There was a brief pause. “Are you home?”
The question caught me off guard, my response coming a few seconds slower than it should’ve. “Yes, why?”
He didn’t answer, but my buzzer went off, and my heart started pounding. “Jesse, what did you do?”
“Go check,” he said, still sounding far too happy.
Anticipation barreled through me as I abandoned my wine and rushed to the door, every step faster than the last. I hit the button on the wall without even thinking, unlocking the door at the base of my building.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. My brain cycled through a dozen possibilities in the few seconds it took to get from the intercom to my front door. I thought he might be here, lookingeither furious, wrecked, or completely fine. I even considered some grand gesture.
