Mal:
You wanna go work out?
I debate this. I truly do. In my mind, I go over all the points, positive and negative, before deciding to respond to Mal.
Caleb:
He’s sick. Fever. This is his roommate btw.
I see the three little dots wiggle on the bottom of the screen.
And then a message from Aunt Del pops up.
Aunt Del:
Been worried about you. I know this time of year may be hard, with the anniversary of your mom’s death. Call me.
Fuck, his mom is dead?
Suddenly, Mal replies, asking if Caleb needs anything, and before I can respond, Aunt Del is calling.
I hold my breath, but answer all the same.
“Hello?” I hear her say on the other end of the line.
“Hello,” I reply softly. Caleb sighs against me, and I stroke the back of his neck gently.
“You must be the roommate. Mal messaged, said Caleb was sick.”
Well, that was fast.
“Yes, he is.”
She hesitates a moment and then asks, “Does he need anything?”
Caleb’s lips brush against my neck, and I bite back a cry for help.
“I don’t think so. I’ll take care of him.”
“I’m his aunt, by the way. You must be Whit. He’s told us about you.”
My heart explodes into tiny fragments, my vision going slightly fuzzy.
“Oh.”
“Nothing bad, I promise. But listen, I have some soup I’ve made up, and I have far too much. I’m going to stop by with some.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll call again when I’m close. I’ll bring his cousin, Luke, with me. Just for peace of mind.”
I hum my agreement, and she gives me a quick goodbye with a promise of being over later.
I set the phone down, thinking that this is enough prying for the day. I should never have messaged Mal, and I definitely shouldn’t have answered Aunt Del’s call. But what’s done is done, and honestly, he’s lucky to have someone out there who loves him.
He shifts against me, grunting in his sleep, and I place both of my hands against his back and stroke, feeling him shiver above me.
That shiver slips under my skin and sets me alight.
