Two. Two.
Three. Three.
Four. Four.
I tapped my right foot against the floor. It wasn’t often I employed my left foot. It felt too much like an odd number. I didn’t have good feelings about it or anything on the left side of my body.
“Calling isn’t healthy. Neither is it wise. I’ve mistaken you for a wise man.”
I squeezed my eyelids together, tightly, regretting every word I’d released.
What is that, Range?
“It won’t be your last mistake,” he spoke, claiming possession of a heart that had gone unclaimed by anyone who didn’t share the same blood.
“These calls are putting my license at stake.”
“Almost everything you do puts your license at stake, Sunshine.”
“My name is R–”
“Don’t answer the phone if you’re uninterested. It’s simple.”
I sighed. Dramatically. Exhaustedly. Still, I didn’t have the courage to end the call. I dreaded the moment our time was disrupted. Our disconnection would leave me restless.
“What is it that you need, Josiah?” I finally made out, frustrated with the way I craved his words. The way I needed him to keep talking. The way I needed him.
An imperfect stranger.
A part of the team.
A calculated man.
A considerate man.
A criminal.
A chemist.
“You.”
“Sunshine,”I scoffed, hating and loving the analogy simultaneously.
Roaman’s words clung to me. I hadn’t forgotten our conversation. Neither had I forgotten her reference between me and the sun.
“And, then, he goes and call m–”
I pressed my fingertips against my mouth. So much was happening in my head. So much was happening in my chest. Emotional discomfort overwhelmed me. Tears welled in my eyes. I wanted to be freed of this feeling while also wanting to drive my body into the bulging lava, not concerned with the consequences.
Snap. Snap.
“Focus, baby,” I demanded, clearing my throat.
I twisted the ring on my finger, readjusting my line of vision. In six minutes, I was due inside, at the table and across from the man who haunted my dreams last night. The night before. And, the night before.
I toyed with the idea of removing the diamond. The interior wall of my bottom lip slid between my teeth. I closed my eyes, again, struggling to stay afloat. I was in foreign territory. Unchartered waters. And, they were up to my neck.
“Fuck.”
