I miss sleeping next to you
Peyton
…
I miss it too.
The bed is too big without you
Liam
Gosh. I need to get home
I couldn’t agree more. By Friday, I’m vibrating with the anticipation of him getting back. But the stars are aligned against us. He calls me late on Friday afternoon.
“Hey,” he says heavily when I pick up.
“What’s wrong?”
“My flight got canceled. I’m sorry.” His voice is rough with exhaustion and an edge I want to believe is longing.
“Ah, I guess I’ll survive one more night alone.”
“I won’t.”
My heart hammers in my chest, but I play it cool. “Yeah, another night in a five-star resort. Harsh.”
For once, Liam doesn’t banter back. He floors me with: “I was dying to see you.”
I’m not ready to switch to this much honesty, so I deflect. “Understandable, I’d be dying too.”
He chuckles. “You know I’m gonna be home tomorrow and you’re gonna have to back all that sass up.”
“I’m more used to you backing me into stuff, like windows, walls of corn…”
“I have a few other surfaces in mind for tomorrow. Starting with the front door.”
“I thought we were going on a proper date, pretending to be civilized?”
“Yeah, but you also said you wanted me to kiss you at the end of the night. I never promised to be civilized about it.”
My toes curl in my socks; well, his socks that I’ve also stolen. We hang up after saying goodnight, and I curl up in the center of the bed, wrapping his hoodie tighter around myself. The silence of the forest outside usually makes me nervous, but tonight it sounds like a pause. A moment of suspension before everything changes.
34
PEYTON
On Saturday morning, I go to a HIIT class at Gym and Tonic to burn off a bit of this restless energy. Liam has, of course, a home gym. But I prefer to be in a group of people, sweating together, with an instructor keeping our motivation high.
My phone rings just as I’m getting out of the shower at home. The caller ID reads: Margaret Rockwood.
A chill runs through me despite still being steamed from the shower. What does Liam’s mom want? Why is she calling me and not him?
“Hello?”
“Peyton, darling! I’m so glad I caught you,” she chirps. “I heard Liam got stuck in Sedona last night. Do you know when he’ll be back?”
“His flight is supposed to land at one. He should get home by three.”
