“Sorry, I’m way too tired.” A yawn escaped me.
“Then why aren’t you asleep?”
“Are you really gonna complain that I answered your call?”
“No,” he said. “Not at all. Honestly, I was worried you’d ignore me. I tried to be supportive, but Mitch warned me I might have been negative.”
Warmth blossomed in my chest. “You did your best. I know what you meant.”
“Good,” he said. “I won’t keep you too long, but this is an official check-in.”
“What’s an official check-in?”
“Rapid-fire questions where I make sure you’re okay.”
I blinked. “Uh, I’m not sure if I?—”
“I’ll keep it quick so you can get some rest. Here we go,” he said. I resisted the urge to groan and instead readjusted myself to get more comfortable. If this would make him feel better, then I’d suffer through it.
“Did you lock your door?”
“Uh, yes.”
“Check please.”
I really groaned this time. “But my bed ...”
“Safety trumps relaxation.”
“Fine.” I got up and looked through my bedroom door. “Yes. It’s locked. Both dead bolt and the handle.”
“Did anyone bother you?”
“No.”
“And did you eat?”
“Yes. Two meals.”
“It’s supposed to be three.”
“They were large.”
Joey sighed. “Piper. . .”
“Hey, you eat two big meals all the time! You wouldn’t say this if I were there.”
“Well, you’re not, and that’s half the problem.”
I let out a gasp as his words hit the center of my chest. “Joey, please don’t do this.”
He was silent for a long time.
For a moment, I considered ending the call. But this was my best friend. Something was up. I had a feeling it was me being away, but the least I could do was check in on him.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
It took him a long time to answer. “I’m fine. But this feels weird, having you somewhere else.”
