Chapter 15 #2
“Oh, I understand feeling protective. When I had to watch Noelle date her asshole ex, knowing he was a douchebag, it was brutal. Not that yours is the same issue, but I get it, man.” He stands up and grabs his phone from his bed.
“Why don’t you call her? It’ll make you feel better, I’m sure.
I’ll head over to Silas’s room and give you some time to talk to her.
” He holds out his fist to me, and I bump it.
“Thanks, brother. I know you’re tired, too, so I’ll try to keep it short.”
“Just text me when you’re done. Call your girl.” He opens the door and walks out.
I lie there for a minute, collecting myself before I call Chelsea.
She’s very intuitive, and I don’t want her to hear the stress in my voice.
I hate to even admit it to myself, but my curiosity is piqued.
I can’t figure out why my dad is so insistent on this.
And more importantly, what does he think he knows about my girl that I don’t?
After I pull in a few deep breaths, I lift my phone and press Call on her name. She answers after a few rings.
“Hey,” she answers.
Instantly, when I hear her voice, I feel myself relax.
“Hi,” I say, smiling. “Can I just say something before we start talking about other stuff?”
“Yeah, of course. Are you okay?” she asks, sounding concerned.
“I’m fine. I just wanted to tell you I miss you. I hope that doesn’t freak you out or anything. I know we haven’t been dating all that long, but I really fucking miss you right now.” I let out a hoarse chuckle. “You just make everything … better.”
I hear her take a deep breath in, and she pauses for a minute.
“I miss you too. Especially since I’m lying here in your bed and I can smell you on your pillow, and I’m surrounded by all your things, but you aren’t here.
I gotta say, it’s a bummer. But I know it was a rough day, and I’m sure it sucks ass, being stranded there.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to get home early tomorrow though. ”
“You’re in my bed?” I can’t help the stupid smile on my face.
“Well … yeah. I really miss you.”
It’s one thing to be with her and be able to see how she responds to me, but to hear her say it?
Makes me feel like I just won the Heisman.
I mean, I feel like she likes being around me the same way I do with her, but honestly, I’m still letting her work up to letting me in more, and I think we’re getting closer.
She’s definitely more open with me than she was when we first got together.
“I’m not sure if you’re making it better or worse. Is it weird that I’m jealous of my pillow right now?” I sigh.
She lets out a soft giggle, and I can hear her shifting around. Getting under the sheets maybe.
“Weird? Nah. I mean, I guess some people might think it was weird, but I don’t.”
“If we don’t think it’s weird, that’s all that matters.” I sit up and swing my legs to the side of the bed. “So, what’s your schedule tomorrow? You have class most of the day, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll be in class all day, and then I need to go to the library to study. I feel like I’m a little behind with my law school applications, so I need to try to get in some hours at the library over the next few months.”
“I’m not distracting you from that, am I? You just say the word, and I’ll give you the time you need. This is important to you.” I run my hand through my hair in worry, but also a little frustration. Frustration because my dad’s words are running through my head.
“Bo, I’m a big girl who can make my own decisions, but I appreciate you acknowledging that it’s important to me.
And I think you know me well enough by now to know that this is a priority to me and I won’t let anything get in the way of it.
But I’m also starting to feel like you’re”—she pauses, as if she’s trying to think of the right words—“important to me too.”
These confessions feel significant to me and really just solidify my growing feelings for her because the truth is … she’s more than important to me.
“You know how I feel about you, Chelsea. I’m all in.”
The silence lingers between us for a minute, but it’s not awkward. It’s a comfortable silence.
“I’d better let you go. As much as I don’t want to, I’m sure Casey wants to get to bed soon. It’s been a long day, and I know he’s feeling a little battered after today.”
“I bet. He took a few hits that made Noelle throw popcorn at the TV. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her so mad. She was ready to hop into that TV and defend her man.” She laughs, but it’s cut off by a yawn.
I nod even though she can’t see me. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“Okay, well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at some point? And if not, will you just let me know you got home safely?”
“Yeah, for sure. I’ll text you when I know what the plans are since you’ll be in class. Then we can meet up after you’re done studying.” I stand and move to my duffel bag. I unzip it and pull out my toothbrush and face wash. “I’m gonna go get ready for bed before he comes back in.”
“You mean wash your face and moisturize?” She tries to hold in a giggle, but she can’t and ends up snort-laughing.
“Skin care is important to men too. I can’t be letting all this sun exposure age me prematurely.” I mean, that is part of it, but also I just like to feel clean before I go to bed at night.
“Hey, I totally get it. It’s cute, really, that you have a routine with it. You won’t have as many wrinkles as you get older. So, you go take care of that. I’m going to bed myself since I have a busy day tomorrow.” I hear her moving around, and it sounds like she just plugged something in.
“All right. Sleep well. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” I walk in to the bathroom and set my things on the counter.
“You too. Bye,” she says softly and disconnects.
I set my phone down, brace myself on my hands, and look in the mirror.
I have a few little scrapes from the game, and I definitely look tired.
With a huff, I pick my phone back up and shoot off a text to Casey, letting him know I’m off my call, then look at the Weather app to track the storms. As much as I wish there were better news, it looks like we might be waiting here a while tomorrow. Fuck.