“No, really, what is it? I can hear it in your voice.”
I smile weakly. Why can’t I remember you?
“Bad day,” I reply, shrugging, though he can’t see it.
“What happened?” Luke presses. I decide to let him in a little.
“My mom and I aren’t really getting along, and she made me go and talk about my feelings after school. Then I tried to call Jamie and she basically cut me off and hung up on me. I’m really sick of her drama,” I say bitterly, remembering forward to what I would consider some unnecessarily long arguments in the future. “She’s just so self-absorbed. Everything is about her. It drives me crazy sometimes!”
Luke laughs a little.
“What?” I reply angrily.
“Nothing, I’ve just never heard you mad. It’s cute.”
“It’s not cute!” I playfully shout at him. He laughs harder, and I join in. When we stop, Luke asks, “Seriously, though, what can I do to help?”
“It’s just nice to talk to you,” I say quietly. “This helps.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner,” Luke says softly, sending chills down my spine. “I was painting.”
“It’s no big deal,” I say, shrugging again. “I was eating onion rings and talking about feelings with my mom anyway.”
“So tell me about the…” Luke abruptly stops talking on the other end of the phone. “Just a second,” he whispers.
I hear Luke’s hand moving over the mouthpiece, and then a woman’s muffled voice. Luke’s reply is louder but equally jumbled.
Soon enough, he’s back.
“Sorry,” he says, returning to the conversation. “That was my mom. She wants me to get off the phone. She said it’s too late to talk.”
“Oh,” I say, trying not to sound disappointed, even though I know that my mom would feel the same way. “Okay, I guess we can catch up tomorrow then.”
“Okay,” Luke says.
“Good night, Luke.”
“Sweet dreams, London.”
He disconnects the call.
In the darkness, I stare at my phone for a few minutes, reveling in the warm feeling I got from the short conversation with Luke. I know I need to add details of the call to the note on my nightstand, but I don’t want to move just yet.
When I’ve finally willed myself to turn on the light and spoil my Zen moment, my annoying ringtone sounds again, and my heart leaps.
“Hello?” I say quickly.
“I forgot to tell you that you looked really pretty today,” Luke says in a whisper.
In the darkness, I feel my face flush.
“Thank you,” I whisper back.
“You’re welcome.”
For a few seconds, we are quiet. Every muscle in my body is tense, in a good way; it’s excruciatingly intimate. I’m lying in my bed, clutching the phone like a lifeline, hearing nothing but Luke’s measured inhale and exhale and my own quickening heartbeat.
If he were here right now, I’d kiss him. “Well, I guess I should go. My mom might come back,” Luke whispers, breaking the moment.