Only a tiny bit.
Me
I’ll take it.
Did you wrap up your shiftalready?
Eliza
Yeah, I’ve been home about an hour.
Me
I’m surprised you’re still awake.
Eliza
Couldn’t sleep.
I staredat the most recent text from Eliza. She couldn’t sleep because she was waiting for me to get home or…was it something else? My eyes flicked to the time in the corner of the screen, and I realized it was just before midnight.
Colin and I had grabbed the boxes Mom packed for us, plus we helped her clean out more of the basement, going through boxes she hadn’t opened in years and seeing what to keep, donate, or toss. I’d left around ten, but by the time I parked the car and brought my things up it’d been close to an hour.
Luckily, I didn’t start my shift tomorrow at Lake Ridge until the afternoon.
My thumbs hovered over the keyboard, ready to respond to Eliza’s most recent text, but I decided to call her instead. The phone rang once before she picked up.
“Can’t get enough of me, can you?” she asked, her tone sultry and teasing.
“You’re the one who picked up right away.”
“Whatever,” she said with a laugh, and I could practically see her reaction. Her lips pulling into a smile as she rolled her brown eyes. Silence filled the line before she asked, “But the drive back was okay for you?”
“Yeah, it was fine. Just listened to some music. The hour flew by.”
The more time I spent with Eliza, the more surprised I was that she preferred casual. She had a big heart. She cared deeply about those around her. I saw it with the way she was with Lily,Jules, and Wes. With her grandma and brother. That wasn’t someone who kept those she cared about at arm’s length. It was someone who loved and cared fiercely.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said immediately. “I’m good.”
“But you couldn’t sleep?” I asked.
“Just had a few things on my mind.”
“Wanna tell me about them?”
“I don’t know…” She trailed off with a laugh. “That doesn’t feel very casual.”
“Well, we’re still friends, right?”
“Right. Do you, uh, want to come over? Just for a few minutes.”
I hadn’t expected her to ask, but maybe it’d be easier to pick up on what was going on if I could see her. “Yeah, of course. I’ll be right over.” I hung up the phone and slipped on a pair of sneakers.
Once I was out of my apartment, I didn’t have a chance to knock on her door before she pulled it open to let me in. She looked breathtaking in a navy tank top and matching shorts. Her goddamn pajamas were going to be the death of me.
Shewas going to be the death of me.
