Kieran shook his head. "I send one message, and suddenly I'm getting video calls from famous hockey players."
"Hey, I appreciate the message," I replied. "Most people spent the last twenty-four hours just asking me a bunch of random questions."
"But?"
"But you actually asked if I was okay."
For some reason, that made Kieran smile. "Well... are you?"
"Better now," I said, holding Kieran's gaze through the screen. "Especially since I'm talking to you."
A grin spread across his face.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
The question seemed to catch him off guard. "Right now?"
"That's usually how that question works."
A laugh escaped him. "I was trying to decide whether ordering takeout counts as cooking."
"It doesn't."
"That's what I thought."
The easy smile lingered on his face, and I understood why I’d spent the last two days thinking about him.
Two days.
I'd spent two days telling myself that whatever had happened between us belonged to one extraordinary night. Seeing him again was making that theory harder to defend.
Kieran shifted slightly on the couch. "Honestly? Not much. I was trying to convince myself to do something productive."
"How's that going?"
"Nowhere."
"Good."
"Good?"
"It means I haven't interrupted anything important."
His smile returned. That smile was becoming a problem. The realization arrived quietly but firmly. I wanted to see him. Not tomorrow or next week. But now. The thought should have given me pause. Instead, it felt obvious.
Before I could talk myself out of it, the next question was already out of my mouth. "Where are you?" I asked.
This time, he hesitated.
His expression changed slightly. It wasn’t discomfort… more like surprise. "Home."
"I figured that much."
Another laugh.
God, I liked making him laugh. I found myself smiling right back. "Where's home?"
The hesitation lasted a little longer this time. Then Kieran exhaled softly. "You planning to stalk me, Hale?"
