AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m lying on my bed a couple hours after dinner. I shouldn’t be this excited about talking to him, but I am. I thought about leaving my work clothes on so I look more put together, in my head at least, when he calls, if he calls, but comfort wins out. I have my hair pulled back in a fat scrunchie, decompressing in my workout wear, when my notifications ring again. After I pull down the bar to reveal Rafael’s ‘I’m ready message,’ I pull the trigger first and ring him. It cycles through twice before he answers. His side of the call spools for a second then his face comes in crystal clear.
“Ciao, Bella. You look very comfortable all tucked down in your blankets.”
“It just feels right for how the week has gone so far. You look tired. How did it go last night?”
“I am still a bit tired. The scenes went well. They were emotionally draining though. It was events that follow what you and your friend saw at the house. I’m always to myself after days like that.”
“If you need time for you since it’s quiet, we can talk another time. It’s no problem.”
“That’s a very sweet offer. Normally I would. Today, I’d rather be talking to you. Let’s stick to things that are non-work related though.”
I smile a bit. “I understand that all too well. It’s been a busy one for me too. How’s Violet? Have you gotten to see her recently?”
“I have. After I messaged you last, I rang my mother before she went to sleep. Violet was at her side, literally. Her ears would rotate every time I spoke. I can’t wait to take her for a walk, a run, or even to the beach.”
“You like the beach?”
“I do. I love the water even more. Have you ever snorkeled off a reef?”
“I haven’t. I’ve always wanted to. I was supposed to go on a trip I had coming up, but that’s a story for another day.”
“Sounds like it’s quite a story.”
“One I’m not ready to get into, if that’s okay.”
Rafael folds his arm beneath his head and adjusts his phone to maintain his face in my frame. “I will never pressure you to tell me anything you’re not comfortable talking about.”
“Sylvia seems to think you like me because you’re under the assumption I’m uncomplicated.”
He chuckles. Add his laugh to the growing list of things I like about him. He says something in Italian I don’t understand, but I also don’t want to know because I just like hearing whatever, as long as it’s in another language from him. His voice vibrates like a bass drum in my chest.
“It’s one of the things I will find out about you, Bella.”
“I know that I asked you this before, I think. Are you excited to be going home when you actually get there? I know how I feel when I have to live out of a suitcase for just a few days. I can’t imagine what it’s like for weeks at a time.”
“I always love going home. I do like roaming as well. It’s a delicate balance for the soul. Mama calls it a rooted free spirit.”
“Wow. I never thought of it like that. I like it.”
”Is that who you are too then, Bella?”
“It’s interesting. The city where I grew up is home, but never quite felt like it. Atlanta feels like home. Every city has its soaring moments and it’s not so nice ones. I feel like the good outweighs the not so here. This is where I came right after graduation. Sylvia came to live with me later and decided to stay after she was here for only three days. So I guess it had the same effect on her.”
“Where is your original home, Ava?”
“I grew up in a suburb of Chicago, the northern side. It’s what we call a bedroom community. People live there then drive into the city to work. I stayed nearby for college too. I graduated from Northwestern. Moving here was a big deal. I was away from all my family and most of my friends until Sylvia joined me.”
“You’re brave.” I can feel a flush rise through my face. It starts at my toes and floats all the way up through my cheeks. I don’t do a good job of hiding it and he calls me out on it. “Have I embarrassed you?”
“No. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“I’ve never been called brave before.”
“Then those people haven’t been paying attention.”
“You have?” Now it’s his turn to be lost for words. “You don’t have to answer that.”
