AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Braden
After almost twelve hours at The Pit, I plop down on my bed, exhausted.
I wish I was off skiing and having fun with everyone else.Except, no, I don’t. I mean, I do, but being there while Maia and Vince get engaged? That’s a little too much. I’m fully over her, no doubts about that. Especially since I’ve been talking to an incredible girl who has been rapidly taking up space in my heart. But it’s still not easy to watch your ex get engaged. I love them both, and I’m happy for them, but I’m glad I’m not there for that.
My phone rings, and my heart flares. My Firecracker.Mine?Not sure yet.
“Hello?” I answer, pressing the phone to my ear as I stare at the ceiling.
“Hey. How are you?”
“Exhausted. But I’m always better when I’m talking to you.”Cheesy.For some reason, I can’t help it with her.
“Same. Such a long, stupid day today.” She yawns. “I hate the days when I’m stuck on campus all day. And then—” She stops short.
“Yeah?”
“Well, uh, this guy asked me out today.”
Every muscle in my body tightens as jealousy courses through me. “Oh? What did you say?” I manage to keep my voice even and calm, despite the fact that I’m raging internally.
“That I had a boyfriend.” Her voice is certain with that spark of sass I love so much.
“A boyfriend, huh?” I ask, feeling much better now.
“I don’t know if that’s really what you are, but I like what we’re doing and I’m not interested in doing it with anyone else.”
“Good answer. Now I have another question.”
“Hit me with it, Jack.”
“Do you want me to be your boyfriend? More than just your phone boyfriend?” This is the first we’ve talked about moving beyond the phone since we started talking. The last month has been awesome. We talk every night. But that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s ready for the real world.
“I want to, but… I told you I’m committed to this nursing thing. Even on the hardest days—and there are a lot of those—I love it. I don’t have much time to give right now other than what I’m giving you. I—” She lets out a long breath and I try to ignore the achy feeling in my chest. “If we meet in person, start actually dating, it’ll becomesomething. And I can’t give you enough of me yet. So… I know this sounds stupid, but could we wait? Keep doing this until the semester is over and then we can meet in person? Spend the summer figuringusout?”
My heart is pounding a million miles a minute. She wants to keep doing this. She wants more with me. She feels how I feel. “Yes,” I say, my throat feeling inexplicably dry. “On one condition.”
“What?”
“Call me your boyfriend. Yeah, it might not be in the traditional sense, but that’s what I want you to see me as.”
“And you’ll call me your girlfriend?”
“That’s the idea. I’m sure as hell not interested in anyone else, Firecracker.”
“I really like you,” she breathes. “That sounds dumb and totally middle school, but it’s the truth.”
“I really like you, too. So, now that’s settled, tell me about the rest of your day.”
“Well, it was…” she continues on, telling me all about her day. I hang on her every word, just like always.
I’ve never felt captivated like this before.
Sure, I had a mega crush on Maia when we were little. Her snark and her smile made me want to be around her every second. It never felt like this, though. Most of the time, it was just simple with us, easy. Until it wasn’t anymore.
This is different. It sparks something inside me. Something I didn’t know I was missing before. I’m trying not to get caught up. We haven’t even met in person. But the truth is, I’m falling harder for her than I knew I could fall. If that’s just from talking to her on the phone, I can’t even imagine how intensely I’ll feel when I finally meet her in person.
Maybe it’s a good thing we’re taking it slow.
