AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He did.
The issue was, did he love her the way he used to? The way she deserved to be loved. Jesus. A few weeks chatting with another woman had his head spinning so much, he was becoming dizzy. As he tapped on the screen, he told Velvet. “Just one call, girl, then we gotta reel this shit in, yeah?”
Velvet didn’t answer him, she only stretched out, unaffected by the shit swirling around the house. He copied and pasted the number into the call screen and stared at it. One press of the green button would change everything. His finger hovered over it. It was the last words his wife spoke to him before she walked out the door earlier that had him pressing it. A simple, you’re on your own for dinner tonight had him connecting to Tilly. Gage’s pacing continued into the hallway, living room and kitchen.
One ring.
Two.
He listened as the third started.
_______________
Tilly’s heart moved into her throat when her phone rang. She’d been holding it, not letting it go since she waved goodbye to her family, pasting a smile on her face all the while knowing she was waiting for a call that would change everything. Her traitorous heart. It rang once, then twice. She didn’t have to answer. She could stop the rollercoaster now. Get off before it got too out of control, before she was tossed and turned, flipped upside down to the point that she lost her direction. Her life could go back to normal. And it was that thought, the days, the months, the years of exactly what she had, and worse, that voice that she’d hear until the day she died, taunting her that she hadn’t answered his call. All the what ifs that she knew, standing in her kitchen, she wanted to learn...with him. She took a deep breath and stayed on the rollercoaster when she accepted his call.
Her phone to her ear, she whispered, “Gage.”
Gage’s steps halted, a warming sensation flowed through his veins when he heard the soft female voice on the other end say his name. His voice was low and raspy when he said, “Tilly.”
Both Gage and Tilly knew from just the simplicity of saying each other’s name that their lives would never be the same, no matter what lie ahead. But neither cared at that moment, the moment when their paths finally collided.
A few beats of silence followed, both regaining their composure. It was Gage who spoke first, and he whispered, “Fuck, you sound so much better than I imagined.” He moved from the spot he seemed to be frozen in and sat on the edge of the couch.
A soft exhale came over the line. “My hands are shaking. My heart hurts it’s pounding so hard…” a short pause before she added, “I almost didn’t answer.” Another soft breath. “But just hearing your voice, I’m so glad I did.”
“I almost didn’t call,” he confessed, lowly, and went on, “But, I’m glad I did, too.” Gage had thought of all the things they’d talk about during this conversation, but at the moment, he couldn’t seem to find his words. “How long do you have?”
“They won’t be home until five, maybe even later.”
Gage glanced at the clock on the cable box. The bright blue lights displaying the time appeared different in that moment. Gage let out a chuckle. “Jesus, I feel like a fucking kid, like I’m gonna get caught by my parents or something.”
Tilly laughed softly. “Me too. I’ve never done this. Sure, I’ve looked for brain sucking aliens, but I’ve never found one. Who knew they could be so charming.” She teased then took another deep breath and added softly, “You are charming.”
The sweet sound of her giggle hit him in the gut; reeling in the feeling, he rose, and headed for the kitchen, telling her, “I haven’t either. Actually,” he paused not only at the island, but in conversation, and took a deep breath, “never thought I would. I get what you’re saying. I never thought consuming your own hair could make one so fucking beautiful. Go figure. And, thank you.”
She laughed out loud, before replying, “It’s the organic shampoo.”
Gage responded with a serious tone, “That makes sense. I should try doing that shit.” He laughed and asked, “How was your morning?”
“No, you really shouldn’t. The human eyes can only take in so much. You’ve already exceeded the limit.”
“Now look at who the charmer is,” Gage whispered.
“Is it being charming if you’re just stating facts? My morning was okay. I had a knot in my stomach, waiting for your call. Maybe I shouldn’t admit that, but I did share my beauty secret so… How about you? Are you on your fifth cup of coffee, sixth?”
Gage’s ass hit a stool and his shoulders slumped as he put his forehead in his hand. The easiness of their texting banter, flawlessly moved to a phone conversation. He recognized only being a few minutes into the call. He was fucked.
Gage sobered from the realization and asked, “Why? Does my heavy intake of coffee worry you?” When Tilly had found out that Gage’s veins were usually flowing with the delicious brew, she liked to tease him about it.
Tilly had wondered if they could slip from texting to talking on the phone and maintain the easiness of their banter. She wasn’t surprised they could. Their conversations weren’t superficial; they didn’t dwell on shit, but it wasn’t like they avoided what was going on in their lives. Maybe it was so easy because they didn’t live the day-to-day together, but instead, escaped it with one another. Whatever the reason, if she was being completely honest, she was attracted to him. Lying to herself was pointless. Physically, he was gorgeous, but his personality edged out his looks. It was a dangerous combination, and there was a part of her that knew she needed to proceed with caution. “Well, maybe a little. I like my coffee, too, but for you, it’s a food group,” she replied truthfully, then asked, “So how long did it take you to make the call? Because if it had been me, I think I’d still be pacing.”
Gage rolled around in his head that it was the unknown that drew them to each other. Of course, there was a bit of an appeal that lingered in the back of his mind. He chuckled, letting out the tightness of his guilt and told her, “Well, I did pace. And if you must know, I’m on cup five.” He let out a laugh.
Softly, she replied, “To keep it real, I paced, too. I think I carved a path in my kitchen floor I was going back and forth so many times.”
Gage laughed. “I hear ya. How fucking sad is this? You’re thirty-eight, and I’m forty-six, and we’re acting like fucking kids.” He rose and went outside, a spunky Velvet at his side.
“Maybe a little, but you can’t deny it feels good. Kids don’t know how good they have it, how when life catches up to you, those carefree days are over.” Tilly walked to the fridge for a bottle of tea. “Besides, by your own admission, you need your food blended, old man, you’re not a kid anymore.”
