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“Enough about me. I called because your boy-toy wanted to know why you haven’t called him yet.”
She goes right in for the kill. I have to give it to Maya. She’s never been one to pull her punches, but neither have I.
“Because he hasn’t called me.” I cross my arms over my chest. “If he really cared about me, he’d call.”
“Not if you were the one to walk out on him, Ava.” Maya sighs. “This man hacked the college database to find one of your friends so he could figure out what was going on.”
“And I should find this clear invasion of privacy endearing.” I roll my eyes before pushing back off the bed and resuming my pacing.
It’s flattering that Callen went through all this trouble to get in contact with one of my friends, but he could’ve just as easily called me.
“Don’t be a bitch, Ava.”
“How is this me being a bitch? He could have called me and asked me how I was doing. Instead, he broke I don’t know how many laws to get my friend’s information.”
“He didn’t only call to see why you haven’t called. He wanted to know things about you. Your favorite flower, color, pastry, all those random first date questions I’m sure you never got around to because you ran away.”
“I didn’t run away.”
She chuckles, the same curious look on her face. “Maybe not physically, but mentally. You’ve always been so focused on reaching the goals you’ve set for yourself that you risked the chance of missing out on what is right in front of you.”
“Fair enough. But what if he changes his mind?”
Fear of the unknown tightens its grip around my heart, giving me the answer to all my problems.
I’ve clung to my plan as a means of control, to stop the swirling emotion of uncertainty that comes with almost every interaction I’ve had with people since I was younger. I’ve never known if the next person I got closer to would leave me alone like my parents. Until Callen, I never let anyone besides the girls get close to me. Even letting them in took time, but Callen broke down my walls in twenty-four hours.
“Can I give you some advice?”
Why the hell not? Right now, I could use all the help I can get.
I nod, not voicing my internal thoughts.
“The best things in life are the ones you take a chance on. Think about all the things you’ll miss out on if you don’t try.”
Ugh, I hate it when she’s right. I know in my heart that if I don’t let Callen know how I feel, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. He has made it more than clear that he wants to be with me. It’s time for me to take a leap of faith. I just hope he’s there to catch me. I can’t keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, or I’ll miss out on something wonderful. And I’ll never be able to be loved the way I deserve. The way Callen swears he will.
“Thank you, Maya.”
“For what?”
“For calling. For the pep talk. Everything.”
“You’re welcome. Oh, and I expect to have your firstborn named after me.”
“Haven’t you already…” I say, but she ends the call.
“She is so lucky I love her,” I mutter as I stare at my blank phone.
It’s time I take matters into my own hands. With my newfound courage, I shove my phone into my pocket, grab my shoes, and head out the door. If I’m going to tell a man I’m in love with him, I’m not about to do it over the phone. I have no idea what I’m getting into or even if he wants to hear what I have to say, but I can’t wait any longer. It’s time for me to stop letting fear control me and start living my life.
I take the stairs two at a time, reaching the bottom floor in record time. I head straight for the front desk, needing to call a car to take me back to Callen’s place. I just hope he’s there.
I should probably call and let him know I’m coming, but I don’t want to take the chance that I’ll blurt out my feelings over the phone. This is an in-person type of conversation. Besides, if he isn’t there, I can always just wait on his doorstep. He has to come home at some point, right?
As I approach the front desk, the deep baritone of Callen’s voice wraps around me like a blanket.
“You can’t give me her room number?” Callen leans his arm on the desk, giving the receptionist one of his panty-dropping smiles, adding a wink for good measure. “It’d be between us.”
