Page 25 of That Secret Something

Rebecca: I can see you’re online, Grant

Trouble sleeping too?

Dammit. I could hardly ignore her now. There goes my snooping detective badge. I sucked in a deep breath, pushed my glasses up my nose, and typed. Seconds later, I deleted it all, and opted for something simple.

Jess: Hey

She replied instantly.

Rebecca: Hey? That’s coldddddd when I’ve been waiting here for you all week

I smiled at the screen. I could almost hear her teasing tone.

Jess: Sorry, I’ve been busy

…And a little scared really

Rebecca: How on brand for you

A warm sensation swirled in my chest, and I shook my head. I guess she was right. How much did Rebecca Lawson actually know me, though?

Rebecca: What are you scared about? You can talk to me

I stared at the screen, re-reading the words. Maybe she did have a point. We needed to talk, but this wasn’t something to speak about over text. How could I explain to her how I felt? This had been something that had accumulated over years and years.

But I didn’t want this hanging over our heads for the whole of Lily’s wedding preparations. And if I wanted anything to work with Jade—if I even did want that—I needed to get this off my chest, too. Only, that meant addressing the big, Rebecca-shaped elephant in the room.

Jess: Us. Whatever this is. I think we do need to talk

It was a long, agonising minute before she replied.

Rebecca: I think so too.

I breathed out a sigh of relief, quickly followed by a shot of panic. If we agreed we needed to talk, did that mean there was something between us? The idea that Rebecca could actually have any sort of feelings for me would’ve made me pass out if I wasn’t already horizontal. There was another sensation too, tingling away in my stomach. Hope? Excitement?

This wasn’t happening. I must have fallen asleep and started lucid dreaming. I was about to pinch my hand when my phone vibrated with another message.

Rebecca: So… Walk with Sausage tomorrow?

That could work. But judging by the fact it was now 3:03 a.m., I assumed an early morning walk was out of the question. Could we wait until the late afternoon? The thought of being with Rebecca all day and not knowing how she felt made those tingles in my belly amplify tenfold, but I didn’t really see another choice. I’d have to organise Lily, entertain my mum, and not be distracted by Rebecca, all in one space. Who thought that this would be a good idea? The addition of a bad night’s sleep to that delightful weekend cocktail made me want to suffocate myself with my duvet.

Jess: After the second shop? In the afternoon?

Rebecca: Works for me

Jess: Okay, good! We should get some sleep then

Rebecca: I’d invite you round to count sheep…

But you’d probably say we need to talk first

Heat flooded through me at the implication. Whatever Rebecca was thinking about, ‘counting sheep’ wasn’t going to be innocent. My heart thumped loudly in my chest. My fingers danced across the keypad, and I hit send.

Jess: Maybe some other time

Rebecca: Now we’re talking ??

I clutched my phone to my chest, feeling myself throb. How one woman could affect me so greatly was highly concerning. Especially when nothing had even happened yet.

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