Page 39 of Late Nights

We never texted each other. I could count on one hand the number of times we had texted.

My heart raced at simply the thought of him having sent me a text, and I unplugged my phone, lying back down in my bed. Tapping on the message, I read his text.

Cannon: Are you awake?

I could see our last text conversation had been almost five months ago when I’d been trying to get ahold of West. He had turned his phone off to spend a whole day with Halle without any distractions, and I’d never not been able to reach him, so in my worry, I had texted Cannon.

I typed out my response.

Me: Yes.

The dots appeared immediately, his reply coming up quickly.

Cannon: Hi.

I smiled. Was he just texting me to say hi? Or was he thinking about me too, about our almost-kiss?

Me: Hi. :)

My heart continued to race as I waited to see what he would say next.

Cannon: Are you having late night Mario Kart withdrawals, or is that just me?

Me: LOL

Me: I’m definitely experiencing symptoms of withdrawal.

In the short time we’d been living together, we’d already gotten into a routine of staying up late together. It had quickly become my favorite part of my days. And it had nothing to do with Mario Kart and everything to do with Cannon.

Cannon: Glad I’m not the only one.

Me: Who knew Mario Kart could be so addictive?

And by Mario Kart, I meant Cannon.

Cannon: Yes, it’s very addictive. So addictive that I can’t stop thinking about it.

My breaths were now increasing as well. His words had me feeling like he wasn’t talking about Mario Kart either. I wanted to say something flirty back, but I was struggling to know how to navigate this new side of our relationship, this new side to Cannon I had only ever seen him use with other women, not me.

Me: I wonder if there are Mario Kart Anonymous group meetings we could attend.

Cannon: LOL

Cannon: I have a feeling once you play Mario Kart, there’s no going back.

Me: Me too.

Cannon: I’m pretty sure your brother wouldn’t approve of my obsession with Mario Kart.

Cannon: Nor would your dad, for that matter.

Wow. He was really going there. I couldn’t believe he was actually talking to me about this. I mean, it was through text and under the pretense of a video game, but still. It was a big deal for him to put out there what he was feeling and thinking. My heart swelled at his use of the word obsession. Is that what he felt? Or was he exaggerating in this analogy we were using to mask our true feelings?

Me: You don’t think they would be supportive?

Cannon: Not with my background or how I’ve gone from one video game to the next.

His background? I wasn’t sure what he was referring to, other than how he never talked about his life before his grandfather had stepped in.

---