Page 38 of I Blame the Rival

She sucks in a breath and I clutch my phone tighter.

“I didn’t mean for that to sound cheesy.” I run a nervous hand through my hair, “I’m just looking forward to seeing you again.”

Silence falls between us. Staring up at the ceiling, I start tracing invisible bellflowers in my head, wondering if Lacey has washed off the piece I drew for her yet.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“Always.”

She pauses and my breathing follows suit.

“You might be the most romantic person I’ve ever met.”

A quiet laugh escapes me, “I’m just being honest.”

“Well, you should keep doing it. I like it.”

I can hear the smile in her voice and there’s no amount of money I wouldn’t give to be able to see it right now.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Lacey makes a satisfied sound, “Good. Now, tell me about you.”

There’s movement on the other end of the line and I picture Lacey shuffling around a tiny dorm room overflowing with colourful books and blossoming plants. The image has my lips pulling upwards.

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

Everything.

The air disappears from my chest.

Most people write me off as the sullen younger brother of the town’s bully, the guy with the weird eyes and a sketchbook under one arm. But Lacey isn’t asking about the reputation that has stained the family name.

She’s asking about me.

I swallow, sweeping my eyes around my room. I can’t remember the last time someone genuinely wanted to know me, so I have no idea where to begin.

My sketchbook catches my eye and I decide to go with the obvious.

“Well, I like to draw.”

Lacey laughs, “I already know that. Tell me something else.”

My cheeks grow warm as embarrassment hits me.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m not that interesting.”

“That’s not true. You’re creative, funny, thoughtful, and played tag with me in an empty stadium last night. If that doesn’t scream interesting, then I don’t know what does.”

The crack in my chest grows wider with every kind word that floats down the line.

“Okay, I have an idea.” Excitement leaks into Lacey’s voice, “We’ll do five minutes of speed dating. I had to do this as an icebreaker in my management class and it was actually pretty fun.”

“What do I have to do?”

“It’s easy. I’ll ask you a series of questions and you just have to answer.”

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