Page 96 of Cold Front
Christon: Well, we’re not sending you a ‘Congratulations on Dumping Your Toxic Ex’ fruit basket or anything…
Sasha: (I thought about it tho.)
Milo: (Same.)
Zoe: But yeah. We missed you, goofball.
Me: Okay, damn. I get it. Y’all don’t have to go that hard.
Zoe: But you’re OUR shitty friend. So. You know. We’re here.
The knot in my chest loosened just a little.
Me: I promise to keep in touch this time.
Sasha: You better. Otherwise, I will hunt you down.
Milo: Seconded.
Zoe: Thirded.
I didn’t doubt it.
Me: Thanks. For real.
Sasha: Don’t thank us yet. You’ve got like a year of drama to catch up on.
Christon: And you owe us ALL a drink when you’re back in Cali.
My fingers hovered over the keys before I typed:
Me: I’ll be there for Christmas break. Let’s make it happen.
The chat exploded with plans, half-jokes, and demands for details. I let myself sink into it.
Several minutes later, I set my phone down, exhaling slowly. The silence of the apartment pressed in again, but it didn’t feel as suffocating. Everything wasn’t fixed. But this, with my friends back home? It was a start.
I stretched my legs out on the couch, letting my head fall back against the cushion. The tension that had been coiled in my chest for weeks didn’t magically disappear, but something had shifted. Like a door that had been jammed shut, finally cracked open.
My phone buzzed again, this time with an incoming call. The word flashed across the screen—Unknown.
I stared at it, a familiar unease crawling up my spine. Anytime I got one of these, I was always in two minds. Was it some spam caller? A prank? Or someone I actually knew who just hadn’t switched off the caller ID block?
I should let it go to voicemail.
But some part of me hesitated, thumb hovering over the screen before I finally swiped to answer.
“Hello?”
Silence.
I clenched my jaw. “Who is this?”
A beat of silence. Then, “Wow. Didn’t take long for you to forget me.”
My stomach turned. “Chase.”
“Bingo.”
