Page 38 of You Rock My World
My phone pings right back.
Josie
Yep, still up. What’s going on?
I grin, picturing her curled up on a couch with a book in her lap. Just the thought of her calms my frayed nerves. I text back.
Dorian
Mind if I call you?
Instead of a reply, my phone starts buzzing with an incoming call. I smile as I answer, “Hi.”
“If this is a booty call, you’re about 364 days too early,” Josie jokes, her voice warm and light.
I chuckle because even on a night like this, she makes me smile. “Hey,youcalledme, so we’re both bad at self-restraint tonight.”
I keep my tone playful, but something in my voice must give me away.
“What’s wrong?” Josie asks, her lighthearted tone replaced with concern.
“Billie Rae showed up at my house. Drunk, high, I don’t even know. She was a mess.”
The words start pouring out of me, every bitter accusation Billie hurled, every biting remark. I don’t hold back, letting Josie see the ugly reality of what I’m dealing with. Of what she’s getting herself into.
As I talk, I realize how freeing it feels to confide in someone without worrying about ulterior motives. Josie listens, really listens, without judgment or an agenda. She won’t sell my secrets to the press or twist my words against me.
“I’m so sorry you’re going through this, Dorian,” Josie says when I finally fall silent. “I can’t imagine how difficult it must be.”
“I feel better already, just being able to talk to you about it. I trust you, Josie. Completely. And that… that means everything to me right now.”
A beat of silence follows, then Josie’s voice filters through. “I’m here for you, always. We’ll get through this together.”
Together.Her promise wraps around me and holds me.
I’m tempted to tell Josie everything I feel, to pour out my heart and lay it all on the line. But I don’t want to overwhelm her, not when we’re both still navigating this new connection between us. Instead, I force a chuckle.
“Well, if we can survive a blackout and an elevator Armageddon, we can handle anything, huh?”
Josie laughs, and the sound washes over me, soothing the jagged edges of my soul like a balm. “You’re right. We make a pretty good team.”
I hope we do because what’s coming won’t be easy. But I don’t want to think about that now. I need positive vibes, so I change the subject. “What were you up to before I so rudely interrupted with my late-night texts?”
“Oh, I was sketching. I had a random burst of inspiration and had to get it down.”
This catches me by surprise. “Wait, you draw? I had no idea.”
“More illustrate, digitally. See, this is what I’m talking about,” Josie teases. “We still have so much to learn about each other.”
“I can’t wait to discover all your secrets, Josie Monroe,” I reply, meaning it with every fiber of my being.
“Easy tiger. You just used your seduction voice on me,” she accuses, but I can hear the smile in her tone.
“My seduction voice?”
“It’s the one you switch to in movies any time you’re about to kiss someone. All low and husky and sexy as hell.”
Now I lower my tone on purpose. “How many times have you watched my movies?”
