Page 227 of Love Me Stalk Me

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He chuckles. "Same."

Silence stretches until he clears his throat. "Got your text."

"Yeah." I rub the back of my neck. "Figured I should probably check in."

Another pause. Not uncomfortable, just... unfamiliar.

"How's the job?" he asks.

"It's good," I say. "Busy. Security's been a mess lately."

He grunts. "Yeah, retail'll do that."

Silence again.

"You... got anyone in your life now?"

I hesitate. Then, I say what I've never said before.

"Yeah."

Silence.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." I exhale. "She's... special."

Dad doesn’t speak right away, but I hear the shift in his breathing, the way he takes that in.

"That’s good, son," he says at last, his voice rougher than before. "That’s real good."

I swallow, my throat suddenly tight. "She's actually the one who told me to call you," I admit.

That gets another pause. Then, a soft chuckle. "She sounds smart."

"She is."

Another pause, but this time, it's comfortable. We talk a little more. Just small talk. Work. The weather. Simple topics. But it's the longest conversation we've had in years. And before we hang up, we promise to do this again. Sooner than next Christmas. I stare at my phone, my chest tight, a warmthsettling there.

I turn back toward the bedroom and find Izzy standing in the doorway. She looks like she just woke up, her hair a mess, her tank top hanging loose on one shoulder, uncertainty in her eyes.

"Sorry," she murmurs, shifting slightly. "I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. I just needed some water."

I shake my head, smiling faintly. "I told you. No secrets."

The irony of that statement doesn't escape me.

She nods, rubbing her arms, and I step past her, grabbing a glass from the counter, filling it with water before handing it to her. She takes it, smiling softly. As we walk back to the bed, she murmurs, "I'm proud of you, you know?"

I glance at her.

"For calling your dad." She takes a sip, then looks at me over the rim of the glass. "I know that wasn't easy."

I don't know what to say to that. So I don't respond with words.

Instead, I kiss her.

Soft, slow.

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