“What are you smiling about?” Hannah asks, eyeing me carefully.
“Nothing.” I pocket the phone.
For the rest of the night, I try to not think about Sophie and focus on being a considerate date to Allison.
Later that night, I lie awake, not able to sleep.
It’s after midnight, but I take a chance and reach for my phone to call Sophie.
She picks up on the third ring.
“Did I wake you?” I ask.
“Yeah.” Her groggy voice is adorable. I let myself imagine her curled up in bed. The visual makes my chest ache.
“Sorry. I can let you go.”
“What did you need?” she asks.
“Need?” I echo.
What did I need?To hear her voice. To know she’s okay and I didn’t scare her off.
“Why were you calling?” she whispers.
“I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m okay, Hunter. I was being honest when I said it earlier.”
“Okay.” I sigh. “I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been thinking about you.”
“Sorry you can’t sleep,” she says, sounding more awake now. “Do you usually have trouble sleeping?”
“No. It’s new. I think it’s your fault. That’s why I called you.”
“My fault?” She laughs quietly.
“Tell me more about you.”
“Because you think it’ll be boring and you’ll be able to fall asleep?”
“Because I like the sound of your voice. It’s relaxing.”
She lets out a soft hum. “What do you want to know?”
Everything.
The thought materializes out of nowhere. For a moment, I’m disoriented by it. Maybe I’m more tired than I thought.Keep it simple.
“When did you start running?” I ask.
“Um, in high school. I was on the cross-country team. It was part of Griffin’s plan to keep me busy so I wouldn’t have time for boys. My freshman year I had a huge crush on a senior guy on the team, so it wasn’t successful.”
“You dated the guy?”
“No. I was a nerd, always studying. And I was all awkward limbs and no boobs, not exactly a magnet for the popular guys.”
“Hmm. I love your long legs. As we established tonight, it makes it easier to fuck you standing up.”