Stevie sat at the kitchen table, scrolling on her phone, while Jennifer moved around the kitchen, busy making dinner for them. Stevie offered to help of course, but she was told, no, you are a guest here.
"Sun of a bitch!" Jennifer yelled out and Stevie jumped to her feet. "Goddamn..."
"What happened?" Stevie asked, instantly concerned.
"Hot oil on my hand." Jennifer pointed then walked over to the sink and let the cold water run over her skin for a minute. "So, that's what it takes, huh? Me getting hurt?"
"What are you talking about?" Stevie frowned, returning to her seat.
"You haven't said a word in like and hour." Jennifer pointed out. "Something that interesting on your phone?"
"Oh, uh..." Stevie shook her head, pulling her feet up, she hugged her knees to her chest. "No, just... I've been looking at some pictures, that's all."
"Oh? And who got you smiling like that?" Jennifer teased, leaning against a kitchen counter.
"I wasn't-"
"Lindsey?" Jennifer smirked.
"Yeah." Stevie replied with a sigh.
"Why don't you call him? I don't get it. Hasn't that been your plan for the past week now?"
"I don't want to be left disappointed." Stevie admitted, eyeing her phone. "What if things have changed since we last saw each other? What if he's back home and he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore?"
"Could be." Jennifer shrugged and received a glaring look. "All I'm saying is that if you don't reach out to him, you'll never know. You've met someone you're head over heels in love with and you can't even give him a call?"
"I'm not in love with him." Stevie emphasized. "Maybe I should give him some time instead, so he can think about everything that happened clearly."
"Or maybe you're second guessing everything that happened yourself?" Jennifer gave her a look. "I get it, you got lost in the moment, but-"
"No." Stevie interrupted. "No, I, uh... I do actually like him. A lot."
"So, go!" Jennifer ordered. "If you don't want me eavesdropping, go to the other room and dial the damn number."
Stevie silently thought about it for a moment. She wanted to talk to Lindsey, she'd missed him. However, she was scared. Scared of starting something new, scared of hearing a different kind of answer from him than the one she expected.
"Okay." Stevie nodded taking a deep breath.
She grabbed her phone and went to her temporary room. She closed the door and walked over to the bed, she took a seat. She found Lindsey's number and her thumb hovered above his name for a few seconds. Giving herself a quick pep talk first, she tapped the screen to call him.
There was no answer for a long moment. Stevie immediately started regretting her decision. She was about to hang up, when Lindsey finally picked up.
"Hello?"
It wasn't him.
"Hello? Can you hear me?"
It was a woman.
