Irresistible

FOURTEEN

My eyes flutter open, the annoying ringtone of my phone waking me up out of my sleep.

I try to sit up, but I'm held back by Sage's toned arm draped tightly over my waist. We must have fallen asleep on the couch yesterday.

I gingerly search the couch, trying not to disturb the woman behind me, until my fingers finally find my phone wedged in the crack.

Glancing at the caller ID, panic sets in as I see a FaceTime call from Brooke.

I throw myself out of Sage's comfortable hold and hastily make my way down the hall to answer the call.

Running my fingers through my bedhead hair, I swipe my finger across the screen to answer the call, and my best friend's face appears on the screen.

"Hi! I just got home to Arizona," Brooke exclaims.

"That's good, how was your flight?" I ask, trying to sound more awake than I really am right now. I mean, I did tell Brooke to call me when she got there safely so this is partially my fault.

Brooke's eyes wander over my face, and she asks with a teasing grin, "Bitch, did you just wake up?"

I clear my throat and offer a sheepish laugh, "Um, yeah, I did."

"Girl, it's noon over there! What did you do last night?" Brooke laughs, her tone a mix of amusement and curiosity.

I gulp, knowing I can't tell Brooke what I was really doing last night.

I mean, it's not like I'm just gonna straight up say I actually made out with your sister, Brooke.

"I just fell asleep really early after eating a big-ass bowl of pancakes," I say, trying to sound casual. I move to sit on the end of the stairs, careful not to wake up Sage in the other room. It's not entirely a lie, but I still feel bad for not being entirely truthful.

"That sounds like you. Did you get the munchies or something?" Brooke laughs, her voice carrying a light teasing tone.

I shake my head, a soft chuckle escaping through my nose. "Nah, just my fat ass craving carbs, I guess," I reply, trying to play it off casually.

"So, what's up? How's Arizona treating you so far?" I quickly ask, hoping to steer the conversation away from my night. Slip-ups over the phone are the last thing I need.

"It's hot as hell here. I'm about to go out with a few friends," Brooke smiles, her excitement evident in her voice. But then she furrows her brows in confusion. "Wait, why are you sitting on your stairs?"

I quickly glance around, my mind scrambling for a plausible excuse.

"Oh, uh, I was just... uh... looking for something!" I blurt out, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment. "I thought I dropped my... um... my earring! Yeah, my earring. But I found it now!" I hastily gesture towards my earlobe, which is, of course, bare.

Brooke raises an eyebrow, a skeptical look crossing her face. "On the stairs?"

I nod vigorously, trying to maintain a casual demeanor. "Yeah, you know how it is, things can roll around and end up anywhere!" I chuckle nervously, hoping Brooke would buy my feeble explanation.

I'm really not helping my own case right now. Is that the best I can come up with?

Brooke shrugs, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "Alright then, just be careful not to trip or anything. Anyway, gotta go, but let's catch up later, okay?"

"Sure, definitely! Love you," I reply with a forced smile, relieved that I managed to divert suspicion for now.

"Love you!" Brooke replies before ending the call.