𝘉𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘪𝘥𝘦 #1

7. Tinker Bell

Caught in the middle – Paramore

The phone's sound was so distant that I could barely distinguish it; it seemed muffled by something, but I still noticed it. It was persistent, and I couldn't say exactly how long it had been going on, but eventually, it made me groan and stir restlessly in bed, stretching my limbs to try and shake off the sleep. What time was it? I looked out the window with one eye open, sighing; it was cloudy, and I could hear the wind whistling outside until the phone's ringtone interrupted my reverie again. My eyes scanned the room, and I got up to grab my bag from the dresser, retrieving my phone. The previous night, I'd arrived home so exhausted from work that I didn't even remember how I put on my pajamas before my head hit the pillow and disappeared into sleep. Barbara was calling, and I frowned when I saw the time: 12:15 PM.

"Barb," I forced a smile when I answered, sitting back on the bed while I stabilized and landed back in the real world. The redhead's voice filled my right ear and covered every part of my brain.

"Hey, were you busy?" She sounded guilty and let out a nervous laugh.

"Not at all, although I just woke up," I laughed too, running the fingers of my free hand through my hair, pulling it back: it was a small technique Mom had taught me when I was around five years old, and I did it whenever I needed to clear my head, when I had a headache, or just needed to relax.

"Aw, sorry Savi! I didn't mean to wake you up.".

"No worries, I needed the rest. Last night, I don't even know what time I arrived, I just collapsed." I shook my head, amused, and stood up again, grabbing my towel to take to the bathroom before heading downstairs.

"Was it wild?" Her tone was suggestive this time, and I laughed again as I entered the kitchen.

"Wish it were, but it was just a lot of work. Too much." I sighed, holding the phone between my shoulder and ear, filling the kettle with water and then turning it on. "What about you? We haven't talked in days."

"I called because I thought you'd forgotten me."

"Never." I smiled again, taking a cup and searching for tea in my special box, leaning against the counter while waiting for the water to boil, ready to serve myself a fruit tea. "Just that it was a terrible week, and I could barely breathe. Hope the next one's better. What have you been up to?"

"Besides watching the Olympics and going out a bit? Nothing much," she laughed this time, and I crossed one of my arms while listening. Should I pry into her outings? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about finding out if I could extract some information about Jack, but I also didn't want to use her or make her feel that way. I genuinely cared about Barb and considered her my friend, but I didn't know how to bring it up. I didn't want her to feel pressured. "But I missed you and our conversations."

"We could meet up today," I smiled, turning towards the kettle when it turned off, putting the tea bag in the cup and adding water followed by two spoonfuls of sugar. I sat at the kitchen island, putting the phone on speaker and setting it aside while stirring.

"I'd love to!" She agreed, contagious with enthusiasm, but then hesitated. "But I can't today, Savi." Her tone put me on alert.

"Are you going out?" I tried to sound normal, grateful she didn't know me well enough to see through my act. I sipped my tea, tapping my fingers against the porcelain for a few seconds. My mind was racing.

"Maybe," she replied, humming, and letting out a small laugh. I swore I imagined her cheeks blushing, just like the first time we met at the bar