If Only She Knew REVISITED

Chapter 6

   After a long day like this one, I like to end it like I always have, a phone call with my best friend to get the rundown of what's going on back in the city.

   Clearing up my last plate in the kitchen sink, I suck my thumb from the last remaining sauces then dial Steph's number and begin to sit on my couch while I wait for her to pick her, or if she ever will.

   "Hey Av..." I hear her voice beam with joy from the other side of the line.

   "Hi Stephanie, you okay?" Grabbing a magazine from one of my unpacked boxes I start to read it while relaxing back onto my couch.

   "Any gossip from your first day of college?" She lands straight to the reason why I called her, she is like a mind reader sometimes.

   "What do you mean? I don't always call you just to gossip!"

   "Let's not lie Ava. There's no room in this friendship for lies."

   "Well now that we are on the topic, I do have something to tell you." I tease her with my words as I smile to myself.

   "You know just the right things to say don't you? Go on, tell me." Sitting up I give her my full attention to talk about the situation at hand.

   "It's about a boy, more specifically my neighbour.".

   "What! Please don't tell me you're pregnant!" Her reaction is not what I hoped for as I hear sounds of my mother within her voice.

   "No Steph, it's not like that."

   "I was about to buy a one way ticket!" She exclaims in fury as I giggle to myself but find myself pausing realising she isn't just a few blocks away anymore. She's halfway across the country.

   "Ava, you aren't are you?" Her voice brings me back to earth as I shake my head and focus on Stephanie once again.

   "No. I'm not. It's just when you said that, it made me realise I can't just walk over to your house anymore and have those fun movie nights we always used to do." My words lower.

   "The second Saturday of every month..." We speak in unison as we chuckle in laughter.

   "It won't be forever Ava. You said you're coming back home after the year. We will have plenty of time together."

   "I know. Anyway, back to my gossip...".

   "Oh my ears are bleeding already." Rolling my eyes, I ignore her comment,

   "His name is Nolan Davis, and he lives opposite me with his sister and—" I pause my words as I hear a continuous clicking sound coming from the other end.

   "Stephanie? You're not searching for him are you?" Silence.

   "...no, okay yes. But good news, I can't find him, which means he has a mysterious persona about him, or he just hates his life." Her words come to a halt as I sigh down the line.

   "I didn't even tell you the worst part, he caught me dancing to Mariah Carey in my kitchen, I'm so embarrassed Steph, it happened days ago but I know all he sees when he looks at me is me dancing terribly to a cheesy nineties song." I try to hide my face with the pillow from my couch.

   "Hey it could be worse?"

   "How!?" I sigh as my face is absorbed by the pillow.

   "You're gonna have to get back to me on that one..." I groan into the pillow.

   "Hey this might be your love trying to get into your life, maybe it's your time..." Stephanie needs to stop reading astrology books.

   "Are you mocking me with your stupid books?" I question because this isn't something Steph would usually say.

   "Hey, don't hate on the books..."

   "Okay I'm leaving now..." I begin to move my hand away from my ear until I hear her try to catch me.

   "Wait, no Ava, I'm kidding, I'm sorry. So tell me, what's he like?" 

    "Hot, cute, sweet and hot." I label.

   "Of course, he has to be hot." I hear her smile from the other side of the line.

   "He's also very caring, so caring he even took me into his home when he found me passed out on my driveway, don't ask... it's a long story. I will get into it another day, just not today."

   "Wow okay I won't, it just seems to me like he's a keeper" Her voice is real, genuine.

   "For real Ava he seems special, and with the way you describe him I can see you already have some feelings for him. if you are serious about this, go for it before it's too late, that's my advice." Her words come to an end as I find myself thinking about Nolan all over again.

   "Thank you Steph..."

   "Don't thank me, thank the stupid books..." I smile and chuckle to myself as she mocks me. Ending the phone I place it upon the coffee table and find myself wondering, maybe she is right for once.