Breathless

Chapter 5

I used to always miss phone calls from people. Like, my phone was constantly left at home. I forgot it everywhere. I hate the damn thing, but now, with me constantly messaging Christian, my slow, cracked iPhone 4 is starting to piss me off. It's with me all the time and sometimes I can't even answer the phone because it freezes.

So now, four months after leaving Michigan, I'm standing in Verizon wireless, watching the worker open the box to my iPhone 6s. It's the rose gold one.

I'm aching to take my phone from him because I know I probably have a million messages from Christian. He's been begging me to call him Chris.

I definitely have feelings for him, and I miss him. I wanna see him.

I just turned twenty three two days ago on October 26th, it's the 28th now, and he's begging me, literally, he's been begging me about this, to come with him on his birthday, which is Halloween, and he wants me to come to San Francisco because his best friend, Dylan, and Dylan's girlfriend Aubrey, they're coming so they can go to Los Angeles to go to Halloween Horror Nights, and he said he really doesn't want to third wheel.

He's still begging me.

He gave me his address a few months ago and he has no idea that I'm actually going to be there.

I told him I can't afford it, but I'm driving there. Dylan and Aubrey are staying with him, but if I have to, I'll stay with him.

He was in the middle of begging me for the millionth time when I gave the guy my phone.

He's syncing contacts now, and he hands me my phone to go through all the contacts and make sure everyone is there, and then he finishes what he's doing and I pay and get a white and gray otter box and a glass screen protector and I leave.

I sit in my maroon Jeep Grand Cherokee Larado, it's 2005, and I worship it.

I set my phone up, downloading all my apps, signing into everything. I have three missed calles and nine messages.

I snicker, clicking on my messages.

Christian: please come

Christian: Erin

Christian: I don't wanna thirdwheel

Christian: I'll pay for your ticket

Christian: erin the only time you don't answer me is when you're working

Christian: ERIN PLEASE COME VISIT MY HOME I DON'T WANNA BE ALONE

Christian: I'm calling you.

Christian: did your phone freeze? I called twice

Christian: please don't ignore me

I have no voicemails. I smile and dial him.

It rings three times.

"Hi." He sounds sad.

He's so fucking cute, and it's so frustrating that we're just friends, because I can't tell him he's so fucking cute.

"I was getting a new phone." I say.

"Oh. Are you really gonna leave me here alone, on my birthday? I'm offering to pay for you."

"Christian, I'm not letting you pay for me. I'm not coming. I have to work."

"They're going to be here for a full week and I'm going to be all alone." He says, disappointed.

"You'll have them." I laugh.

"But I won't have you." He says. "And they're going to be together. And then I'm gonna be third wheeling. I already am third wheeling because they're already here!