2 | ONE MORE | MINIMINTER

THIRTEEN

THIRTEEN

"Hello?" Dallas said as she lifted the phone to her ear. Her hooped earring pressed against her neck, but that didn't matter when she heard the voice on the other side.

"Hey, sweetheart, how are you?" Her dad said. Just hearing him made her eyes well up. Of course, she missed him, but she was stubborn and set on proving her independence from him and his new wife-to-be.

He'd done a lot for her in her short lifetime and sometimes, on low nights, she thought about all the things she'd never done for him: all the things she could've and should've done for him.

"I've been good," She breathed, leaning against the dresser in the hall. "I've been pretty good."

"That's always great to hear. How is everyone over there? Violet, is it? How is that girl?" He asked and Dallas could imagine him now racking his brain for every friend she'd ever mentioned. It brought a smile to her lips.

"Everyone's fine. Violet's got a boyfriend now, can you believe it?" Dallas almost laughed at how unbelievable it sounded to say that about her long-term friend. If you'd told her six years ago that Violet was going to be hard in love, they would've both laughed until they cried. But, look at them now.

"God, you're all growing up so fast."

They lapsed into silence.

A comfortable silence.

"I miss you, Dallas. Are you sure you can't just come home?" He said and Dallas laughed breathily, tears swarming in her eyes. She'd thought she might have just cried at the sound of his voice, but she'd been strong until now, until he struck her heart hard.

"You know I can't. I need to be independent now, but I'll see you in a few months for your wedding."

"You're not going to visit between now and then?"

"I shouldn't. I want to try living on my own for a while. I start my job next month and I need to settle into that before I even try coming back to LA." She sighed, brushing a hand through her hair. "If I come back now, I won't want to leave."

"You didn't have to leave. I will always have a place in my home for you, rich or poor. Preferably rich, but you get the picture." He laughed. She missed that laugh.

"I know, I know," Dallas replied, forcing her own chuckle.

"Hey," He said. "It was great to talk to you and see how you're getting on, but I really have to go and sort out some of that god-awful paperwork I've been putting off. Call me, ok?"

"Ok, dad, bye," She responded, but he'd hung up before she could say goodbye.

Dallas put the phone back on the holder, but stood beside it for a while just staring into space, chewing on the side of her nail. The offer of coming right back home was incredibly tempting, but here was where her heart resided. Here were all her friends, her new home, her new job and Simon, the one person she would do anything for if it meant his forgiveness.

Even if the bliss time she'd spent with him was short, it had never left her. When she tried to move on with other guys, she thought about him: compared them to him, thought about how he would feel, how he could still be feeling about her. There was far too much left unsaid to even comprehend falling in love with someone new.

She'd taken lessons from Willa. Precious cousin Willa who'd tried the flavour of romance with Cliff, a close friend at the time, and learnt that, even if it hadn't worked out, it was still worth the try.

Willa smiled when Dallas had asked her whether she regretted being with Cliff for almost two years of her life and she'd just smiled and said, "Not for a second. The memories I made with that boy shaped my past into something great and shaped me into the person I am now. Cliff was the best thing in my life for a long time, but things change. He's moving across the country to pursue his dreams and who am I to stop him? I'm clingy, not selfish."

Dallas laughed right along with her, even as she realised that all the memories she'd made with James moulded her into the Dallas Edlen that lay right there next to her cousin beneath the stars and the glowing moon that melted into the night sky.

After a moment of silence, Willa had asked, "What about you? Do you regret anything about Simon?"

"Not a single thing," She'd responded, rolling onto her side to look at Willa though the moonlight. "But I'm sure he has more than a few regrets when it comes to me."

-

Just thinking about that, made Dallas dig her mobile from her pocket and dial Simon's number right that second. She nibbled on her bottom lip as she held the phone to her ear, just waiting for his voice to come sounding through and vibrate right through her to her heart.

"Hello?"

"Hey, uhm, it's Dallas."

"I know, I have your number still."

"Oh."

"Sorry, did you need something?" He sounded tired, but there was no backing out now. Dallas may be a complete mess when it came to Simon, but she was still an Edlen and took after her dad in the sense that giving up wasn't an option.

"Yeah, I was wondering whether you wanted to meet for a coffee or something? Anytime would be fine. I'm not that busy today, Violet's out with Cal and-"

"That would be great, I'll meet you at yours at three?"

"Yeah," Dallas replied, trying to force the grin off her cheeks. It felt weird to smile so widely. "I'll see you then."

"See you then."

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