11:11pm

Ian

I fumbled with my phone and almost dropped it in the tub while I paced. It buzzed with a text from E.

E: Idk how to help do I call you or something?

I sent a quick reply back;

Preferably, I'm hiding in my bathroom rn tbh.

My phone started ringing and I hit the answer call button.

"Hey?" E whispered over the phone.

"Hi, so she's asking me a bunch of questions about you and I don't really know how to respond so I said I had to go to the bathroom and I locked my self in here and I don't know what to do, E, so many questions and she wants to meet you and and and-" everything rushed out

"Woah, wait, what? Slow down, I can't, I can't understand you," spluttered E. "You talk realllyyy fast."

The phone line crackled and all I could hear of E was bits and phrases of what he was saying next.

"E? Wait, hello?" I said.

A knock on the door made me jump. "Ian, honey, what are you doing?"

She paused. "Ian, leanbh, I haven't seen you in like four days, get your skinny tush out here and tell me about your new boyfriend."

My face flushed, and in the bathroom mirror, I saw my face turn red. "Mom, he-he's not my boyfriend!"

She was quiet. "Sure, and I'm a leprechaun."

I rolled my eyes. I opened the door, and Mom stood there with her arms crossed. "He's not, Mom!"

"Uh huh. Well, would you tell me about your rúnseare?"

"It's not a secret love mom! You and Neal know about it!"

"So you admit that you love him!?"

"I-I didn't say that!"

She poked me in the chest. "But do you?"

I didn't answer. I thought about the question though. I definitely had strong feelings for him, but... was it love?

"I-I don't know..."

My phone crackled. "Ian?" Said E. "Are you still there? Hellooooo?"

I squeaked and almost dropped the darn thing. My mom gave me a weird look. "H-hey, you didn't happen to hear any of that, did you?"

"Hear what?"

I let out a whoosh of breath. "Ah, nothing." Mom motioned for the phone. "Hey, Uh E? My, er, mother, wants to talk to you."

"Wait, w-what? I'm- I'm not ready for th-" E was cut off as my mom took the phone away from me.

"E? Is that really your name?"

"No, mom, it's-" She waved her had at me to cut me off. My heart was racing.

My mom was like normal moms when they meet their kid's crush or boyfriend/girlfriend. I was terrified that she was going to tell him about the time I ran into a tree head on and knocked myself out. Or... E getting nervous, which he probably as by now.

"Wait, leanhb, I cant understand you. Say it again?"

Pause.

"Er, that's nice honey. I didn't know that."

Pause.

"Yeah, here."

She passed the phone back to me, a strange look on her face. I sighed. E had probably told her some fact about dinosaurs or giraffes or something.

"You good-" I didn't get to finish my sentence.

"SHE STARTED ASKING ME THINGS AND I FREAKED OUT IAN, AW MAN, I FREAKED OUT. UGH, IM SO SORRY,"

"E, it's fine! What did you say, you dork?"

"I TOLD HER THAT GIRAFFES' HAVE DARK COLORED TONGUES SO THAT THEY DON'T GET SUNBURNT WHEN EATING LEAVES OFF TREES."

I sighed. "E, you really are something, you know that?"

His voice quieted. "Well, yeah, now that you told me, I know."

I chuckled. "Well, I think my mom's satisfied now. Do you wanna keep, um, talking or is it okay if I go?"

"No, yo-you can go."

"Alright, bye, love you."

My heart stopped. I said it, oh gods, I said it, there's no going back now. What if he thinks I'm weird? Oh god, oh god, oh god.

Then, something's I never thought would happen happened.

"Bye, Love you too."