The Prince and the Bookworm

Chapter 41

"Are you kidding me?" I asked forlornly, pressing my phone harder against my ear as I let my head dangle off the end of my bed. 

"No I'm not kidding." On the other end of the call, Mariah sounded huffy. "My mom's having trouble finishing up her last job at the law firm. We're postponing our move until sometime in February." 

"That totally sucks." I agreed, feeling a sadness swell up inside of me. I had been looking forward to my family moving into my apartment building every since Mariah first told me. And now I was going to have to wait a whole month longer than I thought. The only good thing to come out of it was a whole extra month to enjoy the absence of Caleb's big ego and annoying remarks. 

"Tell me about it. We had practically everything packed up already. My wardrobe for the next month is going to be so limited." Mariah whined. I tried to hold my back my laughter, but it broke through anyway. 

"Is that seriously what you're most annoyed about? That you won't have the option to change your outfit 4 times a day?" I teased, rolling over to lay on my stomach. 

"Shut up." Mariah protested. I could practically see her pouting on the other end of the line. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. You'd be perfectly fine with wearing baggy sweatpants and a stained t-shirt for the rest of your life." 

"You say that like it's a bad thing." I replied quickly, causing Mariah to chuckle quietly on the other end. 

"Yeah, well, I'm sure there's a certain somebody out there who would agree with me." Mariah's tone was highly suggestive. I rolled my eyes and sighed heavily. I should of known that she was going to eventually turn our conversation towards Dallas. She always did. 

"What are you talking about?" I asked, feigning ignorance. I wasn't exactly in the mood to talk about Dallas. Not after all the pressure of keeping Adam's secret and the weird way he reacted when I involuntarily friend-zoned him. 

"I'm talking about the fact that guys don't always dig the girls that dress like coach potatos all the time. Especially guys who go by the name Dallas." 

"You know what they say about girls who go by the name Sadie?" 

"I'm not sure I want to know." Mariah replied, sounding somewhat afraid. 

"They get easily fed up with people that pry around and meddle with a situation that is none of their business." 

"But you're my cousin!" Mariah protested, her voice rising in pitch. "I'm very invested in your love life." 

"Mariah," I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. I was going to have a major headache by the end of this conversation. "I don't even have a love life. He's just a close friend." 

"Well of course he's going to only be a friend if that's all you allow him to be." 

"What are you talking about?" I asked. I didn't allow Dallas to do anything. He was a big boy, he could make his own decisions. 

"I know Dallas' type, trust me. They are afraid of rejection. They aren't going to make a move unless they know the girl feels the same way." 

"He already knows that I had a small crush on him when we first met. It's no secret, Mar." 

"That was months ago! And after that, you became Cole's girlfriend." Mariah paused for a moment, then gasped dramatically. "Oh that poor boy!" She exclaimed. "He probably thinks you're not into him." 

"Then he's an idiot." I spoke too fast and immediately regretted my words. Once again, Mariah let loose a shrill gasp. 

"I knew it! I knew you still like him!"