I laughed. Did all guys fantasize about that? “Sorry, did that last week. Tonight I’m going to read for fun and then turn in.”
“Reading, naked pillow fights. Same thing. Sweet dreams—preferably of me.”
“I’ve had plenty of those.”
“You should tell me about them sometime. Maybe they’re like mine.”
“Don’t forget to call me.”
“I won’t. Good night for now.”
“Night.” I ended the call and pulled open his picture. So much for not letting myself fall too hard.
Chapter Eight
“Hey, are you free tomorrow night?” The unfamiliar female voice threw me, and I found myself fumbling around for my glasses. That would teach me to pick up the phone when I didn’t know who was on the other end.
“Uh, do I know you?” I struggled to wake up. It had to have been way past midnight. I’d kept my phone next to my bed waiting for Chase’s call.
“Oh, it’s Rachel. Sorry.”
“Oh, hey.” I situated my glasses on my face. My room was dark, but somehow knowing I could see made it better. My glasses were getting their only real use. I wore contacts most of the time.
“Hey, were you sleeping? I assumed you’d be out or something.”
“Yeah… I’m lame.” It’s funny how easily the words slid off my tongue late at night. I wasn’t usually one to make self-deprecating comments.
“No, you’re not, but to go back to my original question, are you free?”
“Is there a particular reason why you’re asking?”
“You answer first.” There was a rustling sound from her end of the phone.
I laughed. “I might regret this answer, but at the moment, yes, I’m free.”
“Great. Do you like sushi?”
“Yes, love it.” I sat up, debating whether it was worth getting out of bed to turn on the light. I really wished I had a light near me, but the room was too crowded for bed stands. I always left my glasses next to my pillow.
“Perfect. I’m craving it, and Riley can’t stand it. We should go to dinner tomorrow night.”
“And you just thought of this at,” I checked my phone, “one in the morning?”
“Sorry. I forget that not everyone’s up all night. I just thought dinner could be a fun way to bond. We can do drinks after too.”
“To bond?” Rachel seemed more bubbly than I remembered, but then again, when we’d met I’d been more concerned with Chase.
“Yeah. We’re with brothers, bonding makes sense.”
“Yeah… you’re engaged to Riley. I’ve slept with Chase a few times.” Even to my own ears, that felt off.
“Don’t belittle what you have with Chase.”
“It’s still different. Now that being said, I’d love to hang out. I just want to make sure we do it for the right reasons.” I sounded strangely coherent for the middle of the night.
“Okay, I’ll start over. Hey, Cara. I think you’re super cool. Let’s get dinner.”
I laughed.
“So seven tomorrow night then?”
“Sure. What place do you want to go to?”
“The one on Meeting Street, and I’ll swing by and get you. You live at the Delta Mu house, right?”
I knew exactly which restaurant she was talking about. It was one of my favorites. “Yeah, do you know where the house is?”
“I’ll find it. I’ll see you tomorrow night. This is exciting.”
“I’m excited too. I just don’t sound that way in the middle of the night.”
“That’s fine, you’ll get used to my evening chipperness eventually.”
I laughed. She seemed to make me do that a lot. “All right, see you tomorrow.” I set aside my phone.
Moments later, my phone rang again. This time I looked—just in time to watch Chase’s name flash across the screen. “Hey.”
“Hey, you sound awake.”
“Rachel woke me up already.”
“Riley’s Rachel?” Chase sounded surprised.
“Yes, we’re going out for sushi tomorrow night.”
“Oh, nice. I can see you guys getting along.”