I heard talking and laughing in the background. I shouldn’t have been surprised that he wasn’t alone, but somehow it took away from the phone call.
“She’s really nice.” I got out of bed and turned on the light. Talking to Chase in the dark now that I was disappointed just upset me more.
“She is, and I know she’s kind of lonely in Charleston. She moved there for Riley.”
“Oh. That would be tough.” I made a mental note to ask her more about it.
“So I’m sure she’s glad to have met you.”
“It goes both ways.” I sat in my desk chair and pulled my laptop out of sleep.
“Are you typing on your computer?”
“You heard that over the phone?” I turned away from my computer guiltily. Messing around on the computer while on the phone wasn’t the most polite thing to do.
“Yeah… are you all right? You seem kind of distant.” A note of concern entered his voice.
“It’s one a.m.”
“It’s just so hard to know what you’re thinking when I can’t see you.”
“And you’re that concerned with what I’m thinking?” I wasn’t used to someone worrying about that when it came to me.
“Yeah… so want to do a video chat? That would solve the problem.”
“A video chat?”
“Yeah, I assume you’ve done one before.”
“Yes, but not in my pajamas in the middle of the night.”
“Hey, I’ve seen you in less than pajamas.”
I felt my body heating.
“What do you say?” His voice was low and seductive. He knew exactly how to get what he wanted. That didn’t mean he would.
“I can’t.” There was no way I was talking to him in my glasses and pajamas. I didn’t care if he saw, but I wasn’t all right with anyone else seeing.
“Because you have other plans…”
“You said it yourself. I need my beauty sleep.”
“I was wrong. You’re so beautiful you couldn’t possibly need more.”
I let out a deep breath. “Maybe another night.”
“Hold on a sec.” The background noise died down. “Something’s bothering you.”
“No, listen, let’s just talk tomorrow.”
“Come on, Cara. Long distance can’t work if you won’t talk to me.”
“Long distance? I never agreed to a relationship or anything.” Why did the situation have to be this way? I couldn’t handle his life.
“Earlier tonight you agreed to be exclusive… what else would that mean?”
“That we wouldn’t sleep with other people.”
“And if you weren’t in a relationship, why would it matter if you slept around?”
“I don’t know what you want, Chase.”
“I want you, but since I can’t be with you tonight I’d at least like to see your face.”
“Will you be alone?” I’d embarrassed myself enough. I might as well just lay it all out there.
“Who else would I be with?”
“Whoever you were with up until a minute ago.”
“Oh. Is that what this is about?” A loud beep sounded followed by a whooshing noise. My best guess was he’d turned on an AC.
“I just…forget it.”
“I was walking back to my hotel, babe. I put you on hold so I could dig out my key.”
“Really? You weren’t at a party or anything?”
“This jealousy thing is really sweet, but it’s unnecessary.”
“I’m not jealous.” I stood up.
“Then why would you have cared if I was at a party?”
“Because I wanted this call to be something. Argh, I can’t make sense this late.” I sounded like a whiny, immature kid. I knew it, but somehow that didn’t change the words pouring out of my mouth or the way I felt. How could two nights with a guy have made me so overwhelmed and confused?
“Do you have a tablet you use for video chats or do you use your computer, or your phone?”
“I use my tablet.”
“Okay. Hold on.”
I took a deep breath. This shouldn’t have been so nerve wracking. I opened my tablet and settled down on my bed. Moments later, I got his notification and pressed accept. My chest tightened for a second before the pressure released when the image of Chase lying on his hotel bed in just his boxer briefs showed up. Then my heart rate picked up to replace the clenching. “Hi.”