Page 71 of Like A Moth To A Flame

“You were on the phone with him for an hour last night?” she repeated, her voice filled with accusation.

I felt a surge of anger rising within me, mixed with embarrassment at being caught.

“It’s none of your business,” I snapped, fighting to keep my voice steady.

Amelia raised an eyebrow, a smug smile playing on her lips.

“Oh really? What’d you talk about?”

“Nothing,” I hissed, finally prying the phone out of her grip.

“You LIKE him?”

“I didn’t say that!”

“You didn’tnotsay that!”

“I don’t even know what he looks like!”

“That didn’t stop you in high school! Remember that guy on AOL messenger in the chat room and—”

“That doesn’t count!”

“A six-month internet relationship, Nessa!”

“I was sixteen!”

“So?!”

“He’s stalking me!”

“But that’s not stopping you from having an HOUR-LONG conversation in the middle of the night?!”

I stayed quiet, seething. She had a point, but that didn’t mean I had to go ahead and admit it.

“What’d you talk about, Vanessa?”

“That’s none of your—”

“Hmm?”

“W-we… I-I didn’t…” I sighed, my hands coming up to shove through my hair. “Ya know, h-he—”

“You had PHONE SEX!”

“WHAT?! No, I did not have phone sex!” I spluttered, my face turning violently red. Amelia burst into laughter, doubling over with glee at my mortification. “It was… just an interesting conversation.”

“Oooh,interesting conversation,huh?” she teased, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

I glared at her and reached over my shoulder, grabbing one of my dad’s dusty throw pillows and launching it in her direction. She sidestepped it easily.

“Ha! Missed me!” she crowed, ducking behind the doorway with a mischievous grin. Despite my annoyance, I couldn’t help but feel a small smile tug at the corners of my lips. Amelia always had a way of turning any serious situation into a lighthearted moment.

As I watched her peek out at me, her eyes sparkling with mischief, I couldn’t stay mad at her for long.

“Fine, fine, you caught me,” I admitted grudgingly. “We did talk for a while last night, and it went a little south, but it was not phone sex.”

Amelia raised an eyebrow skeptically.

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