Page 27 of Most Likely to Fear Love

Harle.

The memory of our late-night phone call came rushing back. I could almost hear his deep, soothing voice in my ear, feel the warmth of the mug in my hands as we made hot chocolate together.

Before I knew what I was doing, I’d grabbed my phone from the nightstand. My fingers moved of their own accord, tapping out a message.

Me:Hey, you still up?

I hit send before I could second-guess myself, then flopped onto the bed, phone clutched to my chest. What was I doing? It was late, and we’d already talked today. But something about the wine, the cozy pajamas, and the lingering memory of our last conversation made me crave more.

I stared at the ceiling, waiting for a response, my heart beating a little faster than usual. The quiet of my bedroom was suddenly too much, too empty.

My phone buzzed, sending a little thrill through me.

Harle:Yep. You okay?

I smiled, feeling a rush of warmth that had nothing to do with the wine.

Me:I’m great! Just wondering if you’d like to have another hot chocolate with me?

I bit my lip, hesitating for a moment before adding:

Me:Can I call you?

The seconds ticked by as I waited for his response. I held my breath, my fingers drumming nervously against the side of my phone.

When it finally came through, I let out a sigh of relief.

Harle:Yes.

That single word sent my heart racing. I hit the call button before I could chicken out, pressing the phone to my ear as it began to ring.

“Hey there.” Harle’s deep voice came through, sending goose bumps rippling across my skin.

“Hey yourself. I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“Of course not.”

“Are you sure, because it’s pretty late and um…” I trailed off, not even sure myself what I was trying to say.

“Look at it this way. If I didn’t want to take your call, I would have said no when you asked. But I didn’t. I said yes. Ergo, I’m sure you’re not bothering me.”

“Okay. Good. That’s good. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Besides, I was just thinking about making myself a hot chocolate.”

“You were not.”

I could hear the smile in his voice when he replied. “Okay, I wasn’t, until you called. But I am now. I kind of liked it last night.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Okay, so we’re doing this again?”

“Yep.”

“You got your mug ready?”

I grabbed it from the nightstand. “Hold on a sec. I need to wash this real quick.”

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