Page 28 of Off Limits

I’m dying to know the answers to all of these questions, flustered and frustrated and uncertain in the worst way.

Why not ask, though? It’s not like I have anything to lose, after all.

Me: Why are you texting me?

He doesn’t respond for a long time, and after five minutes of waiting, I decide he’s probably not going to and turn to my laptop to pull up a show. I’m not ready for sleep yet, and I’ve been slowly making my way throughThe Crown. It’s interesting, and makes me curious how much of this is dramatic license and how much is based in the reality of the early days of Elizabeth II’s reign. And what does she think of this show?

In any case, it makes me feel better about my own pathetic drama. At least I don’t have newspapers following my every move. And it’s only my brother who’d get bent out of shape about my dating choices. No national politics or religious directives in the mix.

Just as I’m about to start Season Two, my phone vibrates. It’s Simon again.Can I call you?

Sure. I mean, why not?

My phone immediately starts ringing, and brows wrinkled because this is all just strange behavior, I answer right away. “Hey, Simon. What’s up?”

He sighs, his breath whooshing past the phone. “Not much. I’m home now. I just was texting to make sure you were okay.”

A smile pulls at my lips, and I fight it down even though he can’t see me. I don’t even want him to hear a smile in my voice. He doesn’t really want me, remember?But he does,that same tiny whisper from earlier reminds me. “How’d you get my number?”

Another sigh. “Cal gave it to me.” At first I’m thrilled that he had the balls to ask my brother for my number while also curious how he managed to get it without raising any suspicions. But the answer brings me crashing back to earth. “He asked me to check in with you because he thought you’d be too mad to talk to him.”

“Oh.” He only texted and called because of Cal. Not because he really wants to talk to me and he doesn’t care what Cal thinks after all. “Well, I’m fine, thanks. Tell Cal not to worry. I still think he’s an asshole same as always, and if he cares that much, he can call me himself. If he’s that worried about me being too mad to talk to him, maybe he shouldn’t be a dick to me in public, y’know?”

“Ellie.” Simon says my name in a cajoling way that I love and hate in equal measure. I love the sound of my name in his mouth. But I hate that he’s trying to talk me around to not being mad at my dumbass brother.

“Alright, well, you’ve done your duty. You can go on your merry way. See you at Christmas, I’m sure, when it’s time for my brother and I to carpool home.”

He makes a couple of false starts, trying to respond, but I’m really just ready to be done with tonight.

“I’m going to go now, Simon,” I say, my voice calmer and lacking that angry, forced chipper quality from a moment ago. “Just tell Cal that if he wants to know how I am, he can call me himself. It’s not fair for you to have to be the go between.”

“What if I want to?” he asks, his voice as soft and dejected as mine.

“Why? Why would you want to do that? Our sibling squabbles have nothing to do with you, and I’m one hundred percent certain that you don’t need that drama.”

He’s quiet for long enough that I think he won’t answer my question, but just as I’m about to say goodbye again, he says, “I wanted to talk to you myself.”

Once again, I need to know, “Why?”

He makes a strangled sound. “Because I didn’t want you to go tonight. I didn’t want to leave you in that room. And I didn’t want to leave you in that hallway. I like hanging out with you. I like talking to you. And when Cal asked if I’d call you, I practically jumped at the chance because it meant I’d have an excuse to get your number without him being weird about it.”

My heart leaps, and at first I’m excited about the possibilities of what this could mean, but reality is there, just waiting to slap me back down as always.

“Shit,” he whispers. “Cal’s home. Gotta go. Night, Ellie.”

“Night,” I say, but he’s already hung up.

So much for talking to me without it being weird. He had a ready-made excuse as it was, and just the presence of my brother in the same house made him panic.

Yeah. I need to get over this guy once and for all. It’s just too bad he keeps showing up everywhere I go to try to do that very thing.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Simon

My door is closed, but I still give it a guilty glance as I stuff my phone in my pocket. I scrub my hands over my face.

This is … ridiculous. I’m being ridiculous.

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