Page 44 of When You're Home
He lingered in the bathroom after ending the call and contemplated all the different ways he could proceed. Calling Chandler was out—the timing would be too suspicious. Texting her might be an option, albeit still risky. She would question why he was up so early on a Sunday.
Part of him was tempted to just say screw it and let it come undone however it was going to unravel. After last night, his relationship with Chandler was over anyways; she just didn’t know it yet. But as tempting as it was, he couldn’t let it happen like that. Although their relationship had always been surface-level, he still felt like he had to do right by Chandler. He wouldn’t deny her the closure she deserved. His racing thoughts were interrupted when the phone vibrated in his hand.
He glanced down and nearly dropped the device when Chandler’s picture illuminated the screen. Had he accidentally called her? No, that didn’t make sense. Why would his phone be vibrating if he called her? She was calling him.
Problem solved. He was too relieved to even question why she was calling him so early. Chandler’s impatience was about to take care of itself.
“Hello?” he asked as he brought the phone to his ear.
“Rhett!” She sounded genuinely surprised for someone who had initiated the phone call. “I was just trying to leave you a voicemail! I didn’t realize you would answer. It’s so good to hear your voice. Why are you up this early?”
He scrubbed his face with his free hand, trying to find his calm before he proceeded to do what he knew he was about to do.
“Yeah, I know it’s early. I… I had some things to take care of this morning before my trip with Jake.” Technically that wasn’t a lie. “Look, Chandler, I’m glad you called.”
“What sort of errands could you possibly be doing at seven a.m. on a Sunday?” Chandler interrupted him through the line. Her question came out huffy—he knew that tone. He mentally scrambled for an adequate response.Shit. He shouldn’t have answered the phone without a plan.
“Jake had to go into Clinton's early this morning, so I figured I might as well make myself useful while he’s at work.”
“So you’re in Hampton?”
He couldn’t discern whether her question carried a weight to it or if he was just being paranoid.
“Well, not at this exact moment, but I will be later today.” He maneuvered around the truth while still trying his best not to lie to her. Why was he trying to save face with Chandler anyways? It was over. He needed to tell her it was over.
But she was relentless. “So you’ll be in Hampton later today?”
“Yes, babe,” he replied out of habit. “I’ll be in Hampton later today.”
“Perfect. I gotta go, but I’ll talk to you soon!!”
Chandler hung up the phone before he could respond. He felt blindsided by her call. He was relieved that it was over, minus the fact that they were technically still dating. That was okay for now—it’s not like he wouldn’t have to see her multiple times once he was back at school. They shared all the same friends, and they practically lived together.
He also felt a small wave of relief. It wasn’t lost on him that breaking up with Chandler over the phone this morning might put a damper on the rest of the weekend with Tori. She had just finally agreed to not push him away less than twelve hours ago. How would she react if he dumped Chandler before she even woke up?
He knew he couldn’t push for too much too soon when it came to Tori. This was it—this was everything he wanted, and the last time he was ever going to have to fight for it. He was determined to play his cards right.
He made sure his phone was on vibrate as he repocketed it and headed to the kitchen. He wanted to make this morning as memorable as possible before they had to go home. Coffee and a breakfast picnic down by the lake would be the perfect endcap to what was turning out to be the best weekend of his life.
--
“It’s almost eleven thirty, Rhett. We have to get ready to go.” Her words said one thing, but the little moan she just let out told him he better not pull away just yet as he continued to nuzzle into the sweet spot right below her ear.
They had spent the last several hours down by the lake. The grass had still been dewy when they first arrived. They cuddled on the swing and ate breakfast before spreading out their blanket on a little hill between the house and the shore.
“I know, I know. But I can’t stop kissing you. You taste like cinnamon sugar. I want to lay here and kiss you by this lake for at least a few more hours.”
“Yeah, well, you seem to have more time on your hands than me,” Tori said as she placed her hands on either side of his face. He gave her one more kiss and reluctantly rolled to his side.
He hadn’t known what to expect this morning, but nothing had changed since last night. She was still right there: so open to him and willing to commit. He hadn’t bothered burdening her with any of the things he had been stressing about that morning. There would be time to talk about long distance and money and all the moving pieces later. For now, he wanted to honor the moment. To savor her softness. To revel in the new and improved definition of their relationship.
“Hey, whatcha thinking over there, Mr. Logistics? I see your wheels turning,” she teased as she ruffled his hair. Of course she could tell when he dipped into planning mode. Rhett realized he was going to have to make a shift of his own: He needed to be more open with her now. There was no longer any reason to worry about saying too much or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. He needed to give as good as he got in this new version of their relationship.
He smiled softly before responding. “Honestly? Everything. My mind has been racing since last night. Mostly I’m just trying to convince myself that this is real. That this is happening. That this—that us—isn’t just all in my imagination.”
“Oh, Rhett.” His name was gentle on her lips, her eyes gleaming with sincerity and the faint traces of heartache. She leaned forward again and ran her hand down his jawline. “This is really happening. I know I said it wasn’t a no last night, but that wasn’t a fair response. It’s not a no—it’s a yes please. I know we have a lot to figure out, but I’m in it. I’m with you.” She pushed off his chest and sat up, gathering up the leftover food and their coffee mugs.“But we still have to go. Not even your love could save me from the wrath of Lia if I’m late for my shift.”
He knew she was right about getting on the road soon. He shook out their picnic blanket before folding it, trying to hide how deeply her words had affected him.It wasn’t a no—it was a yes please.
