Page 231 of Phobia
Knock knock knock.
I bang my head against the wall.Wake the fuck up!
Everyone’s going to die!
“Asa?”
I blink.
“Asa, are you home?”
It’s Jules.
Brows creased in confusion, I step forward slowly.
Am I… awake?
I hear him mumbling something. I think he’s leaving.
Rushing to the door, I whip it open fast. “Jules.” I’m out of breath, focusing on thehere and now. Consciousness. “Hi. Sorry, I was…” I glance behind me, frowning.
I have absolutely no idea what I was doing.
Jules is standing down in the dirt, a soft smile of relief pulling at his lips. “That’s okay. I’m sorry to bother you…”
I squint behind him.When did the sun go down?
“No bother,” I blink heavily, forcing myself to look normal. Casual. “What’s up?”
“I just came to say hi,” he chirps. “And see if maybe you wanted to hang out…” His eyes are sparkling up at me while he toys with his lip ring, and I’m reeling.
Trying to control my twitching, I gawk at him for a moment.
He actually wants to hang out with me again??
The idea of it is almost ridiculous.
A little giggle slips out of me, and I clear my throat to cover it up.
“What’s funny?” He grins, climbing the two steps until he’s right if front of my face.
I swallow, leaning against the doorjamb to hold myself upright. “Nothing. I’m glad you’re here. I wasn’t sure you’d want to…”
My voice trails as he smirks, eyes falling to my mouth. He looks just as good as ever, in a purple top and those tight jeans. Looking at my lips…
“So… that’s a yes?” His tone is sohopeful.
The fact that he really wants to spend time with me is opening my chest like a bloom. I just don’t see how I could possibly say no… Not when he’s looking at me like that, persuading me with his eyes.
My heart is racing, and that’sgood. The thrill of spending time with him will keep me up, I’m sure of it.
Maybe he’ll keep me from falling…
I give Jules a little nod, and his smile widens.
“Cool,” he whispers. “Can I come in?”
Peering behind me, I cringe at the state of my house. “You know what… Could we maybe go to your place? Mine’s kinda trashed…”
