Page 33 of One Little Chance
A beat passed. “How late was he at your house?”
“Like…three a.m.”
“What?” He sounded closer like he’d pulled the phone back to his ear. “You guys talking again?”
“We were right in the middle of talking actually?—”
“Typical three a.m. chats with pals?” he said sarcastically.
“I was sick, and he came over to take care of me?—”
“Taking care of you when you’re sick,noted.”
“And we’d both passed out. Then we woke up and realized it was late, and we started talking about our feelings. And that’s when he got a call and had to run out.”
“So you’re worried about the fire but also worried about the talk.” Orlando’s tone switched from quizzical to concerned. “Worried orSophie obsessing?”
“Obsessing. Of course.” I clicked off my seatbelt.
“Can you give me a rundown of what you were discussingin the middle of the nightwhile ill?”
“I woke up and was feeling better. I told him how being near him felt like…coming up for air. We kissed?—”
“Coming up for air? That’s like poetic stuff there, Soph,” he said before the whirring of his electric toothbrush sounded on the other line.
“We’d actually kissed a few weeks ago but decided we needed to cool it so we could figure things out. So after we kissed again last night, where he repeatedly told me he’d missed me, I asked if he felt he’d figured anything out?—”
“He obviously had figured out he’d missed you,” he said through a mouthful of toothpaste.
“Right? But I don’t know.” I rubbed my forehead. “I’m nervous he was caught up in the moment and when we talk again, he’ll have come back to his senses and put a stop to things.”
“Why would his senses equal him not being with you? If the man has any sense, he’ll realize being with you would be the best thing to ever happen to him,” he said.
I smiled at the phone. “Orlando, you’re sweet. I think I’m afraid he won’t be able to let go of our past breakup.” I mean, Jordan had compared our breakup to a car crash.
“Soph, it took a literal house fire in the middle of the night to pull him away from you. Even while you were presumably contagious. I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” he said plainly. “Meanwhile, I’m about to attend church with someone’s parents that I’ve never met, and this girl has yet to agree to accompany me on a date.”
“If she has any sense, she’ll realize going on a date with you would be the best thing to ever happen to her,” I said.
Islid the key into my front door when I heard a familiar truck engine roaring behind me. Jordan’s truck pulled up in front of my house.
He cut the engine and kicked open his door while I left the key hanging in mine. I ran from my porch to my gate where he stood.
Eyes worn. Face streaked with charcoal. Clothes smelling of smoke.
“My phone’s dead,” he said. “I didn’t want to wait for it to charge to talk to you.”
“How’d it go? It’s been hours.”
“Took hours to get the fire put out. But it’s out. I was out there with Dad, having to answer question after question and deal with stuff.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose “It’s going to be okay, though. We’ll figure it out.”
Jordan was always figuring things out. “I’m sorry.” I stepped closer to him, my arms crossed. “You should go home and get some sleep. You didn’t need?—”
“You trying to get rid of me, Rogers?” He raised an eyebrow. The grin tugging at his lips made me feel recklessly hopeful.
I’d made so many choices in my past out of fear, but now, I was ready to make one out of hope.
I grabbed a handful of his sweatshirt in both hands and said, “I love you, Jordan. I’ve always loved you. I didn’t end things with us in the past because of any lack of love. Since I was a girl, I’ve loved you. I think now as a woman, I love you even more.” I’d felt this love for so long it felt like one of my elemental truths. Sophia Rogers was a runner, a teacher, and loved Jordan Silk.
