Page 21 of The Silent Count
“I left my bedroom window unlocked in case I wanted to escape and needed to climb through it.” Her words elicit an internal groan, confirming my suspicion was right. I’ve got a sneaky feeling that no matter how hard I try to protest, she’ll convince me to go along with her master plan.
The girl’s got a chokehold on me already. Pair that with the persuasive skills she’s picked up on the job, and she could probably talk me into anything.
“I take it that leaving your own parties is a regular thing? I find it hard to believe that someone who had intentions of sticking around would pre-plan an exit strategy.”
“It took me four years of trial and error to get it right. But last year, my attempt to escape was finally successful, which is why I’m repeating it this year… you know, for good measure,” she whispers with a flash of pride in her tone. “It helps that my room is more like a mother-in-law’s suite. It’s secluded from the rest of the house, so no one really comes looking for me unless they know my room is down here.”
I blow out a rush of air as I sigh. “I take it you’re expecting me to climb through your bedroom window too, huh?”
She looks back at me with a wink that makes my heart skip a beat. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you have more beauty than brains.”
Lea is one of those people who is effortlessly funny, and hearing her poke fun at me like this is a reminder of how much I’ve missed talking to her over the last week. Our messages have been few and far between, which has left me feeling off.
She mentioned nothing about our… date? Get together? Hook up? I wasn’t sure what label to put on it, but either way, she never brought it up with Lucky Charm. Part of me is glad I didn’t have to suffer through a recount of the night with her detailed thoughts added on. I’d probably over analyze them, and let them eat away at me as I lay awake night after night. Yet, there’s another side of me that’s certain she would’ve mentioned something if she enjoyed herself too.
That’s the thing about online friendships. It’s so easy to misconstrue someone’s personality or your understanding of their thought process. It’s been one of the hardest parts of maintaining this pen pal relationship with Lea for this long. I can’t recall the number of times that I have wanted to burst into her office and ask her what she meant in some of her messages.
One thing I’ve confirmed now that we’ve hung out more is that she never altered her online personality. Her cadence is similar. The way she tells stories. If I hadn’t figured it out from day one, a couple hours with her would have had me questioning whether she was my Ladybug. Which makes me wonder ifIam the one who is different online.
I’m quiet in person until you get to know me. In another situation, I don’t think Lea and I would’ve been able to hit it off the way we did, or have gotten as close as we have had it not been for our virtual meeting. Then again, I’m not sure I want to imagine a scenario where Lea and I didn’t work out exactly how we were supposed to.
As unconventional as this thing going on between us right now is, I like to believe that everything is falling into place at just the right timing, so we can give it an honest shot once the season is over.
“Climbing into the front seat last week and now this? You’ve got to stop making me jump through hoops to spend time with you, Sterling.”
“You say that, yet you continue to walk toward the window, knowing the fate that awaits you.” She pauses in front of the window, giving me a long once over that makes my dick ache against the seam of my pants. “Alright, you’re going to go in head first, and I’ll help shove your legs through.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Lea places two balled fists on her hips while popping a brow at me. Her gaze is tight on mine and I narrow my eyes to slits as I give in to the little stare down she’s performing. The coolness of the night air loses its appeal as the tension rises between us.
“I’m not—”
“You will,” she cuts me off.
“Why can’t I walk through the front door? No one will notice that I’m coming in, and I’ll be able to sneak off down the hall unscathed.”
“You can go through the front door.” Lea pulls back her shoulders, and a smug smile turns up on her lips. “But if you do, you won’t be able to come to my room. You’ll have to be a regular partygoer like everyone else. No VIP access.”
“Why not?”
“You made this same argument last week, and look at where it got us.”
I shake my head with a chuckle, thinking back to when Lea and I walked into Tommy's barbeque looking like a couple and everyone gave us knowing grins. “Touché.”
She doesn’t want to risk me being seen sneaking off to her room, and I can respect that.
I peer down at Lea, taking in her red hair and that overly amused smirk I wish I could kiss off her lips. The silent battle weighs in my brain and I realize I’ve got two options:
One, climb through this damn window and spend more time with her. Or two, go home. I’ll be damned before I walk into that party and making small talk with my drunken teammates.
The sound of two feminine voices coming from the side of the house is growing closer. Right now, they’re faint and muffled, blending with the bass thumping, but they are gradually increasing in volume as they amble toward us. The pace of my heartbeats quickens as the voices become clear enough that I can make out snippets of their conversation. The pressure rises, but Lea stands her ground. She’s unwavering, just like always.
“Fine,” I say with a sigh. “You can’t laugh at me for looking stupid as I try to climb through your tiny window.”
“No promises.”
