Page 9 of For the Boys
“Perfect,” Amelia said. “Short, sweet, to the point. I like it.”
Berkley took a deep breath and pressed her finger to her phone, sending a message directly to the one and only Brent Jean. Her stomach flipped in anticipation.
While staring at her phone, willing him to respond, she yawned and looked at the time. It was well after one in the morning, and she could hear her bed calling her name.
“I’m going to bed,” Kimber said, as if reading her thoughts. “Night!” She left the room, and a moment later, her door clicked shut at the other end of the hall.
“Yep, me too. Night, Ames.” Berkley turned and walked down the hallway to her own room, closing the door and sitting down on her bed. A small smile tugged the corners of her mouth before she plugged her phone in and set it on her nightstand. She flipped the light switch and crawled into bed, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
She woke shortly after seven the next morning. As she rolled over and stretched, her mind traveled back to the events of the night before. She turned to her side, grabbed her phone from the nightstand, took a deep breath, and tapped the screen alight.
When she saw the notification for a direct message on her home screen, her heart thumped harder in her chest. With shaking hands, she clicked on the notification and saw exactly what she’d been hoping for: a reply from Brent.
@Brent22Jean: Hey, thank you! You live in the Detroit area, right?
She dashed off a quick “You’re welcome and yes I do,” wondering how he knew that or why he was asking. He couldn’t possibly know who she was, right? Then again, her Instagram feed was littered with evidence that she did, in fact, live in the area. And since he was now following said Instagram account, it was safe to assume he hadsomeidea of who she was.
Rolling onto her back, she closed her eyes and willed herself to fall back to sleep. Being a third-year law student, days off were rare, and she desperately needed the extra rest.
Instead, her mind reeled, tripping over thoughts of Brent.
She scrolled endlessly through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, tossed and turned, and scrolled some more in an attempt to distract herself. Shortly after nine, she gave up and got out of bed.
Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she strolled into the kitchen for coffee and breakfast, greeting Kimber, who was sitting on a bar stool with a heaping bowl of Lucky Charms in front of her. Berkley dropped her phone on the counter before she moved toward the coffee pot.
“Morning, sunshine,” Kimber said.
Humming noncommittally, she grabbed a mug out of the cupboard, added creamer, and filled it to the brim with coffee. Kimber pulled out the stool next to her, and Berkley sat, scrolling through Instagram while she let her coffee cool. Amelia came padding in a few minutes later.
“So,” Kimber began, “did Brent ever message you back?”
“As a matter of fact, he did.” Berkley couldn’t help smiling into her cup.
“Oh. My. God.” Amelia squeaked, dropping onto the barstool on her other side. “What did he say?”
“Just thanked me and asked if I lived in the area.”
“What did you say?” Kimber asked around a mouthful of cereal. Amelia glared at her.
“Manners, Kimber.”
Kimber stuck her tongue out, the surface coated in half-chewed marshmallows. Amelia smacked her as she walked into the kitchen.
“I told him I do.” Berkley said, ignoring her roommates’ mother-and-daughter routine. “What else should I have said?”
“I don’t know.” Kimber shrugged. “Has he said anything back?”
At that moment, Berkley’s phone dinged with a notification.
“Oh my God, is it him?” Kimber asked, eyes wide.
Amelia glanced at her from across the room. “Shouldn’t Berkley be the one freaking out here?”
Kimber laughed. “Well yeah, but this is exciting stuff! Like, not only did he follow you, but he responded to your message, too. I find it intriguing.”
Berkley’s stomach flipped as she read the notification.
“It’s from him! What should I do?”
