Page 52 of So Not My Thing
I cranked the volume down.
“Uh, what was that?” Miles’s tone was amused. Very amused. Sounding-like-he-was-trying-not-to-laugh amused.
“Nothing,” I said, turning off the stereo completely.
“Really? Because it sounded like ‘Need It.’”
“Huh, weird. Nope. I’m just leaving work, so let me let you go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“All right, see you tomorrow.”
I clicked to disconnect then curled my hands around the steering wheel and squeaked out a strangled scream. “Seriously, car/phone/universe? Do you all hate me?”
Was that the kind of thing there was even an explanation for? The kind of thing you could even come back from?
“Call Chloe,” I ordered my phone.
“Hey, Ellie,” she answered.
“I’m going to die.”
“Of?” She didn’t sound too worried.
“Humiliation!” I explained what happened, which she met with a long silence. “Chloe?”
“I’m here.” She made a sniffing sound, and I wondered if she’d put me on mute to laugh. “Um, why was his music in your car?”
“It was on my phone. And it started playing when the Bluetooth synced.”
“How is that possible?”
“I don’t know. It happens sometimes if I’m trying to use Marco Polo or GPS. It's never happened when I’m just using the phone.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Okay, but why was his music even on your phone?”
It was her reporter voice, the one where she was looking for answers. “Chloe, what do you want from me here?”
“You know what I want.”
I sighed. “I listen to his music sometimes. His newer stuff. It doesn’t suck.”
“And why do you do that?”
“I told you, it doesn’t suck.”
“Well, your answer isn’t convincing me, and it definitely won’t convince him.”
“I am literally begging you to help me keep my dignity intact. What do I do here?”
She tsked a couple of times, the sound she made sometimes when she was thinking hard. “Tell him it was research!”
“For what? A return to my stalking days?”
“Isthat what’s happening here?” Her tone was curious, not judgmental.
“No!”
“Tell him it was research to see if his music could help you figure out the right kind of place to find him.”
