“Good, so I never did get to pick another book. Do you work tomorrow, Ms. Riley?” he asked.
Ms. Riley?
“Nope. Got the day off,” I replied.
“Then why are you going to bed so early?” he inquired.
I shrugged instead of answering. A chuckle was his response at my verbal silence, which prompted me to ask what I was wondering.
“How did you get my phone number?”
“You can find a wealth of information on the internet. It’s quite amazing really what’s public record and so easy to find. Especially for someone like me who is an immensely talented researcher,” he replied simply.
“For example?” I asked curiously.
“Well your phone number for instance,” he said with a laugh.
“Yeah but you would need my last name to go online snooping,” I pointed out. “I never gave it to you.”
“Ah yes, but the cashier did. I asked her for it and explained that I wanted to write a letter to your manager commending your supreme customer service,” he replied slyly.
“That’s creepy,” I said bluntly. “And I think I’m going to hang up now.”
I suddenly didn’t find his accent delicious or the thought of his smile appealing. I did however find that if he could locate my private cell phone number online because he was some sort of super hacker, he might end up at my doorstep. I hung up the phone as he laughed and put it on the table next to my bed.
I reached over for it again and was about to turn the volume off when the little text message box started dancing.
I clicked it open and read the message from Jaxton.
Too soon to call? I just wanted to hear your sexy American accent again.
I rolled my eyes before responding.
I don’t have an accent, New South Wales. And you could have just asked me for my phone number instead of acting like a teenager and sneaking around online to find it.
A few moments passed before he responded again.
Ouch. Good night then.
I didn’t bother responding. Instead I shut the phone completely off and stuck it in the top drawer. If the phone was out of sight, I wouldn’t be tempted to turn it back on and see if he had sent another message.
Three
I sat up when I woke up the next morning. I yawned and stretched before pushing off the sheets and going into the bathroom to go through my morning ritual; pee, wash hands and face, brush teeth, floss.
I walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. Tossing a couple of brown cinnamon Pop Tarts into the toaster, I went into the living room and switched the TV on. I took the remote back into the kitchen and set it on the counter as I turned on the coffee pot. I leaned on the counter and rubbed my face with my hands. I knew that not going to sleep sooner was going to leave me tired today, I just knew it.
The toaster dinged next to me and my Pop Tarts sprang up. I grabbed a paper plate and quickly threw them on it trying not to burn my fingers. I started to nibble on one while I waited for the coffee to be done, when I realized something felt weird.
I haven’t looked at my phone yet. I went into the bedroom and pulled it out of the drawer, powering it on, and setting it next to my paper plate in the kitchen.
I had settled on some talk show that I never watched before and became so engrossed in it that I didn’t notice the light blinking on my phone for at least five minutes after I had made my coffee.
When the show went to commercial, I threw away my paper plate and grabbed my phone and coffee. I sat down on the couch and put my coffee down before I brought the phone screen to life.
I had one solitary message waiting to be read, so I shrugged and put my phone back down without reading it.
I spent the next thirty minutes on the couch drinking coffee and flipping through channels. This was my typical day off; sit at home and not do much of anything. To most people that would seem boring, but the prospect of being able to sit and not run all over the place was a nice change for me.
I was getting up to put my cold coffee cup in the sink when I saw the light blinking again. I raised an eyebrow and fell back onto the couch and finally opening my messages.
They were from Jaxton. One was from last night and the other was from five minutes ago.
I didn’t mean to frighten you. I’m sorry if I did.
That was from last night, the one he sent this morning was a picture of himself giving me a sad face.
I smiled and responded:
I’m sorry if I came across as a bitch. It was just weird to meet you and have you get my last name and phone number the same day. No hard feelings?
I put the phone down and went to empty my cup. I washed it and poured fresh coffee in it when I saw my light blinking again. I set the cup down and practically skipped to the couch.
None whatsoever Ms. Riley. :)