Perfect Girl ✔

XXVII

(2:30 a.m.)

Ring...

Ring...

Ring...

"Hello?"

       E's voice was gruff and hoarse from sleep, and guilt instantly hit me as I lay on my back staring up at the ceiling. 

"Hello?"

...

"Fucking butt dial-"

"E?"

       There was a sharp intake of air from the other line and a moment of silence before he spoke again.

"Ember... are you okay?"

       His voice was back to that weird hoarse gruff that it was in the library, and I frowned as his heavy breathing reached me from the phone.

"Yeah... Actually no. I'm not." 

"What's wrong?"

       I heard moving on the other side of the phone and I could only guess that he had sat up in his bed. I've never seen him before, that I know of, but I could just picture that big hand of his (the one that had wrapped around my back in the library) lifting up and running through his ragged bed hair.

"They're... they're fighting. I can hear them. They won't let me sleep."

"Your aunt and uncle?"

"Yeah." 

"Is it about Dillon?"

       My heart jumped at the name, and the hollow feeling that had been absent for a few days came quickly back into my chest.

"And Ella. She dropped out college and won't get a real job. They don't know what to do with her."

       There was a long silent pause before I felt the tears begin to swell in my eyes.

"They don't know what to do with m-me."

"Oh Emmy, sh. Don't cry. I'm right here, beautiful." 

"What if they kick me out E? What am I going to do?" I sobbed into the phone and curled on my side as his heavy breathing tried to soothe me.

"They're not going to kick you out, Ember. Don't think like that. And even if they did I-"

...

"You would what?"

"I would come get you... okay?"

"But you don't want me to know who you are..."

"My need to keep myself hidden is not as great as my need to keep you safe."

...

"E?"

"Yes, perfect girl?"

"I think I'm falling for you... hard."