t w e n t y - f o u r || the call

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Dedicated to @GeolaReader because Jace and Ana are my heart and soul and so is Gyana.

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The first thing Liam does after he gets home is dial the number for AskAway's relationship hotline, his fingers rapidly pounding the number into his keypad. He sits at the edge of his bed, foot tapping to the rings of the phone. He doesn't even realize it, but he's biting his lip—one of his nervous habits.

When no one picks up on the other side, Liam tells himself not to dwell on the fact and be too disappointed. It's well past eleven in Seattle. Nessa would've left work by this time anyways on a normal day. He repeats this to himself.

Liam can't sleep that night, his thoughts forcing him to stay awake in the darkness of his quiet room. To pass time by, he stares at the ceiling and counts the stars he can see through his small window. He's lost count almost every time now.

The next day Liam calls the hotline periodically, finding time in between his classes to use the bulk of minimal salary at the bookstore. A different person answers every time. None of his calls have gotten through to Nessa.

He doesn't know what to do. He's never been in a situation like this.

At exactly 10 o'clock, Liam dials the number again. He's back to where he was last night, sitting on the edge of his bed and waiting for her to pick up.

The phone continues to ring.

And ring.

And ring.

Suddenly, the rings stop and Liam's heart skips a beat. He eagerly clutches the phone against his ear and hears a voice speaking on the other line.

"Nessa, I'm so sorry. I meant to call you right after the—" Liam starts only to be interrupted by a louder voice.

"The person you are trying to reach has not set up a voicemail system. Please try again later. Thank you again for calling."

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