That Night

Chapter Nineteen

A/N: this song is really fun. I feel like it fits the story pretty well, in a lighthearted way. enjoy!

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Ring, ring, riiing.

I pressed the phone harder into my ear, as if my urgency would transfer into the ringing on the other end. My heart was pounding in my chest, something it'd been doing pretty often recently.

What am I doing? I thought, shaking my head to myself. Calling a girl the next day? Pathetic.

Maybe it was pathetic, but waiting until Monday to talk to Juliet was out of the question. After the day we had, I needed answers. At least I wasn't showing up at her doorstep unannounced again.

"Hello?"

Finally.

"Juliet," I said with a sigh of relief. Why had it taken so long for her to pick up? Couldn't she tell I was dying to hear her voice?

"Hi, Dash," she replied in a cheery voice.

"Hi," I said, suddenly unable to think of a single other word to say.

"Hi," she repeated, sounding amused. I could picture the smirk on her face, her blue eyes dancing in delight.

"I just thought I'd give you a call after yesterday," I blurted out. "So, here I am...calling." My own awkwardness made me cringe. My old self would have laughed in my face.

"I can see that," Juliet said.

"Right, ha." God, why was this so difficult? I had never had this much trouble talking to a girl before.

"Were you calling to say anything in particular?" she asked, sounding as if she did have something particular in mind. What, I had no clue. This girl was a real mystery to me.

"No, nope," I stammered painfully. "I guess I was just calling to ask if you had a nice time."

Her answer came immediately. "I had a wonderful time, Dash." Her tone was soft but warm, full of sincerity.

"Me too," I murmured. "How was the rest of your birthday? I hope your dad wasn't upset that you missed dinner."

"Oh, no, he wasn't upset at all," she said. "We went out for ice cream instead, which he said was even better."

"Well, that's good," I replied, chuckling. "I was worried."

"He was perfectly fine. We celebrated a little when we got home. He gave me a few presents, and we watched a movie. It was nice." Her voice sounded happy, but also wistful. I couldn't help but think of her mother, and how someone could miss their daughter's eighteenth birthday like that.

I considered asking Juliet about her mother, but I decided against it. She would tell me when she was ready. Instead, I said, "I just realized I didn't get to meet Harvey. I was really looking forward to that."

Juliet giggled, putting me at ease. "He's a little shy. I think he was curled up in my dad's bed."

"That's alright," I replied. "I guess that just gives me an excuse to come back."

Juliet let out a nervous laugh, but she said nothing. I swallowed, hoping I hadn't been too bold.

"Do you have any pets?" she asked to break the silence.

"No, I always wanted a dog, but I was never allowed to get one," I said sadly.

"Why?" she asked, sharing my sad tone.