To Love Irrevocably [18+]

Chapter Sixteen

The mattress of my bed hugs me as I fall into the thick comforter. Closing my eyes, I breathe in the fresh linen scent of my blanket, happy to be back at my dingy apartment. The pillow is cool on my face, but it soothes the headache I have after my troubling day. Breathing out, I relax further, but my body still desires for a nice warm shower.

I push myself up from my bed with much difficulty. It takes all my strength to leave the comfort, but once I do, my phone rings. The groan that leaves me is loud and annoyed, making me feel guilty. Just because I've had an awful day, doesn't mean I should take it out on my caller.

Grabbing my phone, I answer without checking the caller ID. "Hello?" The word comes out much softer than I thought it would. Maybe I'm just that tired.

"You don't sound too happy to speak to me," a sultry voice says. I choke on my breath, letting only a squeak out.

"Seren?" I breathe, now embarrassed by my tone and the silly sound that just left me.

"That's right, pretty boy," she confirms, a sweet laugh leaving her. "Who else would it have been? Your other girlfriend?"

"No, no!" I shoot out before realizing she's just joking. Then I catch what she's just said. "Girlfriend?"

"What? You don't like the term? I'm not one for labels myself, but I figured it would have a nice ring."

It does. She thought right. I only wonder if she thought it would make me happy, and that's why she said it. Girlfriend is a term I never thought I'd call anyone. Boyfriend is a term I thought no one would call me. A lot of firsts are happening and in a turbo whirlwind of things, Seren is a reason for a lot of that. I can't take from Amy or Chandler because they've pushed me there, too, but it's different in a way.

"I—I love it," I whisper into the receiver, my heart glowing with some sort of pride. At the moment, I don't even care how soft or childish I sound. I don't even care that Ariel and I never talked about labels, not after one date at least.

"Hmm, I thought you would," she tells me. "What are you doing, Sutton? You sounded distressed when you picked up the phone."

The workday filters through my mind as I think of each event, lingering on some longer than others. A tired and afflicted sigh comes out before I can stop it. Then a groan is bursting from my lips as I think about what happened between Amy and I. The more I think, the more I want to bury myself in my bed and never come out. This hurts worse than never having friends. Way worse.

"Tell me what's wrong, Sutton," Seren demands, her tone firm, but not harsh. Even over the phone, she still regards me softly and dare I say with care.

"There's just this girl at work..."

The other side is silent for just a moment before Seren says, "Okay, I'll need just a bit more than that, honey."

My heart warms at the term of endearment. Something about it makes me want to share everything. I picture Seren's unique eyes and the way they haven't judged me. Seeing them, imagining them, it makes me want to open up and share with this woman my troubles and feelings.