Fill My Lungs | J. Todd ✔

[04] The Unknown Caller

Valerie felt that perhaps she shouldn't have given her number to Jason along with that hoodie. It had been days and he hadn't contacted her, making her think it stupid of herself to reach out first.

Perhaps he didn't think of her as that important to talk to her again, she thought, a slight frown puckering her lips. Her life was back to its boring track as she took care of her shifts at the supermarket and then came back home too tired to do anything else.

Sarah and Marc had both been making sure that she stayed away from the bar, considering her last encounter with a supposed serial killer. They were also finally starting to ease their inspection on her when there had been no more mention of Jason and the man hadn't reached out to her again.

That night, she was alone in her apartment as Sarah and Marc had finally scraped some time off their busy schedules to go on a date. She had been happy for them but deep down, she felt lonely without her roommate to keep her company.

She had ordered a small pepperoni pizza and was sitting on the couch, browsing what to watch on Netflix. Sometimes having so many options to choose from made it even more difficult to decide what to watch and she rested her head back, placing the remote down.

Her phone rang and without checking the ID she picked up the call, hoping it would be Sarah. However, a deep voice sounded after a while of silence and she straightened, trying to recognize who it was.

"Um hello?" She asked, "sorry, I don't have your number saved. Who are you?"

"This is Valerie, right?"

"Yeah... How did you get this number?" The last movie she had watched on a stalker calling the victim flashed in her mind and she quickly got up to check the window and draw the blinds over it.

"It's Jason," he replied at last and she paused, just then recognizing his voice.

"Oh... Hello, Jason," her voice perked up slightly as she stopped panicking and came back to her couch, "how are you?"

"I'm fine, you?"

"Great," she replied, her voice returning to that usual soft timbre, "sorry, I freaked out slightly thinking it was someone else."

"All okay?" He asked, a slight trace of concern in his voice missing her notice.

"Yeah, of course. Maybe I shouldn't watch such a lot of horror movies," she laughed lightly, checking the time on the clock, "anyways, what's up?"

There was a slight pause on his end as if he was thinking what to say but then his voice sounded again, "I couldn't call you earlier because I misplaced your note."

"Oh... I see."

"And you really didn't have to return the hoodie," he remarked, "I have plenty."

"Alright, if I borrow it again, I won't give it back," she replied lightly but then her cheeks tingled, just then realizing that perhaps it seemed as if she was flirting with him, "I mean..."

"No, it's alright. You can borrow it again anytime you like," there was a slight chuckle on his end and she paused, feeling that she had probably imagined it.

"Are you drunk again?" She asked.

"No, why do you ask?"

"I... I don't know. I just thought... Never mind," she felt even more awkward, hugging her cushion close to herself and internally scolding herself for not being able to handle a normal conversation.

It was just Jason, she reminded herself, but then perhaps the problem was that it was Jason. She had promised Sarah not to talk to him again yet she had given him her number herself and now they were talking to each other.

There was something about him that drew her in like a magnet even though she hadn't even spent a lot of time with him.

She did not remember much of what had passed between them that night but his deep voice and the fleeting memory of his lips against hers were enough to make her cheeks fire up with color.

It was a good thing they were only talking on call and were not face to face right then or else he could have seen her blushing.

"Would you like to go out for drinks sometime? Or maybe coffee, whichever you prefer?"

Her mental processes came to a halt. Did he just ask her out?

"Yes, I am asking you out. Do you mind?"

The shade on her cheeks deepened as she mumbled, "I said that out loud, did I?"

"It's okay if you don't want to. I was just wondering why you would give me your number in the first place," he remarked casually as if totally didn't bother him if she said no.

But then she spoke up, "I can't go out with you to the bar again because my friends made me promise not to touch alcohol. But we can go out for coffee."

"What time are you free then?"

She considered, ignoring the doorbell that was ringing. "I have an afternoon shift at the supermarket tomorrow so I will be free by evening."

"So I can pick you up from the supermarket?"

"Yeah, can you hold on for a second?" She stood up, realizing that the doorbell was ringing and when she checked, the pizza she had ordered was there. She paid the delivery boy, brought the box in, and locked the door as she sat back on the couch then picked up the phone again, "you there?"

He hummed in reply and she felt a smile playing upon her lips as well.

"So I will see you tomorrow then?"

"Sure," he replied, "good night, Valerie."

Her smile widened, something about the way he pronounced her name just made her feel tingly, "good night, Jason."

When she put down her phone at last, she already felt excited at the prospect of seeing him again the next day. She didn't know why but just the thought of meeting up with him sent a thrilling rush to her veins.

He might be dangerous, her friends' warning echoed in her head again but she very conveniently distracted herself from it.

Dangerous or not, he was someone new and made her want to explore things with him. It wouldn't be anything serious, she knew that. She wasn't one for settling down for a stable relationship and something made her feel Jason wasn't that type of guy either.

But what really were his intentions to ask her out on a date would become clear the next day when she would meet him. And just like that, there was one thing she could look up to in her boring daily routine at last.

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