The Book Boyfriend

Five.

Five rings and no answer, I was nervous enough as it was without the wait.  Deciding it was not meant to be I was about to hang up when I heard the raspy voice answer.

He had been asleep.

I slapped my forehead already feeling like an idiot for waking him up and realized he had been talking while I freaked out.

“Is someone there?”

“Hi, hello. Beau. It's Rebecca, from the concert?”

Silence.

“Seriously?” The doubt in his voice was followed with excitement and I didn't feel so bad for calling anymore. “I didn't think you'd call.”

“Sorry, if it's late or a bad time…”

“Not at all,” He cut me off, stopping my rambling, but then the silence returned as neither one of us knew what to say next. “Did you have a good trip home?”

“Yeah, our plane was delayed so I literally had to go from the airport to work and leave Jess with my bags.” I laughed awkwardly, not sure if he'd even care about the trivial issues in my life.

“Delayed flights are the worst. What do you do for work?”

Just like that any awkwardness was gone from the conversation as I told him about the library, my grandmothers bookstore and what I did at college. He told me about how he got into music, their path to discovery and how he never finished high school and went to university by correspondence.

“Bec as great as talking to you is, I need to go get some sleep. I have to be up in three hours for the Morning Show.” I glanced at the clock on my bedside table; unable to believe we'd been talking for four hours.

“Right! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called so late.” Ten had turned into two and now I had noticed the time, I couldn't stop yawning.

“I'm glad you did, thank you,” He yawned too and we both laughed, no longer awkward or nervous. “Good night Bec.”

“Goodnight Beau.”

Come six o'clock my alarm started going off and for the first time in my life I didn't hit snooze, quickly making my way to the shower and getting ready for work. Normally I didn't start until nine, but there was going to be a breakfast meeting at seven thirty with the head of the college. I had hated it only now I didn't care and made it down stairs before Jess and turned on the Morning Show. It had always confused me where all these people came from to stand behind the windows of the studio so early in the morning and I understood it now causing another first of the day.

I was jealous of them.

“And after this quick ad break, Taking Back Monday will be performing one of their new songs from their new self titled album, coming out July third!” The crowd behind the set went crazy and the camera left the morning hosts to zoom in on the people in concert shirts waving homemade banners declaring their love for Beau.

 “I thought I heard TV” Jess yawned; coming down the hall she had literally just rolled out bed. “What are you doing? Are you sick?”

“No, Beau is on” I froze as she stopped walking to the kitchen and now fully awake turned to look at me.

“What?” In seconds she had run ove r the sofa, jumping over the back of it to sit beside me, “How did you know he was going to be on?”

“He told me.”

She screamed, a shrill horrible excited high-pitched sound that had me blocking my ears.

“YOU CALLED HIM!” She bounced up and down on the spot clapping her hands, “OH MY GOD! YOU CALLED HIM!”