Silent Reading

{6}

Day by day, he fell for her more.

He suddenly felt the need to be in constant contact with her, texting her and calling her at all hours of the day, and coming to the library when he knew she'd be there.

It was becoming unhealthy. He'd ache without her presence.

11:36 PM.

Should he call her? All he could think about then and there, lying in bed, trying to read The Book Thief for English class, was hearing her voice.

Without thinking twice, he yanked his phone off the nightstand and pressed call on her contact.

The phone rang so many times, he feared she wouldn't pick up, and he would have to suffer until morning. Then, the ringing stopped, and there was a brief pause before her sleepy voice coming through the speaker.

"Who are you and why are you calling me," she mumbled. A small chuckle escaped him in reaction to her tired voice.

"Oh, you know, just a forty year old creep in his mom's basement calling random women." Her smile could be heard through the phone.

"Hi, Cade."

"So I've been upgraded to Cade now?" He smirked.

"It's easier to say." They both stopped talking for a moment, when she spoke again. "So, care to explain the late night phone call?"

"I wanted to hear your voice," he mumbled. Only quietness was heard on the other line.

"Well, it doesn't suck to hear yours right now either." Caden frowned, worried that something was stressing her. If something was, he'd do everything in his power to take that stress away.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm just worried about that English project, and that big math test next week. School always stresses me, and then there's my shifts at the library, which I love, but decrease my homework time."

Typical Michelle. School always stresses her more than it should.

"How about, we meet at the library like usual, and I'll help you plan that project, and we'll study for the math test. Does that sound okay?"

What he really wanted to do was hold her in his arms, and tell her she'd figure it out, because she always does. He's seen it before.

"It sounds like exactly what I need right now," she said, and then attempted to stifle a yawn so he wouldn't tell her to go to sleep. The plan failed.

"Go to sleep, princess." A sleepy smile grew on both their faces.

"But I wanna talk to you."

"We can talk tomorrow."

"I'm gonna hold you to that."

"You better."