Begin Again ✔

ten

"Guys," Lea chuckled. "I do not have a boyfriend. I would tell if you if I did," she declares. After what it feels like minutes of glares directed towards her, she sighs. "Yes, I've been texting someone but it's not a big deal. We're just friends," she makes her excuse, grabbing a towel from her drawer, preparing herself to take a shower.

"Well," Carrie blurted. "Then, who is it?"

It is mere seconds Lea breaks into a fit of laughter. "Why are you guys interrogating me like I did something wrong?" she looks at them and swallows. "You remember I texted to a wrong number one day? The guy that I met at the party who gave me the wrong number?" she blinks and lifts one of her brows.

"Honey," Leighton sighs as she releases a breathy laugh. "There's so much we don't know," she chuckles. "Start from the beginning."

"Okay," Lea swallows the lump in her throat and casually sits on her bed. The other two girls follow her and sit in front of her. They give each other curious glances but then finally shift their gazes towards Lea who looks at them equivocally, feeling left out. "Carrie, you remember Bash? The guy I met at the party who gave me his phone number?" Lea inquires. Followed by a nod, she continues, "The thing is, he actually gave me the wrong number. And, I texted that number one night, and I found out that it wasn't Bash's."

"Then, whose was it?" Leighton shoots the question at her.

"It's a guy named Alec and he doesn't know Bash. So, Bash deliberately gave me the wrong number and I don't know why," she shrugs back a reply.

"And?" The two girls lift their brows simultaneously.

"I don't know how but Alec and I became friends," she answers. Before they open their mouths to speak, she cuts them off, "Somehow, we got to know each other."

"So, you randomly texted a wrong number and now you're friends with a stranger," Carrie nods, trying to process the information.

"It isn't as horrible as it sounds. You guys know me, I freaked out at first but he really is a nice guy."

"Lea," Leighton exhales. "This is crazy. I mean think about it, he could be an eighty-year-old man."

"I've had those theories, Leigh," Lea chuckles. "He's 17."

"Do you like him?" Carrie asks, her voice soft drenched in morning sleep.

"He has a girlfriend."

"How's that related to this?" she shakes her head.

"No, of course not. I just got to know him. That would be absurd," Lea swallows. The two girls stare at her, not being able to process the information. "I know that this is crazy and I've had every single theory that you have in your minds right now. But, I like him. He's funny and sweet. I like talking to him and he's okay with it."

"But, he has a girlfriend. You wouldn't want to text someone's boyfriend," Carrie declares. "The same thing happened to you, remember?"

Lea opens her mouth to fight back but swallows every word that harmfully stings on her mouth. Her eyes flutter as her gaze shifts towards the ground. She tugs at the selvage of her towel that sits on her lap. "Things aside, why did you have to hide the fact that you were talking to him?" Leighton asks.