Colliding with Fate (Published under Pop Fiction)

Bargain

I lie on the bed, half awake and half asleep. It’s been a long day, and I still can’t wrap my head around what happened.

I’m on the verge of settling to sleep when someone knocks at the door.

“Come in,” I say as I sit up.

Stella walks in the room in her sleeping attire. “Did I wake you?” she asks.

Yes. “No,” I say, “Do you need anything?” In the middle of the night?

Stella is standing hesitantly beside the door. I can’t see the expression on her face because it’s dark, and the only light comes from the clock on the side table.

“Do you mind if I switch on the lamplight?” she asks.

“No, go ahead,” I tell her.

It doesn’t matter if I’m tired, if my eyes are already drooping. It’s your house; you can do whatever you want to.

“I want to talk to you about Nate,” she starts, taking a sit beside me on the bed. I scoot over to make room for her.

“What about him?”

“You told me he’s single.”

I nod. “He is.”

“I read his posts on his blog,” she says quietly.

“And?”

I stopped reading Nate’s blog after I told him my secret. I don’t know why, maybe because I can talk to him in person whenever I want to.

“He kept on posting about this—“

The ringing of my phone interrupts her.

“Sorry,” I tell her, and then I answer my phone without checking the caller ID.

“Happy thanksgiving!”

Nate?

Speak of the devil.

I’m about to say his name when I notice that Stella is watching me.

“Hey, happy thanksgiving,” I say as normally as I can.

“How did you celebrate it?” I can hear the worry in his voice. “You’re alone! Aren’t you scared staying all by yourself in the house?”

I bite my lip. I forgot to mention that I’m here at KY’s. And it’s something I can’t just drop while on the phone.

“I’m okay,” I say. “How are you? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“The night’s still young,” he says. “What about you?”

“Just getting ready—“

“Sorry, I must have woken you.” I can see him smiling. “I’ll call again tomorrow to check up on you.”

“Alright.”

“Try not to miss me.”

I scoff. “Yeah, right.” It’s so easy to talk to him. Words just flow out of my mouth smoothly.

“Good night, Bri.”

“Good night,” I say, Nate.

We stay like that, listening to each other’s breaths. And then I click the end button when I realize he’s not going to do it.

“Who was that?” Stella asks curiously. “Was he your boyfriend?”

I shake my head quickly. “He’s just a friend.”