Hey, Celia? | ✔️

Chapter Twenty

"Why," James' friend, Freddie said, pausing. "The fuck," he paused again. "Is your phone," he paused once more and it was beginning to become obnoxious. "Going off like that?"

"Huh?" James wasn't aware that his phone was with him in the room. In fact, he was barely aware that he was in the room. He was too busy getting lost inside of his own head.

"Your phone, Einstein. It's been going off for the past 15 minutes and I swear, if I have to hear that stupid ring tone one more time-" he started, but James interrupted.

"It's not stupid," he mumbled.

"It's 'I am Groot!' repeated over and over again," Freddie deadpanned.

A rosy pink filled his cheeks quicker than oxygen could fill his lungs.

"Yeah, yeah." James rolled his eyes, and started getting lost in his thoughts once more until his friend whacked him in the head.

"Ouch, what was that for?" James rubbed the spot on his head that Freddie had smacked.

Freddie was teasing him, but in all reality, he was worried about his best, and only, friend. He seemed like he was on auto-pilot. Doing all of the things he would normally do, but not being present, really present, while doing them. He knew these months were always hard on James, but he seemed to be handling it well, until a few weeks prior.

"Dude, if you don't answer your phone and silence that God awful ringtone, I will," said Freddie, but James had, once again, gotten lost in his thoughts and he didn't register Freddie's threat. So, as the ringtone went off again, Freddie answered.

"I am Groot! I am Groot! I am Gr-"

"Yellow!" Freddie exclaimed as soon as he answered the call.

"Banana?" the quiet, feminine voice on the other end said.

"What?"

"Oh, were we not naming things that are yellow? That's awkward," she said.

Freddie chuckled, and decided to play along. "Cheese."

"Lemons."

"Pineapple."

"Corn."

"Yellow Bell Peppers."

"The Coldplay song."

"Dang, that was a good one."

"Thanks, I try," she said.

"So, who are you?" he asked.

"You don't know who I am? Meaning the world really doesn't revolve around me? First my plans of being a 58 and a half year old ex-con fly out the window and now my plans of being the sun do, too. Just my luck," she said, sighing dramatically.

"Are you mentally sound?"

"No-"

"That's awkward-"

"-I'm Cecelia."

"..."

"..."

"That was a really bad joke."

"I'm well aware."

"Pretty name, though."

"Thanks, but, mind telling me your name and why you have Jami-" she cleared her throat. "James's phone?"

In the time that they'd been speaking on the phone, James did realize Freddie actually answered his phone. He also realized who it was that called, and Freddie had summoned Barry freaking Allen, locking himself in the bathroom, where James couldn't reach him, but was incessantly knocking on the door and threatening him in a very ungentlemanly way. Freddie was just amused, though. He'd never seen little Jamesy-poo act so out of character over a girl.