The Summer of Bells: The Essences Saga - Book #2

Summer: Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-three

He wasn’t expecting Min to call him.  It was late, and usually he did the calling, but tonight, he forgot with all the education he received from her friend, Bell.

“Hello?”

Min’s voice carried over the phone line.  “I heard you had another visitor.”

He groaned.  “Do we have any secrets anymore?  With all your friends popping in and out, I beginning to feel like a freaking babysitter.”

“So, how did you like Bell?”

“She’s nice.  She’s not like the others I’ve met.”

The phone went silent for a second.  “How many others have you met?”

“Oh, uh, just Phil and Desi, I guess.  How many are there?”

“More than you can count.  You didn’t like Phil?”

Silas focused on that first sentence.  “You mean I’ll be getting more of these people in my home for the rest of my life?  I can’t even take a shower in peace anymore as it is.”

“Yeah,” Min said, a slight chuckle to her voice.  “I heard about the shower.”

“Ah, hell, Min.  I swear nothing happened.”  Why did he feel like he was saying that a lot lately?

This time the chuckle came over loud and clear.  “Don’t worry about it.  I trust Bell.”

“But you don’t trust me?”

“I trust you, too, Silas.  But I meant that Bell would never pull anything on you.  She’s not Desi.  Now about Phil…what do you not like about Him?  He’s the Essence of Friendship.  Everybody likes Him.”

Silas rubbed a hand across his face.  How to explain?  “That’s the problem.  He’s supposed to be liked, but I don’t know Him very well.  It doesn’t feel right accepting that kind of friendship from someone I don’t know.”

“And you think you know Bell well enough to like Her?”

“Is this the reason you called?”

“No.  I called to tell you I love you and good-night and that I talked to Jennie.”

“Glad to hear it,” he said.  “So, you’re going to hang up now?”

Min huffed, blowing static in his ear.  “You’re avoiding a lot of subjects tonight.  Something bothering you?”

His chest tightened with thin anger.  “Yes.  I’m bothered that you didn’t bother to tell me all this stuff earlier.  I had to hear it from some air-popping deity.”

“They’re not deities,” she said with the same conviction that Bell said, “We’re not gods,” and he burst out with a laugh.

“Now what’s so funny?”

“You,” he said, calming his laughter.  “I understand you so much better now.”

“Well, good,” Min huffed again.  “Now when do I get to see you again?”

Right.  His delay.  He forgot to tell her the other night.  He swallowed the hard lump in his throat.  “Five days.”

After a few seconds of silence, he whispered, “Min?  You there?”

“Five days!” she bellowed.  “You didn’t tell me you would be gone for two weeks!”

“Hey, calm down –“