“Well, I’ll go so you can enjoy your castle to yourself. If you see Elodie, can you tell her that Phillip’s been trying to call for like an hour and he’s getting worried. He has less than an hour of phone privilege before he leaves for his next mission, if she can talk.” He effortlessly walked backward as he spoke, down the porch steps and into my grass. The blades shined under the streetlight, and the rain was picking up.

“If she comes home, I’ll let her know,” I called after him. I felt an unexplainable urge to stop him from leaving. My brain couldn’t react as fast as he moved, and I stood alone on my porch, watching him get into his truck. As one of my hands waved to him, the other was at my chest, trying to hold my heart still. So he really wasn’t going to mention the kiss? It’s not that I wanted him to, but I did. I couldn’t decide what the hell I wanted.

He drove away and I stood there, wishing Elodie was home and that I wasn’t so awkward when he was around. I would have traded my alone time, even the long shower, for him to be sitting in my living room. I was surprised as the thought hit me, and even more surprised at how true it was. I really, really wanted him to come back. Maybe I could call Elodie and tell her to come home and keep me company until this pang of loneliness went away? Her husband was trying to get a hold of her, so it would be a win-win.

Deep down I knew that her company wouldn’t fill the void. I tried to push aside thoughts of wanting to be alone with Kael. Feeling brave, I rushed around my house, looking for my phone. When I found it in my room, I clicked on his name and dialed before I could overthink it. My heart raced. This felt different. I felt high. Outside of my body and mind. Why? When he answered on the second ring, my voice spilled over onto the line.

“Karina?” He said my name so calmly, almost like he was suspecting I’d call.

“Um, yeah. Hi. Can you . . .” An excuse didn’t come to me. “Do you want to come back?”

He instantly sounded alarmed. “Is something wrong? Did you get a hold of Elodie?”

Elodie. Our ever-present liaison was there, again. He wasn’t asking about me, he was asking about her.

“No. Never mind. I . . .” The words felt like sand being poured down my throat. “Sorry for bothering you. I haven’t heard from her. Yeah, so bye.” I hung up and threw my phone back onto the bed. This time I wouldn’t forget where I put it.