My phone vibrates.

Holly: One of the best holiday movies I’ve seen.

Damn, this girl keeps getting better.

Ben: Of course. So much better than A Christmas Story.

Holly: Definitely. But everything is better than A Christmas Story.

Ben: You don’t like A Christmas Story? It’s a classic!

Holly: That classic gave me nightmares of ginger-haired bullies and getting my tongue frozen to a lamppost. It took me weeks to get over it! No, thank you.

Ben: Guess I won’t be giving you a sexy leg lamp for Christmas then.

Holly: Only if you want to get smacked in the face with it.

I snicker at the thought of Holly chasing after me, waving that iconic lamp as a threat.

Holly: So, whatcha doin’?

Ben: Dialysis. I’m bored. Entertain me!

A few minutes pass, and I wonder if I was too demanding. Then, my phone buzzes repeatedly.

Holly is calling me.

I sit up straighter and fix my rumpled shirt. As if she could somehow see me.

“Hey.”

“Hey there,” she speaks softly, and I hear some rumbling in the background.

“How’re you doing tonight?”

“I’m good. On the bus. Coming back from my dad’s. So, you’re bored, huh?”

“To tears. Tried watching Die Hard, but it’s just not working for me tonight. Thought I’d see what’s up with you.”

“Well, I just got soundly beat in a game of gin rummy, so my pride’s a bit dinged up. And I’ve still got a chapter to read for my class in the morning.”

“Digital marketing, right? With Jasper?”

“Yeah. Thank the universe he’s in that class. Everyone else drives me crazy.” Even over the phone, I can hear the smile in her voice.

If I were a good guy, I’d be happy the two of them were close. Instead, petty jerk I am, I get the urge to give her a detailed recounting of the morning our freshman year when I found my roommate passed out outside our dorm room, wearing a tube top and booty shorts with half of his head shaved. With effort, I keep it to myself.

“Yeah, he told me about the time you put someone in their place. Gave him a verbal beatdown?”

Her chuckle is low, sending goose bumps over my chest and down my legs. “Well, that’s what happens when you get on my bad side.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Oh, Benny boy,” she sighs out the nickname, and I’m shifting in my seat, suddenly restless. “You are so far from my bad side; you’d have to take a weeklong road trip just to catch sight of it.”

Her confession knocks me on my ass. I swallow multiple times while I try to come up with some witty response.

“Same.” Nailed it.

Holly laughs again. “So, are you at the beginning or getting to the end of your session?”

“Pretty much exactly halfway. Been here for an hour. One more to go.”

“Only two hours?”

“Yeah. Two hours on Mondays and two hours on Tuesdays. Then, I get three hours on Thursdays and Saturdays.”