A/N: Thank you so much for the awesome reviews! Honestly, I don't know when this story will end - I'm just kind of playing it by ear :) I know most people plan and/or write the entire story before posting the first chapter but I'm not organized enough for that so you guys will just have to deal with my sporadic update schedule :)
P.S. Sorry for the super short chapter but mind leaving a review anyway? :)
Chapter 23
BZZZZZZ. BZZZZZZ. BZZZZZZ.
I blinked, groaning when I saw it was still dark behind my curtains.
I looked at my alarm clock. Midnight. Who the hell would be idiotic enough to call me at midnight?
I reached for my phone on the nightstand and rubbed my eyes at the bright light that burned my retinas when I pressed the home button. After a moment, my eyes adjusted and I was able to focus on the caller ID. Of course. My idiot.
"H-hello?" I tried, but my voice was a little rough from sleep and came out barely above a whisper. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Hello?"
"Happy birthday."
I laughed, rolling onto my back, phone to my ear. "Thanks, but wouldn't calling me in the morning have been just as effective? Or waiting till dinner later?" My dad, mom (ugh), and I were going to have Thanksgiving dinner at Jackson's house with his family later today.
"Well, I'm sorry for trying to be a good boyfriend." He said, his tone...cold?
I replayed my words and cringed when I realized how I had sounded. Shit. "Jackson-"
"You obviously value your sleep more than you value me so I'll just leave you to it." His voice sounded even more detached than before. Double shit.
"I-I- I didn't-" I was trying to put into words what I wanted to say but was epically failing. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded, I swear, it was really sweet of you to call and-"
He interrupted me with a loud laugh. "Babe, relax before you hurt yourself. I was kidding."
I huffed. "Not funny. And not fair. I'm not nearly awake enough to deal with your lame attempts at humor right now."
"You say the sweetest things to me," He cooed and I shook my head, a small smile playing on my lips. "Well, now that you have been properly welcomed into the seventeenth year of your life, you can go back to sleep."
I ran the hand not holding my phone through my hair as I sat up, leaning back into the head of my bed. Sadly, all traces of exhaustion seemed to have disappeared and I knew I wouldn't be able to fall asleep again anytime soon. "Actually, I think I'm gonna stay up for a little longer, maybe watch something on Netflix."
"You know, I could sneak in through your window and we can Netflix and chill," He said, his voice low. The mental image of Jackson waggling his eyebrows up and down and giving me that annoyingly handsome smirk of his combined with that stupid phrase was just too much I couldn't help but let out a loud laugh before coming to my senses and clapping my hand over my mouth.
I quieted my breathing, listening to hear if I had woken my dad up. After a few moments of nothing, I let out a sigh of relief.
"Is sex the only thing on your mind?" I whispered into the phone, just in case.
"Only when you're around."
"I'm flattered, really, but I'm just not that into you." I said nonchalantly and I grinned when he snorted.
"That hurts, Princess, that hurts real deep."
There was a comfortable silence for a moment, the only sounds being our quiet breathing.
"Hey, Jackson?" I ask hesitantly.
"Hm?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"You just did."
I rolled my eyes. "Haha, very funny. I'm serious."
"What's up?"
I opened my mouth but shut it again, trying to decide how to phrase what I wanted to ask. I eventually decided to just spit it out. "Well, if you hadn't noticed, I'm not very ladylike or princessy and I was just wondering-"
"Why I call you Princess," He finished.
I nodded until I realized he couldn't see me. Maybe I wasn't as awake as I thought. "Yeah."
"Do you remember what you were wearing for Halloween in seventh grade?" He asked randomly.
I blinked. "What? How does that-"
"Well, do you?"
I scanned my memories trying to remember what I wore what year.
"Uh-"
"You were dressed as Mulan 'cause you and Livvy went through a Disney phase that summer. And even though we were, like, twelve and too old to dress up, you and Liv insisted. And when Livvy decided to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast and demanded you go as a respectable princess like Rapunzel or Sleeping Beauty, you said you didn't want to be the girl who relied on a man to save her."
I laughed as I remembered. Mulan was badass as hell.
"How do you even remember that? And besides, Mulan isn't even a princess, I don't understand why-"
"You didn't need to dress up as a princess for Halloween because you already were one."
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "How do you mean?"
"I mean you always had this regal air about you, even when we were kids. Like you knew everyone was beneath you-"
"I do not think everyone is beneath me!" I protested.
He continued on as if I had never interrupted him. "And you judge everyone because of it. You always expect people to agree with you and whenever they don't you give them a detailed explanation on why they're wrong and you're right."
"Just because I defend what I think doesn't mean-"
"You see what I mean?" I could hear the amusement in his voice and I scowled but kept silent this time.
"You always tell it how it is and say what's on your mind and I love that about you."
I froze. "What?"
"I-I" he stuttered. Stuttering was not something Jackson Locke did. "I said I like that about you."
I found myself half relieved and half disappointed, and I couldn't figure out why. Well, I could, but I didn't want to accept it. It was way, way too soon. "Yeah, well thanks for the explanation. And for calling to say happy birthday."
"Yeah"
Unlike the earlier silence, this one was awkward.
"Well, it's uh, pretty late so I guess I'll see you at dinner later," I said.
"Yeah, see ya."
I hung up and dropped the hand holding my phone to my side. Closing my eyes, I dropped my head back against the headboard of my bed and took a deep breath.
I was in way too deep.