I avoided Jude’s persistent phone calls on Sunday after I disappeared from Rodolfo and Gabriel’s Halloween party and went home with a complete stranger. I sent him a text to tell him that I was fine, but not ready to talk just so he didn’t think that Ethan had killed me and hid my body. That just made him call more.
Why was I ignoring his calls? Because I wasn’t in the mood to be lectured.
I finally answered the phone on Monday night.
“Took you long enough,” he snapped. “I’ve been worried about you.”
“Why?” I shot back, muting the werewolf documentary I’d been watching. “I texted you to tell you I was fine.”
“Annabelle, if something happened to you, anyone could have sent a text from your phone.”
I sighed. He had a point, I supposed.
His voice was softer when he spoke again. “Who was that guy, Bells?”
Dammit. Jude only pulls that nickname shit when he’s in super best friend-mode. He gave it to me when we were kids.
“Ethan. He said he was a friend of Gabriel’s so if you want to do a background check, talk to him.”
“You don’t even know anything about him.”
“Sure I do. He’s beautiful, a good dancer, rides a motorcycle, and is from England… somewhere.” Even I knew I was grasping at straws here. “Look, I don’t need a bodyguard. I can take care of myself. And you’ve never been like this with any of the other guys I’ve dated. What gives?”
He snorted. “Is that what you’re doing? Dating?”
“Among other things.”
“I don’t like this. I don’t trust him.”
This was getting old real fast. Still, I tried to smooth things over. “You don’t even know him, Jude.”
“Neither do you.”
“I know him better than you do.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet you do.”
I paused and let that sink in for a moment. Now I was furious. “Could you stop acting like my father and maybe try being my best friend right now?”
“I’m not one of your girlfriends, Annabelle. If you want to dish about how great the sex was, call one of them.”
I tried to ignore how much that stung. “You know what? Fine. Call me when you’re done being an asshole.”
I hit the “End” button on my phone growled as I threw it across the room. It hit the wall and I heard the sound of plastic cracking.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed. The last thing I needed was to replace my phone again. I got up to survey the damage.
The battery had sprung out, but nothing seemed to be broken. Sweet. I have indestructible super-phone. I replaced the battery and turned the phone back on. Three texts from Jude already. I deleted them without reading them.
I returned to the couch where I’d fully intended on drowning my sorrows in a bowl of popcorn and the rest of my werewolf documentary when my phone rang. I glanced at the ID screen and smiled. It was Ethan.
I think I just found a better way to forget about my problems for a little while.
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