Adler | The Aces of St.Sinclair BOOK 1.

Confront | A THIRTY EIGHT

A/N: I dedicate this chapter halo_queen and woahthere_dami. Thank you guys for all the votes you've given to Adler and I hope you're enjoying the story.

I woke up feeling pretty happy that morning. Ecstatic, in fact.

The kiss Shaun gave me on that deserted tennis court was all I needed to assure me this was something worth fighting for- against all of Garren's speculations.

The feel and taste of his lips brushing mine with passion and tenderness was something else entirely. It was beyond what I'd mentally prepared for but not for a moment did I want to stop.

We sadly had to when Shaun was worried of spectators or a teacher catching us. It was easier to hold him off on quitting until our cheeks were flushed, hair and clothes tousled from tentative touches to the extent that any halfwit could know what we were up to.

So, I begrudgingly parted there. The moment had replayed in my mind through the night and I couldn't wait for our movie date.

Then I started hearing music, snapping me out of the daydream. I grabbed the phone from my bedside and froze when I saw Ashton's name.

Why was she calling me?

Maybe one could argue as to why I'd bothered adding her number to my newer phone along with the others, but I could explain that. I'd just done it without thinking. Like putting a shoe on the wrong foot when occupied. Unintentional. I wasn't planning to try to call her or any motive like that.

I wasn't.

The song continued to play out, torturing me with the option of what icon I'd tap. Accept or Ignore. On it played incessantly.

Why was she calling me?

My finger warily hovered over the accept button and I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. I tried weighing the outcomes that were possible and no matter how many my brain rejected as reasonable, my finger still lingered on the bubble to answer.

Then the music stopped.

She hung up.

I let out the breath I was holding prisoner and slouched my shoulders in relief, no longer being put on the spot.

The relief was gone in a blink when confusion and panic barged in. She hung up? What if it had been something important like, life threatening? What if she was in danger and had tried to reach out for help but due to her stubbornness chickened out?

Fear pounding in, I called back. When the line was received, a dozen things whizzed through my mind at the sound of her voice. "Hey..."

What's wrong? Are you in trouble? How are you? Are you disappointed in me? Do you hate me? What's going on? Do you miss me?

"Hey." My voice came out horrifyingly calm despite the jumble my thoughts were in. "You called?"

"Um, yeah. I accidentally sat on my phone dialled your number."

"Oh..."

"Yeah..."

The time and space that passed with us simply hearing each other's breathing wasn't pointed out as if it didn't occur. Or maybe it was my rattled state that made me imagine the stretched silence. I wasn't sure. Sucking in air suddenly needed strenuous concentration.

"Okay, then."

"Sorry."

I forced a chuckle. "No worries, it happens. So um, bye then." Before the tremor that plagued my hands and the mist which fogged my eyes could manifest in the only still pillar that was my voice, I pressed end.