Free There Is No Light in Darkness by Claire Contreras Page B

Greg that his cowboy will be meeting us there. Tell Aubry!”
    “Obviously,” I laugh. “You think he’s going to let me rub it in his face that I saw you and went to a game without him?”
    After Becky and I hang up, I scroll through my phone. I don’t want to call Cole yet. Maybe I’ll call him next week when I’m back in business. I doubt he’ll let me get away with that. Knowing him, he’ll show up here and demand to know why I haven’t called. What’s worse is that Greg will probably tell him that I’m going to New York.
    We’ve gone long periods of time without speaking. While we were both working on our undergrad, we barely said a word to each other. We kept in touch through our friends and saw each other on holidays but didn’t directly communicate with each other.
    As I try to shake away thoughts of him with other girls, I pour myself some Lucky Charms and milk in a plastic cup. I switch on the TV and watch a rerun of Saved by the Bell: The College Years. I hate those episodes, but it’s better than the alternative shows that are on. Thoughts of Cole and Erin seep back into my memory. Her angry voice after he answered the phone during sex repeats itself in my head. I let out a breath and feel my stomach churn. When I look back down at my now-soggy Lucky Charms, I’m no longer hungry.
    I try to sleep but give up after an hour of relentless turning. Maybe counting sheep only works at night. My cell phone rings a couple of times, but I don’t bother to get up and look at it. When the house phone rings, I sit up in bed. I look over at the cordless phone next to my bed and see Cole’s name light up on the caller ID. I groan and sink back in bed.
    I hate the fact that we even have a house phone. We rarely use it anyway, and it’s just another way for people to have more places to contact us. When we installed our alarm system, we were told we needed one. The alarm system was my idea. Everybody thought it was dumb since we live in a condominium—an expensive one with a doorman—but I need to feel safe. When someone opens the front door or balcony doors, the little chime beeps. It annoys me sometimes, but it’s worth it.
    I hear Cole’s deep velvety voice fill the emptiness in my room, and the butterflies in my stomach awaken. “Blake, Aubry told me you were home. Pick up the phone please. We need to talk. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you when you called yesterday. I …” he pauses and I hear rustling. “I’m sorry. I know you heard and I’m sorry. Please talk to me. It kills me when you shut me out. Call me—” The machine cut him off. Good.
    After four years of not saying much to one another, when Cole and I started to speak again, we promised not to shut each other out again. Regardless of the girlfriends or boyfriends in our lives, we promised we’d be there for each other. We always put each other above everyone else in our lives. I feel bad for Erin because she is a sweet girl—even in times that I wouldn’t be. She seems to have as much patience as Cole does, which irks me. I would love to say I’m happy that Cole has such a great girl in his life—and deep, deep, deep inside I am. He’s my best friend. I want him to be happy. He deserves it, but still ...
    He calls again, and I let the machine pick it up.
    “Blake, please answer the phone. Please, baby,” he pleads hoarsely. My heart drops at the sound of his voice and I feel the tears I was holding back run down my face. I finally roll over on my stomach and pick up the phone.
    “Hello?” I answer in a cracked voice before I clear my throat.
    “Baby, what’s wrong?” he asks in a worried tone.
    “Don’t call me that,” I whisper harshly. “Nothing’s wrong.”
    “Bullshit, Blake. What happened yesterday?”
    “Nothing. I don’t want to talk about it.”
    My heart starts racing as I look at the phone base and start recalling all those movies I’ve seen where the phones are being tapped. The thought of