I stared at my phone, willing it to light up with a text or a call or something. According to the time it was almost midnight. After the long day of listening to Shontell flip-flop between color schemes I should've been dead tired. Instead I was wired for some reason.

I was going to give up on expecting my phone to do something other than update the time until, finally, it rang. I accepted the call before it fully got the sound out.

"Please tell me that wasn't a butt dial?"

I smiled at hearing Naomi's voice. It wasn't until that moment I realized how much I'd missed her. "No, it wasn't a butt dial."

It had been almost a month since I found out about her and Theo. Almost a month since I'd last talked to one of my best friends. If it weren't for all the wedding planning distracting me I probably would've caved and called her sooner.

I'd called her after dinner, my fingers finding her in my phone and hitting call before I remembered we weren't on speaking terms. I gave a boy my number and needed to scream about it with my best friend.

Naomi let out a sigh of relief. "I'm so sorry, Waverly! I don't know why I thought not telling you about me and Theo was a good idea. I guess I didn't want to make things in our friend group awkward. But I ended things with Theo and-"

"Naomi, it's fine," I cut in, then added, "I mean it's not fine. Don't ever lie to me like that again. Especially if it'll make me look like a complete idiot."

"I'm so, so sorry," she said again. "And I'm sorry I told Theo you liked him. He just kept bugging me about it and it all just came out. He told me you two talked about it?"

"Yeah, we did." That conversation was the most awkward thing ever, but he was right. We had been friends for way too long to let something like that ruin us. "And we came to the conclusion that my crush on him was a case of temporary insanity. So you don't need to break-up with him. I'm over it."

She let out a small laugh. "I still feel really bad though."

"Well, if it'll make you feel any better you can send me some of your delicious chocolate peanut butter cookies."

She was silent for a beat, then, "What type of witchcraft? Can you see me? I just put some in the oven."

"They were calling to me." I laughed.

"Maybe I will bring you some, just so I can see that insane house you're staying in," she said, excitedly. "Theo told me you have a pool."

"I do! Hold on, I'll video chat you."

I hung up and started a video chat, walking out of my room and down the long dark hallway as I waited for her to pick up. Mom was a heavy sleeper so I didn't have to worry about waking her as I went past her room.

Instead of going all the way downstairs I went into one of the rooms with a balcony attached that looked out over the backyard. The rooms were gorgeous, too gorgeous which was why I chose to sleep in one of the other rooms. The one I slept in most likely belonged to someone younger, with the bright pink walls decorated with posters of Ariana Grande and K-Pop groups.

Naomi picked up just as I stepped onto the balcony. She had flour on her neck, lip and in her hair, her red hair pulled back into a ponytail. She didn't believe in baking from premixed ingredients.

"Sorry, Liam woke up asking for water so I had to deal with that," she explained. "Now show me this beautiful oasis."

I flipped the camera so she could see, luckily the moon was bright, providing enough light to see the area. Everything was bathed in blue moonlight, making it look almost magical.

"I'm jealous!" She said. "You get to hangout down there like some rich celeb, sipping wine and reading a book."

"I wish. Being a wedding planner's assistant is a twenty-four hour job," I admitted, turning the camera back on me. "I haven't had any time to relax."

She gasped, eyebrows shooting up. "What if I came out there and helped? Two assistants is better than one."

That offer sounded amazing. Having Naomi there would make the whole thing a hundred percent more bearable. But, "Don't you have a job already?"

"Girl, no! I had to quit," she said as she started cleaning up her mess from preparing cookies. "All those people who said working in retail is hell on earth were absolutely right. I almost had to beat up a soccer mom for yelling at me because she tried to return a shirt without the receipt. Like, I don't make the rules, lady!"

"What about your dad?" I asked, trying not to get my hopes up.

Mr. Alvarez was a single father of three. With Naomi being the oldest she had to take on the responsibility of watching her younger siblings when their dad was at work.

"Izzy is at some summer camp for the next four weeks and Liam can stay with my aunt while Dad's at work," she explained. "It should work. I'll ask my dad when he wakes up."

It started to feel like her coming was a real possibility. I loved spending time with my mom, but it'd be nice to have someone else around to talk to. There were some things I couldn't talk to my mom about. Like Stephen.

I didn't know what possessed me to give him my number after I promised my mom I'd stay away from him. It was by far the boldest thing I'd ever done in my life. And, if we got caught, the stupidest. He hadn't even texted yet, maybe he wasn't going to.

"If he says yes," Naomi continued. "Then I'll take the bus out there this weekend. I should buy some new swimsuits."

After discussing the best places to buy cute bathing suits for almost an hour we ended the call with her teasing me with the chocolate peanut butter cookies that were fresh from the oven.

I stayed out there on the balcony a little while longer, gazing down at the pool as it rippled gently in the breeze.

My phone buzzed with an incoming text. Naomi did say she would send me her bathing suit options for review.

The message was from an unknown number, not Naomi.

Unknown:
I don't want to get you in trouble with your mom

I stared at the text, trying to figure out if it was for me or if someone got the wrong number. Another text came through.

Unknown:
I also don't want to stop talking to you
This is Stephen by the way
Probably should've started with that

Instinctively, I looked over at Stephen's house. I could make out a figure sitting in a chair on one of the balconies, their feet up in the railing. He waved.

Me:
How long have you been there?

I wondered if he heard Naomi and I earlier.? If so, I was glad I didn't bring him up over the phone.

Stephen:
Hours
Couldn't sleep so I'm reading

Me:
Must be nice
I don't have the brain capacity to read and help plan a wedding
Does your mom check your phone?

Stephen:
You do look miserable during those meetings
And no she doesn't
She does have a little respect for my privacy

Me:
Then texting should be safe
What are you reading?

Stephen:
Some Hearts Lie

I smiled.

Me:
I loved that one!

Stephen:
Dion is a piece of shit

I laughed, replying back.

Me:
He's a little flawed in the beginning
But flawed characters are more interesting

Stephen:
A little?
In the part I'm reading now he's choking out some dude for dropping food on his shoes

Me:
Those shoes were the last thing his dad bought before he died
I'd be mad if someone ruined them too

Stephen:
Remind me not fuck up your Chuck's

Me:
That would be a wise choice

I loved that book so much, just talking about it made me want to reread it for the hundredth time.

Me:
Hold on

I rushed back into the house to grab my worn out copy of Some Hearts Lie and a blanket. When I got back to the balcony I had more texts from Stephen.

Stephen:
Is that what you're into?
Guys who need anger management?

As I settled into one of the chairs that was out there, tucking my legs beneath me and getting comfortable under the blanket more messages came through.

Stephen:
Did you go get the book?
And a blanket?
You look cozy
Did this just turn into a reading date?

I was practically beaming at the phone as I read over the texts, especially at the mention of a reading date. Were those a thing? They should be.

Me:
I guess you could call it that
What page are you on?

I'd read the book so many times I had a vague idea of what chapter the whole thing with the shoes took place. Instead of Stephen texting back he requested a video chat.

I hit accept before realizing I probably looked like death at one a.m. and running on zero hours of sleep. If that was the case, Stephen didn't let on.

When he's face popped up on my screen I had to remind myself to breathe. And to stop smiling so hard. That fact that he also had a smile on his face made me feel less self-conscious, though.

"I'm on page 111," he told me.

I propped up my phone on the table next to the chair using the small potted plant at the center of it.

"You never answered my question," he said as I flipped through the book to find the page. "Are angry dudes your kink?"

I snorted at the way he said kink. "Only in books."

He seemed pleased with my response as he turned back to his book. I did the same, ready to dive back into the hate-to-love romance between Dion and Makiya. At least I tried to dive in. If only I wasn't glancing at Stephen every two seconds.

He was interesting to watch. The way his brow pulled together in concentration, how he absentmindedly played with the short curls on his head. Who knew guys were so attractive when they read?

He flipped the page, the sound of paper on paper pulling me from my thoughts.

Reading.

I was supposed to be reading, not getting lost in the wonder that was Stephen Davis.