Betty’s POV
The rest of the day passed in a haze, Stacey’s words looping endlessly in my mind. Marcus was planning to ask you to be his girlfriend.
I sat cross-legged on my bed, my sketchpad balanced on my knees, but the page remained blank. The pencil in my hand hovered aimlessly, my thoughts too scattered to focus. Marcus? Really? After everything—the tension, the distance, the arguments—he’d finally decided to make a move?
But why hadn’t he?
My chest tightened as more questions bubbled up. Why has he been so distant since I got back? I forced myself to push the thought away, scolding myself for even caring. Because I’m taken, I reminded myself firmly. You have Brent. Marcus doesn’t matter anymore.
As if on cue, my phone buzzed, pulling me from my thoughts. Brent’s name lit up the screen, and I answered quickly, grateful for the distraction.
“Hey,” I said, my voice softer than I expected.
“Hey, Betty,” he replied, his tone warm and familiar, like a favorite song. “I miss you so much.”
A small smile crept onto my face, easing the tension in my chest. “I miss you too, Brent.”
There was a pause, the silence between us filled only by the faint sound of his breathing. It was comforting in its own way, the kind of quiet that didn’t need to be filled. But then his voice broke the stillness, hesitant but playful. “There’s something I’d like to try.”
I tilted my head, curiosity piqued. “What’s that?”
“Sexting,” he said, his tone straddling the line between serious and teasing.
My face flushed hot, and I let out an awkward laugh. “Brent!”
“Come on,” he said, chuckling along with me. “It might make the distance a little easier.”
I shook my head, my heart racing despite myself. “You’re ridiculous,” I said, unable to keep the smile out of my voice.
“Ridiculously in love with you,” he quipped, his tone light but sincere.
The words settled over me, warm and comforting, but my mind flickered back to the conversation with Stacey. Marcus was planning to ask you to be his girlfriend. I bit my lip, guilt gnawing at the edges of my thoughts. Brent deserved my full attention, my undivided heart. And yet, the unresolved questions about Marcus lingered like shadows in the corners of my mind.
“You’re thinking too hard again, aren’t you?” Brent’s voice pulled me back.
I blinked, startled by how well he could read me even from miles away. “Maybe a little,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Don’t,” he said gently. “Whatever it is, it can wait. Right now, just talk to me.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me, and sank back against my pillows. “Okay,” I said. “Let’s talk.”
And for the next hour, I let Brent’s voice fill the silence, his words wrapping around me like a shield against the questions I wasn’t ready to face. But deep down, I knew they weren’t going anywhere.