me. I set the card on the table and grabbed
the box instead. I barely even noticed when Darcy grabbed the card, though I
didn’t care much. It wasn’t too mushy or personal, but it still gave me goose
bumps.
I opened the box and pulled out my new, white iPhone. I’d
never actually had a cell phone before; it always seemed like an unnecessary
expense to my parents, who made me use the house phone to talk to Daniel while
he was at school, and I couldn’t afford one now. I couldn’t help but feel a
little excited about having my very first phone.
As soon as I turned it on (which took me a few minutes to
figure out), I noticed that I already had a text message waiting for me. I
pressed my finger to the green icon and Jackson’s name popped up.
I’m glad you agreed to open it. Call me when you have a
chance. I’ll make sure I pick up.
I felt almost giddy at the message. I immediately started
trying to figure out how to actually call him. Darcy wasn’t really paying
attention to me anymore; she was too busy wiping a tear from her eye after
reading the note. I didn’t think it was that romantic, but then, I didn’t even cry at my own grandmother’s funeral.
Jackson picked up after the second ring.
“Hi, Mellie,” he said, his throaty voice doing something to
me immediately.
“Hi, Jackson,” I said, holding the phone close. I noticed
Darcy from the corner of my eye, her smile spreading all the way across her
narrow face. She was fanning herself again, mouthing words to me that I
couldn’t understand. I just waved her off and she harrumphed into my bedroom. I
knew she was rummaging through my closet, but I barely noticed. I was too
focused on the deep breathing that I could hear through the phone.
“How are you?” he asked, and it actually took me a second to
find my voice.
“I’m alright,” I said, though I knew it wasn’t really true.
He knew it too. “How are you?”
I could hear Jackson exhale through the phone. “I miss you, a
lot more than I thought I would. It feels good to hear your voice again.”
The butterflies that always found their way into my stomach
when Jackson was near fluttered, causing me to fan myself this time.
“Ditto,” was all I said.
“I’m glad you actually opened the phone. I was almost afraid
you wouldn’t.”
“Well, consider me selfish too,” I said quietly. “What’s your
schedule like today? Too busy being the world’s biggest movie star?”
Jackson laughed humorlessly on the other end. “You could say
that. They’re herding me from place to place, doing interviews and premieres
and whatever. It’s exhausting, but I’m excited to open this movie over here.”
The movie he was talking about had already been out for three
months in the States, but it wasn’t expected to do as well as it did here. As
soon as everyone realized that he actually might have a shot at an Oscar this
year, they started scheduling him for a publicity tour in Europe, hoping to get
the hype up for it. Apparently it was working.
“I’m sorry,” I said, biting my lip. “Am I interrupting
anything?”
“Of course not,” he said immediately. “I’m actually done for
the day, and I don’t have anything until about nine tomorrow morning. It’ll be
a nice break, but it’s not like I actually get to explore the city or anything
while I’m here. I’ll probably just sleep for the next fourteen hours, since
I’ve been running on three hours of sleep for the past two days.”
I frowned. “That’s not right. They should be letting you get
more sleep than that.”
“It’s just part of the job, babe, one of those parts that I
don’t like all that much, but I gotta do what I gotta do.”
I noticed Darcy coming out from behind my closet wall,
holding one of my nightgowns in her hand, frowning at it. I scrambled up,
trying to pull it out of her grasp, but she stepped out of my way quickly.
“What’s going on over there?” Jackson asked, apparently
hearing my scuffle
the box instead. I barely even noticed when Darcy grabbed the card, though I
didn’t care much. It wasn’t too mushy or personal, but it still gave me goose
bumps.
I opened the box and pulled out my new, white iPhone. I’d
never actually had a cell phone before; it always seemed like an unnecessary
expense to my parents, who made me use the house phone to talk to Daniel while
he was at school, and I couldn’t afford one now. I couldn’t help but feel a
little excited about having my very first phone.
As soon as I turned it on (which took me a few minutes to
figure out), I noticed that I already had a text message waiting for me. I
pressed my finger to the green icon and Jackson’s name popped up.
I’m glad you agreed to open it. Call me when you have a
chance. I’ll make sure I pick up.
I felt almost giddy at the message. I immediately started
trying to figure out how to actually call him. Darcy wasn’t really paying
attention to me anymore; she was too busy wiping a tear from her eye after
reading the note. I didn’t think it was that romantic, but then, I didn’t even cry at my own grandmother’s funeral.
Jackson picked up after the second ring.
“Hi, Mellie,” he said, his throaty voice doing something to
me immediately.
“Hi, Jackson,” I said, holding the phone close. I noticed
Darcy from the corner of my eye, her smile spreading all the way across her
narrow face. She was fanning herself again, mouthing words to me that I
couldn’t understand. I just waved her off and she harrumphed into my bedroom. I
knew she was rummaging through my closet, but I barely noticed. I was too
focused on the deep breathing that I could hear through the phone.
“How are you?” he asked, and it actually took me a second to
find my voice.
“I’m alright,” I said, though I knew it wasn’t really true.
He knew it too. “How are you?”
I could hear Jackson exhale through the phone. “I miss you, a
lot more than I thought I would. It feels good to hear your voice again.”
The butterflies that always found their way into my stomach
when Jackson was near fluttered, causing me to fan myself this time.
“Ditto,” was all I said.
“I’m glad you actually opened the phone. I was almost afraid
you wouldn’t.”
“Well, consider me selfish too,” I said quietly. “What’s your
schedule like today? Too busy being the world’s biggest movie star?”
Jackson laughed humorlessly on the other end. “You could say
that. They’re herding me from place to place, doing interviews and premieres
and whatever. It’s exhausting, but I’m excited to open this movie over here.”
The movie he was talking about had already been out for three
months in the States, but it wasn’t expected to do as well as it did here. As
soon as everyone realized that he actually might have a shot at an Oscar this
year, they started scheduling him for a publicity tour in Europe, hoping to get
the hype up for it. Apparently it was working.
“I’m sorry,” I said, biting my lip. “Am I interrupting
anything?”
“Of course not,” he said immediately. “I’m actually done for
the day, and I don’t have anything until about nine tomorrow morning. It’ll be
a nice break, but it’s not like I actually get to explore the city or anything
while I’m here. I’ll probably just sleep for the next fourteen hours, since
I’ve been running on three hours of sleep for the past two days.”
I frowned. “That’s not right. They should be letting you get
more sleep than that.”
“It’s just part of the job, babe, one of those parts that I
don’t like all that much, but I gotta do what I gotta do.”
I noticed Darcy coming out from behind my closet wall,
holding one of my nightgowns in her hand, frowning at it. I scrambled up,
trying to pull it out of her grasp, but she stepped out of my way quickly.
“What’s going on over there?” Jackson asked, apparently
hearing my scuffle
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