Raising my head, I grinned as I saw Lewis standing in the doorway of my classroom, leaning against the doorframe with a grin on his face.
"All right, bitch. I'm coming."
His grin widened as I closed the file I was reading through and stood up, laughing. "That accent. If a man doesn't snap you up soon just hearing that voice, something is really, really wrong!"
I chuckled, picking up my bag and walking towards him. "The problem is, my friend, we have the same taste in men. And I love you too much to fight over a guy with you. Bros before hoes... right?"
Lewis burst out laughing and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "True dat. Come on. Let's go find Evelyn and get our drink on!"
It never took long for Lewis to break through a bout of melancholy. Lewis was loud and exuberant. I couldn't have gotten through my first month in Chicago without him and Evelyn. Lewis made me laugh so much, and Evelyn was the one to kick my arse when I needed it. We wouldn't usually have gone out for drinks after work on a Monday, but Evelyn told Lewis I'd been feeling a little blue, and instead of the takeaway and wine I'd have preferred, Lewis decided we would go to a bar just a short way from the language school and have a few drinks then go for dinner. Nothing fancy, just something to keep me out of the apartment.
And away from my laptop.
Just like that, Brayden was in my head again, and I blew out a slow breath as the thought of him threatened to overwhelm me for a moment. We'd chatted online a bit more the evening before, and it only cemented how much I liked him. Not that I'd ever forgotten or doubted that. But having it reiterated only made the "what ifs" louder.
Evelyn came out of her classroom looking a little bedraggled. Her dark, plaited hair was fraying, and she looked like she'd had a rough afternoon. However, she greeted us with a smile. "Let's get the hell out of here. I need something alcoholic inside me right now."
As we began to walk down the corridor towards the doors, I said, "What happened? You look harassed."
"Oh, you have no idea. I know some students will always be more challenging than others, but I swear, I've got all of the difficult ones in my class."
Lewis and I exchanged glances and laughed, both knowing we had it easy in comparison.
We entered the small bar at the end of the street, and right away, a feeling of relaxation hit me. Maybe it was the smell of alcohol in the air, or perhaps it was the fact that it was one of the cosiest places I'd ever been to. It had more of a coffee shop vibe, with big sofas and large cushions, and soft, relaxing lighting. Like Central Perk with booze.
We ordered our drinks and then made ourselves comfy on a couple of sofas with a table in between to place our glasses on.
Before any conversation could get started, I heard my phone ringing in my bag.
"Ten dollars says that's my mother," I said, rolling my eyes and giving my friends a grin. She knew exactly what time I knocked off work, and she called with annoying regularity. I loved her so much, but I needed some space at the end of my day.
I pulled my phone from my bag and my heart stopped for a second as I saw Brayden's name on the screen. He was Messenger calling me.
I hadn't heard his voice since before I left the UK. He hadn't said he would call. Panic seemed to grip me, and I dropped the phone in my lap before fumbling to pick it up again. I was sure my cheeks were glowing red as I pressed the button to accept the call.
"Hello?" The breathiness in my voice made me cringe, and I tried to calm it before I said anything else.
"Hey! I'm sorry for calling out of the blue. Are you free to talk?"
My head dropped back, and my eyes closed involuntarily at the sound of his voice. God, it was my favourite sound in the world.
"Erm..." I glanced at Lewis and Evelyn, who were both watching me with confused expressions. I quickly mouthed Brayden's name at Evelyn then stood up and hurried across the room to a quiet corner. "Yeah. Yeah, I have some time. I mean... I'm out with friends, but I can talk for a bit."
"Cool. I won't keep you for long, I just... I wanted to talk to you. It's not the same via message, you know?"
Boy, did I.
"Yeah. I know what you mean. So, how come you're calling at this time of day? Aren't you supposed to be at work?"
He chuckled. "I am at work. I'm out the back, pretending I'm being generous by making coffee for everyone, but really, I remembered you said you finished work at four, and I thought I'd say hello, just in case we don't get to talk later."
My heart fluttered in my chest and I wished I could click my heels together and land beside him.
"That's sweet," I said, smiling. "How is your day going?"
"Well, it's early, but it's going well so far. But let's not ruin this with work chat. What are you up to?"
I turned slightl