Page 46 of After Midnight
She sighed softly. “You should know, you called me.”
I huffed a quiet breath, rubbing the back of my neck. “Right. Right. My bad.”
A pause.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hello.”
Another pause settled between us—this one heavier. My mind scrambled a little, trying to figure out what to say.
“Did you call me to hear me breathe, Remy, or do you have something to say?”
I smiled slightly despite the nerves twisting in my chest. I rubbed over my chest trying to ease the nerves there. “I wanna apologize, Gianna.” I exhaled slowly. “For my reaction… and my words. I didn’t mean to insult you—honestly. I was surprised. I just… I wish I would’ve handled that better.”
Silence.
For a second, I thought the call dropped. I glanced at the screen—still connected.
Then I heard her exhale softly. “No man has ever done that,” she said. “Apologized. It’s usually much worse.”
My shoulders relaxed.
“Thank you for that.”
“Of course,” I replied, my voice steady. “You deserve respect regardless.”
“Thank you,” she breathed. “I wasn’t trying to hide it from you. I planned to tell you whenever we went to dinner.” There was honesty in her voice. She continued, “I don’t hide who I am, Remy. But this is why I don’t date. Men can’t handle it. And I don’t force them to.”
“And you shouldn’t,” I said.
Another pause stretched.
“Remy…why did you call me?”
I rubbed my beard slowly, staring out into the night. “Honestly…” I exhaled. “I can’t stop thinking about you.” I was never one for games and I wasn't going to start now. “Trust me, I’ve tried. And I wanna explore that… if you’ll let me.” My grip tightened slightly around the phone. “I still wanna take you to dinner. Talk to you. Get to know you. See if this connection between us is real.”
I waited for her next response, nerves fluttering all in my belly.
“You think we have a connection?” she asked finally, voice lower. I could hear it though, the smile in her voice.
I leaned back slightly in the chair, smiling. “You don’t think we do?”
“There may be… something there worth exploring," she replied quietly.
"One date, Gianna. If we don't enjoy each other's company, we can part ways amicably. Maybe even be friends."
She paused for a second. "Hold on, Remy," she replied.
I heard her shuffling in the background. Then a man’s voice—muted. My body tensed. I sat up straighter in the chair, jaw tightening as I strained to listen. Was that one of her johns? Tricks? Clients? Whatever the hell you called men like that.
She laughed softly and thanked him before returning to the conversation. "Sorry about that. I was craving tacos, so I'm stopped by my favorite spot."
I exhaled in relief. Damn, was I going to assume that every man she spoke with was a potential client?
"I would love to have dinner with you though." Her warm voice brought me back to conversation. "What do you have in mind?"
I leaned back again in my chair, head tilted back up towards the sky. "I wanna cook for you. Anything you'd like," I answered.
