One Missed Call

By Nikatsu

It was simple to use a phone. You just pick up the receiver. Dial the numbers and then talk when the other line picks up. So why couldn't he just do so?

What was he so afraid of?

Kevin sighed and took a deep breath as he tried again to dial the numbers he'd memorized months ago. He was able to punch in the first three numbers when he stopped at the fourth. He closed his eyes and then put down the phone.

He clearly could not do such a simple task.

He still hasn't called.

Wendy wondered why she even bothered to keep her phone on. How she charged it every night just to make sure that a call would go through just fine. Why she would check every now and then her credit was still available and asking her sister, Julie, if she had given him the right number.

She sighed, staring at her metallic blue cell phone. Then with a huff, she pulled her pillow over it and buried her face into its softness. Why bother?, she thought.

He wasn't going to call.

It wasn't a big deal anyway. It was just a call. A completely innocent call to a friend he hasn't seen in three months.

Right! It was just a phone call. No big deal.

"Alright, I'm going to try again."

Five. Five. Five. Six. Two.

Kevin stopped. His fingers trembling on the last two numbers to be dialed in. He sighed. His eyes looked around and finally, his gaze fell on a framed photograph of him, Wendy, Carrie and Jason.

Jason loved Wendy. Just as much as he had loved Carrie. He couldn't possibly be falling for his best friend's girlfriend. It just wasn't right! He looked down at the cordless phone in his hand and swallowed.

Maybe… he should just forget about her. And these growing emotions. He couldn't do that to Jason. He had promised to protect her.

Even if it meant protecting her from himself as well.

"He'll call." Julie told her again. Wendy sighed into the phone one late evening.

"He's not going to. If he even had an inkling of decency he would have called months ago."

"Oh come on. Chill out for a second, Ms. Priss. He's going to call."

She sighed again. She hoped that she were right.

"How is she?" Kevin asked, staring at himself in the mirror as he spoke into the phone.

"She's been asking me why you haven't called." Julie said; annoyance was evident in her voice. "Why don't you call anyway? You do miss her right?"

His throat felt tight for a moment. "Yeah. I do miss her."

"So what is the fucking problem? Be a man and just call her, damn it."

"He should be calling right now."

"Maybe I should just call."

"He is going to call, right?"

"Maybe I shouldn't."

"He's never going to call…"

Ring.

Ring, Ring.

Ring, Ring, Ring.

Wendy opened her eyes. Was she imagining it or was the phone really ringing at three thirty in the morning?

She reached out blindly for her cellphone, wondering why it was even ringing. But then the ringing stopped and she sighed when she finally got hold of her phone. With a few quick clicks, she viewed the call history menu.

Kevin Cell glowed in front of her. Her eyes widened.

"Damn it!" she cursed, burying her face into her pillow. What was with the bad timing? She thought, inwardly screaming.

Clunk.

Wendy raised her head. What was that now?

Clunk.

Was that a rock being thrown against her window?

CLUNK.

Wendy scrambled to her feet and pushed open the window of her room. She looked around for a moment, mentally cursing the dimly lit lights of the street. Why was New York so dark in this hour?

"Wendy!"

Her breath caught.

Was that…

"Hey, Wendy! Down here!"

Wendy looked down and almost fainted. He was there… he was actually there. Out on the street. With his McKinley High jacket on and looking like he hasn't slept in twenty-four hours.

"Kevin?" She rubbed her eyes.

"Yeah, it's me. Why weren't you picking up your phone? I've been calling for over an hour!"

That cocky tone. Oh God, it was him.

"What the hell are you doing here? At three-thirty am?"

He grinned. "I thought I'd have a late night chat."

She grinned despite herself. And then he scratched the back of his head and looked up at her again.

"I missed you."

And she ran. She ran down the stairs and towards him… taking his lips onto hers and holding on to him as hard as she could.

They pulled away from each other for a moment, staring. With a grin, he pulled her into a hug, kissing her hair softly.

"I missed you too. So much," she breathed into his neck. He laughed, kissing her again.

"I'm glad you called…"

Fin.