Threads Of Fate

The night passed slowly as he lay awake, his mind still reeling from the day's events. He tried to force himself to sleep, but his brain wouldn't shut down. He watched as the early morning light filtered through the curtain, signaling the sun's impending arrival. Finally, he sat up in bed, feeling restless and exhausted. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table and groaned; it was still incredibly early. He knew he wouldn't get any more sleep, so he got out of bed and padded into the kitchen. He made a cup of coffee, staring out the window at the world waking up around him. He pulled out his phone to recheck the time but opened Rebecca's contact page instead. His thumb hovered over the call button but couldn't press it. He put his phone back down and continued to drink his coffee, trying to distract himself from the urge to call her. His mind continued to wander, replaying the events of the previous night.

The longer he waited, the more doubts began to creep into his mind. 'What if Rebecca changed her mind?' 'What if she regretted giving him her number?' He tried to push those thoughts aside, but they kept returning. The devil on his shoulder was persistent, whispering and egging him on. He found himself eyeing his phone again. He tried to resist the urge to call, telling himself to be patient. But the doubt was growing stronger and stronger. The thought of being given a fake number or that she'd given him the wrong one by accident was almost too much to bear. Finally, he couldn't resist any longer. He picked up his phone and pressed the call button, his heart racing as the phone rang.

Rebecca grumbled as her phone rang; she quickly snapped awake to answer her phone to avoid waking the still-sleeping Joseph.

"Hello?" She answered without looking at who was calling, her voice soft from sleep. Evan heard her groggy, sleepy voice on the phone, and something stirred in his chest. Her voice was as smooth and sweet as ever, even when she had just woken up. He swallowed, trying to find his voice.

"Bec... it's me, Evan. Sorry for calling so early."

"Evan?" she asked, pulling her phone away from her face to check the time. "Evan, it's 5 a.m.," she said tiredly. He winced at her groggy response. He knew it was early, but the doubts had kept him up all night.

"Yeah, again, I'm sorry for waking you," he apologized. "But I couldn't sleep and just needed to check something." A pang of worry shot through Rebecca.

"Is everything okay?" She quietly asked, turning away from Joseph so she wouldn't wake him as she spoke. He paused for a moment, debating how much to reveal to her. After a few seconds, he decided just to be honest.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just... well, I was worried you gave me a fake number." He said. She snorted into the phone, quickly looking to see if Joseph heard. She slowly slid out of the bed and entered the empty living room.

"You really think I'd do that?" She teased, still speaking softly but slightly louder than before. He chuckled faintly at her response, the relief flowing through him. He could practically hear the smile in her tone.

"Yeah, I guess it sounds ridiculous when you say it out loud," he admitted. "I was just being paranoid, I guess. I couldn't sleep all night." She sighed and shook her head.

"Do you still want to meet today? Awake four-year-olds are a lot," she warned. He smiled at her question. The fact that she was still willing to meet with him made him feel reassured.

"Yeah, of course," he said without hesitation. "Even though I'm sure Joseph will be as charming awake as he is asleep."

"Charming? Yes. But I'd be more worried about his energy." She laughed softly, "I'll try and find a park nearby so he can run around when you get tired." He chuckled at her warning.