Page 186 of Top Shelf

Me: Food.

Viktor: Heidi.

I smile despite myself, then I type before I can reconsider.

Me: Are you awake? Wanna chat? Like, on an actual phone call?

My phone rings almost instantly, and I stare at it for half a second before answering.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” His voice hits somewhere deep enough that I close my eyes.

For a moment, neither of us speaks.

“So what did you eat?”

A laugh escapes me. “That’s your opening question?”

“You did not answer me earlier.”

“I had pasta.”

“With protein?”

“Yes, Dad.”

His laugh is low and warm through the phone, and I hate how quickly it settles me.

“How was training?” I ask.

“Good. Chase tried to convince the strength coach that pickle juice and protein powder count as a pre-workout.”

“That sounds disgusting.”

“It was.”

I smile into the darkness. We talk about nothing for several minutes. His training and the studio launch tomorrow. It feels so normal that I have to swallow around the ache in my throat to avoid saying the things that I want to say. Eventually, the conversation goes quiet.

“I saw the clip,” I murmur.

Viktor doesn’t pretend to not understand. “Okay.”

“And Zoe told me Storm PR has been redirecting everything.”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t tell me.” I turn onto my back and look at the ceiling. “Why?”

“Because I was not doing it so you would forgive me. It was what I should have done the first time.”

My eyes sting immediately.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

“You do not have to thank me.”

“I know.” Another silence settles between us, and I bite my lip. “I miss you.”