I muted the TV and answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Anna? It’s Barnett.”
“Hi, Barnett.” I paused. “You’re calling a bit late.”
“Yeah, I know. I was just looking through my social media, and I wanted to apologize for everything.”
My heart fluttered. “You don’t need to apologize.”
“Don’t I?”
He almost sounded angry. At me? At himself?
“No. You didn’t do anything.”
I waited for him to respond, but Barnett remained quiet. The silence between us stretched to an almost uncomfortable length when he finally spoke again.
“Well, it’s getting late. I should probably let you get to sleep.”
“Yeah. Thanks for calling.”
“No problem. Good night, Anna.”
“Good night, Barnett.”
• * *
When I fell asleep, Barnett filled my dreams.
He stood in front of my bed. His eyes narrowe
