Sunday, July 30, 2007 – Frisco (Dallas), Texas

I had decided to get a job for the summer to keep the boredom at bay and so far that had been a good plan.  It was always good to have something to do.  My manager had sent me home early for the day because the bookstore had been slow.  I was getting closer to my apartment when my cell phone beeped signaling that I had a text message. 

I dug it out of my purse as I pulled into the apartment complex’s parking lot.  It was Rob.

          From: Rob
          7/30/2007  4:17 p.m.

          You busy?

It must have been after 10 wherever he was.  I wrote him back after I had parked and before I got out of my SUV.

          To: Rob
          7/30/2007 4:20 p.m.

          Nope.

When I got inside Maisie and mine’s apartment, the phone beeped again.  I said hello to Maisie and Steven who were sitting in the living room watching TV and then headed into my room so I could text Rob back.

I flopped down onto my bed and read his next text.

          From: Rob
          7/30/2007 4:24 p.m.

          Call me?

I was happy to oblige that request.

“What’s up?”  I asked when he answered.

“Well I’m back in London, so I thought I’d call to chat.”

“Are you happy to be home?”  I rolled over onto my stomach and rested my chin on my hand that wasn’t holding the cell phone.  On my bookcase slash night table I had set a frame with one of the pictures of Rob and me in.  It was good to be able to put a face to the voice; if only it was the real thing.

“Definitely,” he replied.  “I now understand the whole it’s nice to hear English thing.”

I laughed.  “So when did you get home?”

“Wednesday,” Rob answered.

“And you haven’t e-mailed me yet?”  I pouted.

“I know … I meant to.  I was really tired and then I had a lot of unexpected things to do.  So that’s my pathetic excuse.”

“I suppose I can forgive you.”  I sighed.

“Besides a phone call’s better than an e-mail any day.” 

“This is true.”  I nodded even though he couldn’t see me.  This was only the second time we had talked on the phone so I wasn’t going to disagree with that.  I had forgotten how fantastic his voice was.

“So how is your job going?”

“It’s goin’.  I got off early today, which is why I wasn’t busy.  I’m enjoying it and it beats sitting around the apartment all day long, checking my e-mail every two seconds.”

“Millie!”  Maisie shouted as my bedroom door flew open, and she came barging into the room.  I glared at her.  “Oh sorry,” she said a little quieter when she saw me on the phone.

“Hold on Rob,” I moved the phone away from my mouth.  “What do you want?”

“Ooo … you’re talking to British boy?”  She perked up.  I don’t know when, but somewhere in the last couple of weeks Maggie and Maisie had started referring to Rob as “British boy”.

“Maisie!”  I hissed covering the mouthpiece with my hand.  Maisie rolled her eyes and then got to the reason she came barreling into the room in the first place.

“Steve and I are getting Chinese.  You want in?”

I nodded. “Just get me Lo Mein and a spring roll – not an egg roll.”

“Got it.”  Maisie turned to walk out of the room and then said really loudly, “Bye British boy!”

I closed my eyes and buried my face in the comforter.  I could hear Rob laughing over the phone line.  I was glad he couldn’t see how red my face was. 

“Your sisters know about me?  I feel special …”

“Don’t let it go to your head.”  I teased picking my head up so my voice wouldn’t be muffled.  He chuckled.  “You may or may not have come up in a conversation or two with them.”  I reluctantly admitted.  “What can I say my sisters are noisy and they are so good at getting stuff out of me?”

“Lizzy and Victoria too.”

“Ooo, really?  Do they know about me?”  My curiosity got the best of me.

“Mmmm …. May--be.”  Rob dragged his answer out.  “Now don’t let it go your head Millie.”  He threw my words right back at me. 

“I’ll try not to.”  I giggled, biting my lower lip trying to keep my smile at bay.  I couldn’t help but be happy that he had talked about me with his sisters.  “So what did you get caught up with when you got home?”

“My agent in L.A. sent me some scripts.”  Rob answered.

“Really?  Does that mean you’re coming out here?”  I couldn’t help but be excited about the prospect.

“I don’t know yet.  I think I just want to take a break for now and maybe focus more on music for a while.”

“Oh, well if that’s what you want to do than you should.  What were some of the movies anyway?” 

Rob rattled off a few different plots and then when he got to the last one, I really got interested.  It was Twilight.  I had absorbed that book in less than a week and then I bought the second, New Moon, reading it just as quickly.  I was looking forward to the third book in the series to come out in another week.

“Remember the vampire book I read?”  I cut him off midway through his retelling the plot line of the movie.

“Uh, sure.”  I could tell he was thinking about where I was going with this.

“That’s the book!”  I was excited because I had no idea it was going to be a movie.

“Well that’s cool,” Rob stated.  “Pretty coincidental.”

“What part would it be for?”

“Edward, I guess.”  I could see him shrugging.

“You should go for it.”  I rolled over onto my back and stared at the white ceiling.  “I think you’d be a good Edward.”  Rob made a noise of disagreement.  “You would be.” I reiterated.

“You’ve never even seen a movie I’ve been in.  How can you be so sure?”

“I You Tubed the clips of you in Harry Potter.”  I admitted and he laughed.  “What?  I was curious.  Hold on a second …”  I set the phone down and sat up so I could grab a hair tie that was sitting on my bookcase.  My neck was getting hot and I needed to pull my hair back. 

“Sorry,” I said as I put the phone back to my ear.  “I just had to pull my hair back.”

“You really think I should try out?”  Rob asked.

“Why not?”  I asked him, moving so I was leaning against my pillows.

“I don’t know,” he paused.  “It seems kind of daunting.  I mean, just with the way he’s described … it’s like, there’s no way I can be that.”

“Oh, sure you can,” I said.  “They’ll, you know, put a little makeup on you, comb your hair … and you’ll be gorgeous.”  Not that he wasn’t already very nice looking.  I glanced back at the picture of the two of us, picturing him rolling his eyes.  “You should at least think about it.”

“I will.”

“Good because then you can come visit me in Arkansas or Texas.”  I really wanted him to audition, not just because I liked the books, but because then we could see each other again. 

“I guess that would be a benefit.”

“You guess? Robbie don’t you want to see me?”

“Millie …”

“Hmm?” I hummed out.

“Of course I do,” Rob sighed.  “A lot.”  And then he changed the subject.  We talked awhile longer and then Maisie stuck her head through my door again, waving my food.

“Dinnertime,” I climbed off of my bed, still holding my phone and grabbed the bag out of Maisie’s hand.  She smiled and headed back down the hallway to where Steven was.  “What time is it there?”  I asked Rob, knowing it was getting late where he was.

“Just after 11,” he answered.  “Do you need to go?”

“I should, but I really don’t want to,” I stated.  I had to follow Maisie so I could get some silverware to eat my food with.  “If you don’t mind listening to me eat … unless you’re tired.”

“Nope, not tired.” 

“K.” I pulled open the drawer that had our silverware in it and grabbed a fork.  Steven and Maisie were sitting at the counter watching me with huge grins on their faces.  “Hey Robbie, I’m going to set you down again for a sec, so I can get a drink.”

“Sure.” 

I set the phone down on the counter, not even thinking about Maisie grabbing it, and the next thing I knew she had it up to her mouth.

“Hi British boy!”  Her voice rang through the small kitchen and over the phone line. 

“Maisie!”  I shrieked and reached across the counter for it.  She moved just out of reach and then grabbed at my hands, batting them out of the way.  Steven was completely amused by all of this.  “Give it back!”  I was pretty sure Rob was laughing too.

“Want to know something embarrassing about Millie?”  She asked Rob.  “You do …” Maisie looked at me with an evil grin on her face.  “I have to think of a really good one …” 

“Don’t … Maisie!”  I reached across the counter again and then looked over at Steven.  “Steven help!” 

“Uh-uh … I’m staying out of this.”  He held up one hand and shoveled a forkful of broccoli into his mouth with the other.

“So when she was walking across the stage at –” I pulled myself up onto the counter and grabbed the phone away from her before she could say anymore.

“Awe, come on,” Maisie pouted.

“I hate you Maisie,” I said bringing the phone back to my ear and hopping off of the counter.  Rob was laughing. 

“Millie, I wanna know,” Rob’s voice came over the line.

“No.”

“Please?”  I knew he was pouting.  I grabbed the fork and my food again, forgetting about getting a drink and went back to my room.  I could hear Maisie telling Steven the rest of the story and then their laughing.  

“Maybe later.”  I sat down on my bed and put the phone on speaker so it would be easier to eat.  “Are your sisters that evil?”

“Yes.”  Rob answered as I opened up the container that held my noodles.  “I’m really curious now.”

“I’m sure you are.”  I smiled, twirling the noodles on my fork and bringing it up to my mouth.  “Like I said, maybe later.”  I spoke through my food.

“So rude Millie.”  I knew he was smiling.

“You said it was okay if we chatted while I ate my food,” I pouted.  Our conversation lasted through my meal and for some time after, until I heard him yawning.  “You’re tired Rob, I’m gonna let you go.”

“Okay,” he sighed.  “I wish we could talk more Millie.”

“Me too,” I agreed.  “Maybe we could make a phone date once a month or something?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.  I’ll talk to you soon.  Have a good night Millie.” 

“You too Rob. Bye.”

“Bye.”

An hour and a half, my phone bill was going to suck when I got it next month, but it was worth it.  I took my empty take-out container and dirty fork back into the kitchen.  Maisie and Steven were curled up on the couch, making out.  I was secretly thankful for that because I did not want to put up with whatever Maisie would dish out, especially after her stunt in the kitchen.

I tossed my fork in the sink and the container into the trash and then disappeared into my room for the rest of the night.  I replayed everything Rob said on the phone over and over in my head as I sat down to write him an e-mail.