"Stop," I pant trying a catch my breath. "I need to take this." My eyebrows furrow when I see an unknown number calling my secondary phone. This phone is for emergency's, only my family knows this number.

"Hello?" I use my t-shirt to wipe the sweat dripping down my forehead.

"Hey." Paisley's tired voice rings through the phone.

My nerves are on high alert. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, except for-"

"Then why are you calling this phone?" I cut her off. "You know it's only for emergencies." My tone is harsh but I can't help it. I'm still furious.

"Sebastian, you haven't taken my calls for a month." She sighs. "I'm starting to get desperate."

Has it only been a month? It feels so much longer. "I've been busy." I lie. The truth is I've been ignoring her calls; I don't want to talk to her. I know she'll tell me about the shirtless idiot and I don't think I can stomach hearing her tell me about him.

"You've been too busy... For an entire month?" Her tone as skeptical, almost unbelieving.

"Sebastian," Emily calls me. "Get off the phone!"

"Chill Emily!" I bark. "Listen, Paisley-"

"Yeah, you're busy." She hangs up before I can respond. Great, now I've upset her.

As I debate calling calling her back, Emily snatches my phone from my hand.

"Emily, give me my phone."

"No, I was so close." She pinches her finger and thumb together. "And then you paused. Not fair." She complains referring to the shot she was about to make.

"Mark!" I yell at my best friend who's just sitting there like an idiot. "Tell your girlfriend to give me my fucking phone."

"Girlfriend, give him his fucking phone." Mark smirks at me and I grit my teeth.

"It was Paisley."

His eyes widen a fraction and he shoots up from the basketball he was sitting on. "Emily, give him his phone." His serious tone seems to scare her and she immediately hands me my phone.

"Sorry." She mutters, her face turning red.

"Paisley is my wife." I explain, not wanting her to be embarrassed. I actually like Emily. She's the first serious girlfriend Mark has had since high school. She's fun, athletic, and obviously competitive. Perfect for Mark. I have a feeling Paisley would like her too.

"Ex-wife." Mark corrects me and I flip him off.

"Fake ex-wife." Harry buts in

"Fake ex-wife?" Emily questions. "So you're pretending to be divorced?" Her face scrunches in confusion.

"No," Mark shakes his head. "They pretended to be married for a year and now they're divorced."

"Oh." She nods. "And now you love her?"

"Yup." Harry answers for me.

"Okay, enough about me, give me the ball." I set my phone down, I'll call Paisley later.

"You're not calling her back?" Mark passes the ball to me.

"Not now, and you know why so don't ask." I shoot from the free throw line and miss.

"Ooooh." Harry cringes. "Paisley threw you off your game with just a phone call."

"Fuck you."

"If you love her why aren't you calling her back?" Emily questions, rebounding the ball and walking behind me to the three point line.

"It's complicated." I may like Emily but that doesn't mean I'm going to talk to her about his.

"She's in Australia," Mark starts and Harry interrupts him.

"And Sebastian went there to confess his love,"

Mark cuts in. "And a shirtless guy opened the door."

"Was he hot?"

"No." I immediately respond. "Maybe? I don't know." How am I supposed know if the guy's hot or not.

She raises her arms and flicks her wrist sending the ball flying across the court. It doesn't hit the backboard, instead it sinks into the net.

"Great shot baby!" Mark shouts, grinning.

"What did he look like?" Emily ignores Mark.

"Uh," I picture the douche in the doorway perfectly. "Tall, dark hair-"

"Oh yeah, he was hot. But, you shouldn't jump to conclusions. Maybe he's like, her gay friend or something?"

She would  have told me if she made a friend... right?

"Also, ignoring her is probably pushing her to this other guy. If he's not just her friend."

Her sentence has me sprinting toward my phone. "I'm calling her."

*Two Days Later*

"Brielle, can I use your phone?" I ask our building receptionist and Paisley's friend.

"Why?" She looks at me skeptically.

"Paisley won't answer my calls."

"There's a reason for that." Her face shows pure attitude.

"Which is?"

She rolls her eyes. "You're an idiot."

She's Paisley's only friend. "I am your boss." I remind her. "Let me use your phone."

She hands me her iPhone and I glance at the sparkly purple case.

"Just call her."

"I'll bring your phone back." I wave it at her and walk toward the elevator.

When the doors close I dial Paisley's number.

"Good morning!" She voice chirps, "I have a crazy day planned. I'm going to breakfast with Toby and-"

"Paisley?"

She immediately stops talking. "Why are you using Bri's phone?"

"Because you won't pick up when I call you."

"I'm too busy." She says quickly.

With Toby? I want to ask but bite my tongue.

"Well, you seem free at the moment."

She scoffs. "I literally just said I have crazy day."

"You had enough time to answer Brielle's call." I snap, childishly, at her.

"Because Bri has made an effort to make time to call me for the past month."  I hear her exhale frustratedly. "Seriously, I'm busy today, I'm going to breakfast with my friend and his wife."

Wife. Friend and his wife. Shit. I jumped to fucking conclusions... I almost fall into my office chair.

"I'm glad you're making friends." I tell her, trying to act like she hasn't completely made my day. Like I can suddenly breathe again.

"Um, yeah, it's crazy actually," She laughs. "Remember when I told you about the best friend I had when I lived in Minnesota?"

I do. She lost contact with him once her parents died.

"How he moved right before my parents accident?"

"Yeah?"

"He's here in Australia!" She starts laughing. "I literally ran into him."

"Wow."

"And his wife, she's awesome! She's so sweet!" I close my eyes and I can picture her face. She's sitting cross legged on her bed, gently biting the bottom of her lip while she grins.

"Paisley, that's great!" It still doesn't explain why he was shirtless in your hotel room I mentally groan.

"It's so weird. It's like we were able to pick up right where we left off. When we were fifteen! A person grows so much in their teen years yet we're practically still the same! He's still a terrible cook..." I love hearing the happiness in her voice.

"Oh, last month, Toby and his wife came to the hotel and Toby was going to cook us dinner right? So he puts a glass jar in a pot of boiling water but he forgets to take the lid off." She starts full on belly laughing. "The freaking jar exploded!"

He's a damn idiot. Why is she laughing? "Paisley, he could have seriously hurt you."

"Well, it was terrifying at first but when we realized everyone was okay we were cracking up. There was spaghetti sauce all over his t-shirt. And then, some guy I guess came to the wrong room and Toby answered the door; he said the guy looked horrified to be at the wrong room."

No, I was horrified that there was a shirtless man standing in my wife's hotel room.

"Sebastian?" She questions softly.

"Yeah?"

"You've been really quiet."

"Sorry, I'm just thinking." I think about telling her how I feel right here and now. "I have a lot of things to tell you."

"Okay, tell me one thing, then I seriously have to shower."

"I- Mark has a girlfriend. I guess they've been together for months but he just introduced her to everyone."

"Oh my gosh." She squeals. "Really?"

"Her name's Emily. Hopefully they'll still be dating when you come home and you can meet her. She's really good for him."

"Emily? The Emily you were talking to the other day?"

I think back to when I last talked to her. "Yeah, I was playing basketball with the guys. Mark brought her along."

"Oh." She laughs lightly. "I- Well, tell Mark I said congratulations!"

"I will. Call me before you go to bed; it'll be morning here, okay?"

"Yep."

"Have fun at breakfast. Please, Paisley, don't let this guy cook for you." I tell her seriously and she laughs.

"Okay, seriously I have to go now. Bye!"

"I love you." I say into the phone but again I'm too late.

She's already hung up.

***