JC awoke in the middle of night and his eyes adjusted to the dark room. The clock on his bedside table read 5 AM. He had fallen asleep extremely early the evening before after spending all morning and afternoon in the studio. Now it was 5 o'clock in the morning and he was awake but not ready to start his day. 

He grabbed his phone and it was full of notifications, which immediately annoyed him. He hated cellphones sometimes. The Do Not Disturb feature was his favorite thing about them. He skimmed through the notifications, that were mostly texts from Eric. Then, something caught his attention.

Alani - Missed Call.

He sat up in bed and stared at the phone in disbelief. Why did she call? Is she okay? Was it a mistake? 

All of these questions went through his head. He wanted so badly to call her back but knew with the time change that it was not an ideal time to call. He made a mental note to call her later that day. 

He thought back to the last time he saw her face. They were FaceTiming a few days after he had left Maui. 

"Did you just take a picture of me?" She asked, hiding her face with her hand. She had quickly answered his FaceTime call before realizing she was wearing her glasses. It was a look JC had yet to see on her, but he thoroughly enjoyed it. Something about her wearing the clear, square frames, with her shiny, black hair falling past her shoulders was making him feel warm all over. 

He chuckled, "I took a screenshot, yes." He was just happy he could see her face in view again, even if it was through the phone. Since he had returned home, he couldn't wait to set aside time each day to hear her voice and an added bonus was when he could see her.

"Ugh why?! I look like shit right now with these big ass glasses on."

"Stop it. No, you don't. If I was over there right now, I'd smack your hand away from your face," He teased.

She moved her hand from the camera view, a playful grin on her face. "Did you just say you would assault me?"

JC rolled his eyes. She was so dramatic. He liked that about her. Whatever emotion she was feeling, he knew. It was always written on her face and expressed through her tone.

"I'm not even going to answer that. So, when are you coming out here to see me?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Sooner than later. You literally just left.."

"Maybe I miss you." He confessed. He watched her cheeks flush at his admission.

She bit her lip contemplating what to say next, "I miss you too."

JC sighed as he settled back down into his bed, trying to will himself back to sleep for a couple of hours. He had spent the last couple of weeks beating himself up over the whole situation. Did he do something to upset her? Was she really not into him as much as she claimed to be? It didn't help that Eric was constantly reminding him that it was an extended one night stand and he needed to get over it. 

He knew he wasn't going to get over it. He wasn't going to get over her. 

---

Alani heard movement in the kitchen that was adjacent from her spot on the couch. She cracked one eye open to see Kala over by the sink. In a few moments, she was by Alani's side handing her an Advil and a glass of water.

Alani sat up slowly and accepted the offer, downing the pill and chugging the cold water. 

"How do you feel?" Kala asked, taking a seat beside her, sitting on the edge of the couch.

"Like shit." 

"How did it go with JC on the phone last night?" 

Alani groaned, "It didn't go anywhere. He didn't answer. What was I thinking? Let me just call this man that I ghosted for the last few months?"

"Maybe he was busy. I think he will call back."

"That seems unlikely." Alani sulked, laying back down on the couch. She slung a tanned arm over her face.

"You're really pathetic right now."

"And you're really annoying right now, Kala," Alani sighed exasperatedly, getting off of the couch and heading into her room where she could be alone. She loved her roommate dearly, but she was not the most empathetic person and right now she just wanted her friend to comfort her. 

She settled into the safe haven of her bed, feeling her body relax. Scrolling through her phone mindlessly, she wondered what JC had thought when he saw her calling. Would he call back?

Putting her phone away, she turned on her comfort show, Law and Order SVU and snuggled down into her blankets, preparing to spend her whole day there.

--

Alani awoke to the sound of her phone buzzing beside her. Sometime after the 5th episode or so of SVU, she dozed off. The sleep was good for her and helped ward off the rest of that hangover.

She lazily picked up her phone and held it to her ear, "Hello?"

"Alani? Hey, it's JC."

She sat up quickly, held the phone away from her ear and looked at it questionably. Was she dreaming? She had to be.

"Hello?" She heard him say again after she didn't respond. 

"Um, hi. Hey, JC." She gulped, unsure of where the conversation would go. She hoped he would take the lead, because she was feeling awkward and nervous.

"I saw where you called me last night. I was returning your call. Is everything okay?" He asked. She heard the concern in his voice.

"Yeah. Everything's great." She said, unconvincingly. What else could she say? No, everything fucking sucks and I miss you. She knew she didn't have the courage to admit that - not yet at least. 

There was a pause for a minute, as JC was expecting more to that answer. He knew there had to be a reason she called.

"I was just calling to see how you were. How are you?" Alani asked.

"I've been okay. Busy working on some new projects. How about you?"

"Just working."

"That's good. How's Kala?"

"She's a pain in my ass." Alani laughed, "She dragged me out last night on a double date. It was awful. I drank entirely way too much."

Date? JC's face scrunched up at the thought of Alani on a date with someone else. Sure, they hadn't spoken in some time, but she had moved on and started dating again?

"I see. I didn't know you were going on dates. I'm going to be honest, I'm feeling some type of way," He admitted. Alani immediately felt bad for bringing it up. Maybe she should've kept that to herself. 

"Kala set it up. I didn't want to go," she hesitated, "you haven't been seeing anyone?"

"Not at all."

Alani had to admit to herself that hearing this made her heart flutter. Maybe there was still something there. 

"Why not?" She asked, nervously twirling a strand of hair around her finger. 

"Um, honestly? I can't stop thinking about you."

There was silence while Alani processed what he had said. JC began to wonder if he was being too forward, but he wanted her to know how he felt. He wasn't sure if they would talk again and he had to let her know that she occupied his thoughts way more than she should have.

"Are you there?" 

"Yes, I'm here. I didn't know you still thought about me."

"Why wouldn't I? Alani, I thought I made it pretty clear that I was into you. You ghosting me these past couple of months really fucked with me."

Alani sighed regretfully, "I'm sorry. The distance, who you are and everything got to me. It seems silly to hold on to something I wasn't sure was going to last."

"Stop being so scared. You like me. I like you. All we have is right now, so we should focus on that." JC reasoned.

He was right. She liked him a lot. She was miserable not talking to him. It seemed like a second chance was right in her lap and she needed to take advantage of the fact that he was right there telling her everything she needed to hear. It would be foolish to let him go again.

"I am scared, JC. I'm not going to lie to you. But I do miss you." Alani felt relieved that she was able to admit that.

JC smiled on the other end. Finally, he felt like he was getting somewhere. Finally, he had confirmation that holding out hope was all worth it. "I miss you too. Promise you'll answer when I call now?" 

"I think I can do that."