"Is Tasha there?"

"Speaking." I rested the phone on my shoulder and leaned my head against it while I made my morning coffee.

"Hi, I've been trying to get in touch with you and no one has picked up and I.."

"Isaac?" I raised my eyebrows, immediatly stopping what I was doing. I held the phone in my hand and sat down on the floor, sitting indian style. My stomach fluttered nervously and it felt like a high school crush all over again.

"Yeah.. its me." His voice was low and groggy. I certainly wouldn't call it raspy but it had the air of sleepiness.

"Did you just wake up?"

"Something like that. Its 2 in the morning." I could hear spring creaking and assumed he was leaning back on his mattress.

I looked at the clock on the wall, reading 4 AM. "Isaac, are you in California?"

"Worse. Oregon."

I raised my eyebrow, more to myself than anything. "Two questions and I think you know what they are."

"I'm in Oregon because my cousin is getting married."

"And the other one?"

"I know you're up at 4 in the morning. You're getting payback." Coyness slipped into his voice and I stood back up, stirring my coffee, definately intrigued with where this conversation was heading.

"How do you figure? I'm always up. Its not a sacrifice."

"I'm willing to bet my front teeth that the phone ringing woke up a potentially grouchy Lindsay and Jen. Who are probably standing in the doorway with hostile expressions."

I whirled around and grimaced. He was right. Getting a bright idea, I feigned a smile. "Well, Isaac. I'm sorry. I won't have phone sex with you. And Jen and Lindsay won't either. So quit asking. They want to talk to you."

I tossed the cordless to an angering Lindsay and grinned as she yelled his ear off through the phone.

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING AT OBSCENE HOURS OF THE MORNING TO GET PHONE SEX?! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO GET BEAUTY SLEEP AND GOD DO YOU NEED IT!"

She turned off the phone, dropped it on the floor and marched back to her room, Jen following shortly behind her after giving me a weird look. I just grinned in response and returned to my coffee making after I heard their door shut.

Picking up the phone, I hit *69 and the phone rang once before Isaac answered. "That was evil. My ear is ringing."

I laughed. "All is fair in war."

"What about love?" He asked.

Without thinking, I blurted out, "You know I do."

As soon as I heard myself say it, I hung up the phone and unplugged the line, dropping my coffee in the sink and running back to my bed to cuddle up in the quilts and think about what the hell I had just done.

"Tasha... wake up." Lindsay nudged at me and I continued faking sleep. Getting irritated, she yanked the blankets off from over my body and took a hold of my ankle, dragging me on to the floor with a thump.

I groaned, looking up at her with somber eyes.

"Are you okay? You look too... innocent." She studied me carefully and all I could manage was hanging my head.

"I told him I loved him."

"You did?! What'd he say?"

"I don't know. I hung up before he could answer. I didn't mean to say it."

She was quiet for a few moments before asking again, "Did you mean it?"

I shut my eyes and leaned back. I didn't want to have to answer this question. "Yeah. I think so."

She shook her head in disbelief and clicked her tongue. "I don't know what to tell ya, Tash. When you see him again in 8 months, if you still love him, tell him then."

I lurched forward and opened my eyes. "EIGHT MONTHS?!! I CAN'T GO THAT LONG!"

"See? You do love him. Tell him tomorrow." She smiled slyly at me and exited the room. I narrowed my eyes in the direction she left as soon as I realized I'd been tricked.

"LINDSAY YOU SUCK!"

"Only Zac!" She returned.

I rolled my eyes and picked up my blanket, wrapping it around myself and crawling back into bed.