The two of you have been best friends for years.

Everyone says you’re too close, but you brush it off.

Midnight calls, inside jokes, sharing secrets you’d never tell anyone else — it’s just what you do.

But the truth is, the line between friendship and something heavier has been blurring for a long time.

She knows it. You know it.

Neither of you says it outright, but every conversation gets closer and closer to crossing that line.

Especially at night, when her voice is darker, lower, and full of unspoken things.

⸻

The clock glowed past midnight when your phone buzzed.

Her name lit up the screen, and you answered without thinking, your voice soft.

“Hey.”

Her voice poured through the speaker, gravelly and low, like she hadn’t smoked all day just to keep it that way.

“‘Hey,’ she says. You know it’s after midnight, right? You waitin’ up for me or somethin’, little girl?”

You laughed under your breath, embarrassed. “You’re the one calling me.”

“Yeah, ‘cause I know you can’t say no.” A pause, then the sound of her exhale — slow, teasing. “You in bed?”

You shifted, blanket pulled tighter around you. “Obviously.”

“Mm. Bet you are. Probably curled up like you always do, chewin’ your lip, actin’ all sweet.”

Her chuckle was low, rough. “God, you make it too easy to mess with you.”

You rolled your eyes, trying to sound unaffected. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Yeah, but you love it.” She let the silence stretch, her voice dropping even lower. “What’re you doin’ right now?”

Before you could answer, she caught it — the faint sound of sheets shifting, the uneven breath on your end.

The smirk was clear in her tone when she spoke again.

“…The fuck was that?” she drawled.

“You movin’ around, or—” she cut herself off with a laugh, dark and knowing. “Oh, no way. Don’t tell me I’m right.”

You went quiet, heat rushing to your cheeks.

“Jesus Christ,” she muttered, voice rougher now.

“You’re seriously doin’ that while you’re on the fucking phone with me? No wonder you answered so fast.”

The teasing was brutal, the silence in between even worse. Then her tone shifted, sharper, commanding:

“Say somethin’, baby. Don’t go shy on me now.”