Suzy took her phone and returned to her room, then redialed Derek.
The call connected, and his familiar voice came through, carrying a hint of excitement.
"Suzy!"
"I'm here. Why did you suddenly call me?"
They had been keeping in touch, but with everything that had happened recently, she had not had the chance to tell him yet.
"…I just... missed you."
His voice was soft and low, almost clinging, brushing against her ear in a way that made her skin tingle.
"Did you really?" Suzy replied vaguely.
It was a little too intimate, enough to make her feel slightly uncomfortable.
"And you, Suzy? Did you miss me?" Derek asked gently.
That was an easy question.
"Of course," she answered without hesitation.
He laughed on the other end, clearly in a good mood. But the signal was unstable, and his laughter came through in broken fragments.
"Suzy, are you at home right now?"
"Yeah. You should be home too, right? There's another typhoon outside. Don't go out anytime soon."
