Straight to voicemail.
Jason ended the call without leaving a message and sighed. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid, he silently chided himself.
Of course, he couldn’t have known that Sheila would react the way she did. He never would have guessed that revealing his shaving kink would freak her out. Obviously, it had. The look on her face had spoken louder than words. He’d told her to forget he brought it up, and she said it was fine, but then said she wasn’t feeling well and went home not long after. She hadn’t answered a text or phone call since.
Alternately mad at her and himself, he’d tossed and turned all night, and then spent most of the morning pacing through the apartment.
His phone rang, and he looked to see it was Sheila. Nervously, he answered, “Hello.”
“Hi.”
After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, he asked, “Are you okay?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“I’m sorry. Just forget I ever brought it up,” he apologized.
“I can’t. I just… I never thought you would… It’s just so weird.”
“It’s not important. It’s just a silly fantasy. It’s not like it’s something I need.”
She sighed, and after a pause, said, “I’m sorry I haven’t been answering. I need some time.”
“Are you breaking up with me?” he asked.
“No. Of course not. I’ll text you, okay?”
“Sheila…”
“I’m sorry. I just can’t even right now.”