She makes it until her 4th day of the internship before she breaks and calls him.

It's lunch break, and she only gets an hour, so she makes a point of grabbing her lunch (carefully packed, the night before) and speed-walking out to the parking lot, past the gaggle of smokers and irritated suits, out to the single wooden bench round the back of the building.

Hardly anyone seems to go there, except for a couple smokers occasionally, and it's alright. The building usually provides some shade at this point in the day, and she can sit with her lunch in her lap and enjoy the small serenity before heading back to her desk.

Calling him is the one thing she resolutely promised not to to; at least not this early into her stay. Other than the fact that, well, it's kind of embarrassing, as if she can't get through one summer without Greendale, which totally isn't true, it also just seems like it'll stir up a lot of… Feelings. And emotions. That definitely do not need to be brought up, again.

But, today is different.

She wants to tell him about the guy running today's meeting who was exactly like Pierce, and she wants to ask him how the teaching gig is doing recently, and really, she just misses him.

So, before she knows it the call button has been pressed and the phone is at her ear and it's ringing. It's ringing.

He picks up after the third ring, and she tries to repress memories of how interested that means he is, according to Cosmopolitan (one ring? a bit eager! 2 rings? just right! 3 rings? he's probably bored. 4 rings? he's not interested. 5 rings?…)

"Hey," he speaks first, slowly, and she notices that his breath is a little laboured. Maybe she's interrupted his workout.

"Hi." It'sreallynicetohearyourvoiceagain.

"So, um… What's up?"

It takes her a second to realise that he's trying to politely ask her why the Hell she's calling him in the middle of a workday. "Oh. Nothing. I mean, it's lunch break right now, and I didn't feel like cooping up inside for another hour, so…"

"Ah."

"Yeah." She pauses and can practically feel him disengaging, and that can't happen right now; she has to do something. Quick. Before he gets so bored he hangs up. "Uh. How's Greendale?"

"It's okay. Things are going… Alright. Normal. Quiet - ever since you guys…" He trials off. Sore subject.

"You miss us?" She's not really sure whether it's a question or a statement. Maybe both.

He clears his throat. "Um. Yeah." Like it's obvious.

"Oh." When he doesn't answer, she adds. "I miss you - all - too."

"But Washington's good to you, right?"

"Yeah! Of course. It's great."

She can practically see him right now, leaning against the wall in his office (standing is healthier than sitting), the arm not holding his phone folded over his torso, grey sweatshirt (oh God the grey sweatshirt), jeans that really shouldn't fit him that well considering his age, half-smirk on his lips.

"Care to tell?"

She launches into the whole story of what's been happing, what she's been doing since getting here. Of course, she leaves out the parts with the panicky sadness and gross pining, because really, it's not like he needs to know all that.

When she hangs up, less than a minute until her next shift starts, the call time lists as '37 minutes'. It won't be good for her phone bill, but she can worry about that later.