Jennifer didn't want to admit that she'd been waiting for this phone call all day–after all, it was only his first day away, it wasn't like he was on the other side of the world–well maybe he was, it was hard to tell when it came to his "below board" activities–but damn it if that wasn't exactly what had been happening. Every time her phone even blipped her heart leapt. Unfortunately, it was often only her phone telling her that one of her gaming apps had refilled her lives.
And every time, once she'd put the phone back on the counter in the shop, Adelaide would just smirk at her. Jennifer, of course, would then just glare at her cousin. Then a lull would happen where she wouldn't look at her phone, and then something would sound like a buzz and then she'd be right back to snatching her phone off the counter.
Okay, so maybe more of her motivations had to do with her being worried about him. Not that there was anything that she needed to be overtly scared of for him–he was a big boy, after all, and he had been for most of his life–but worry she did.
So when her phone did finally start ringing with a call from Duke, she didn't bother trying to hide it from him, "Duke?"
"Hey," he sighed back on the other side. He sounded relieved, tired, like he was smiling, but most importantly, like he was fine.
Jennifer smiled at the phone, ignoring Adelaide's obnoxious (and rather juvenile) kissing noises as she walked back towards her room, "Hey yourself; how're you doing?"
"I'm–"
"If the rest of that is 'fine' I'm going to be mysteriously busy when you finally come back." She warned, sitting down onto her bed.
He chuckled on the other side of the line, "Well then it's a good thing I was, of course, going to be completely up-front with you and tell you that I'm tired from a long day but that I'm all the better for finally getting to hear your voice."
She laughed back at that, "Oh, of course."
They talked for awhile; Duke vaguely about what he'd been up to since he docked in his new, equally vague, location, and Jennifer about what was new at the shop with Adelaide and Brielle.
It was all simple small talk that they both enjoyed, just hearing each other talk. Jennifer stretched out on her bed as a lull occurred in their conversation and they just listened to each other breathe.
"I miss you." She said quietly.
"I miss you too." He said back, "Why didn't you come with me, again?"
Jennifer sighed and grabbed one of her pillows to curl onto her side, "Because my cousin's paranoid beyond reason and you told me that it would be a fast job and that you needed me safe while you did it."
Duke sighed, "Ah the one time my protectiveness worked against me."
She giggled at him before she turned serious again, "Speaking of protectiveness: Are you being careful? I mean, I know this is just your life and everything–I do, I get it and I'm not asking for a change or anything I just–"
"Jennifer." He said gently, quieting her and she wished desperately that he was here with her or that she was with him, just something where his arms would be around her and where she wouldn't be staring at a wide expanse of empty bed next to her, "I'm okay. I'm being careful, I promise."
She nodded, "Okay."
There was another brief pause, and she absently reached to pick at the blanket that covered the side of the bed that Duke usually slept on when he was there with her.
"You know, I, ah, I didn't realize how big my bed was until I'd gotten used to you being in it," he commented on the phone.
Jennifer laughed despite herself, "Here I was thinking the same thing."
Duke laughed as well even as another lull happened in their conversation.
"Come home soon, Duke." She said, curling up more on her side, "Come back to me."
"As fast as I can, love. Just as fast I can."