Chapter Five

[allisaurus]

We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon uneventfully. An entire disk of the Twilight Zone and one spin of Brand New’s the Devil and God are Raging Inside Me later, we find ourselves here, on the couch, sitting on opposite ends with the remote between us. We had settled into that perfect silence, with just the sounds from the outside world coming in, until Callum’ stomach decided to ruin it. I stifle a laugh and glare in his direction.

“Thanks for ruining the moment. Do you think you could tell your stomach to shut up?”

I use my best sarcastic bitch voice and hope that it is somewhat believable.

“Well, I’m sorry but maybe if my host provided me with some lunch we wouldn’t be having this problem!”

I can tell that he is trying really hard to act mean but I can see right through his façade. I realize that I am hungry, too, but know that a search through the cupboards or fridge would yield nothing edible since he used the last of the pancake mix for breakfast.

“Your host apologizes, good sir. Let me make it up to you. Have you seen much of the area?”

“I’ve seen the laundry mat, a few alleyways, and here. I don’t think it can get much better.”

“Oh, believe me, it can. Let me take you out. I know a place that has this killer soup and sandwich special. It will blow your mind.”

Callum’s not-so-convincing cold look softens and that award-winning smile comes back. I swear that I’ve seen it a million times since we met and I still melt at the sight of it.

“But, let me just make one suggestion…”

I trail off and my eyes trace up and down his still-shirtless torso. I point my finger at it and sigh.

“Unfortunately, you might need to put on a shirt, and, I need to change, too.”

My eyes land on the little rectangle suitcase that is still by the door, in the exact same place that it had been when he first arrived. God, it seemed like so long ago that Callum walked into my apartment when, in reality, it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours. I go and pick it up and carry it back to the couch, his eyes on me the entire time. I flip open the latches and open it, seeing a variety of button-ups and v-necks in various colors, along with a few pairs of very similar looking skinny jeans and one solitary pair of flip-flops. Under one pile of shirts I see some things that appear to be boxers and I choose to ignore that for now.

“This one,” I say, pulling out a turquoise v-neck and throwing it at him, “with these jeans,” yup, another toss, “and the moccasins.”

I smile at him in satisfaction and he picks up the clothes and stands.

“Well, thanks. I guess you’re my new personal stylist.”

He walks past me and gives me a playful shove before heading into the bathroom. I take this opportunity to go into my own room and pick out something decent for me. I decide on a graphic tee from some clothing line or another and a pair of dark jean shorts because it is the middle of June and it looks warm outside. I put on the shorts and check myself out in the mirror by my closet. My ass looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. I start to put on the shirt when Callum walks in, fully clothed and unsuspecting.

“Oh, my God. I didn’t know you were changing.”

His face turns a shade of pink and instead of turning around he just stands there and looks up and down my body.

“You are so beautiful.”

I am the one blushing now and I realize that I should probably put the shirt on in order to alleviate some of the weirdness that is lingering in the room but instead I walk up to him and give him a big hug. I hold on a little longer than I should have and back up to where I was standing – with some attitude in my step. I wink at him, put the shirt on, and walk past him out of the room.

I take this opportunity to exhale and really allow myself to realize how gorgeous this guy really is. The shirt I picked out looks great on him and the jeans fall so perfectly on his hips. I can tell that his hip bones probably jut out perfectly but I guess seeing that will just have to wait. I step into the bathroom and pull my hair into a messy bun and swipe some eyeliner onto my upper and lower lids. I look better then I usually do on any other Thursday so I feel pretty good about that.

“Okay, taxi’s leaving. You coming or what?”

“Taxi? Big spender!”

We walk out of the apartment and this whole routine feels very couple-ish. Him waiting for me as I lock the door behind us (something that is very rarely done throughout this entire apartment complex). Me resisting his efforts to get us to ride down on the elevator and emerging in victory when he lets us take the stairs. The sun is bright and my eyes instantly turn into slits. I turn right and head down the street, not noticing if Callum is following me or not.

“Wait up,” he pretends like he is out of breath, “not all of us know exactly where we are going!”

I slow my pace a little and start to walk backwards. I bump into him and kinda grind my ass against his crotch. He gasps a little and I smirk even though he can’t see it. I could definitely get used to this kind of behavior and this kind of relationship. Whatever kind that may be. I start to walk again and he takes a few large strides to catch up to me. I feel his hand grabbing at mine and I give in.

“How long have you been here exactly?”

“Six days.”

“How long are you planning on staying?”

I am a little afraid of what his answer will be so I kind of instantly regret asking the question but it would have come out eventually.

“However long I felt like I was needed. I still gotta call that band. Who knows if that spot’s still open.”

That answer concerns me a little because if the spot has already been filled then there is probably nothing keeping him here. I feel like he can almost read my mind because the next thing that he says catches me off guard.

“There’s this girl I’m staying with, though. She’s worth staying.”

I stop walking and face him. I can tell from his eyes and the relaxed smile on his face that the answer is genuine. I stand up on my tip-toes and kiss him softly on the lips. I don’t want to take it too far… we are in public, after all. We start walking again. The rest of the trip passes in silence, his hand wrapped tightly – protectively – around mine.

“Here.”

I make a sharp left and open the door to the best coffee shop in the area. It’s called Grinder. Emily and I always used to make fun of that name and its sexual connotations. I think that Callum is thinking along that same line because he points at the sign and makes a funny face.

“Are you sure we aren’t at some sort of gay bar?”

I laugh and pull him into the cozy building. The smell of fresh coffee and cinnamon instantly takes over. There aren’t that many people here today, which is pretty much normal. Some indie rock music is playing over the speakers super quietly and there is a TV on what looks to be a corny Lifetime-esque movie on mute.

“Hey, Til.”

I recognize the voice in an instant. It’s smooth and medium-pitched and I can tell that it was said with a smile – smiles just sound a certain way. It belongs to the best barista in town, Cailyn. We’ve known each other pretty much since I’ve lived here. She has this beautiful red hair that curls down her back and stops just above her butt. Cailyn is gorgeous in every way and my mind instantly flashes back to the night that we shared together.

I flash her a huge smile and walk closer to the counter, dragging Callum along with me.

“Who’s your friend?”

I can see her eyes move up and down his body. A wave of jealousy floods through me but is gone in an instant because Callum holds onto my hand even tighter and pulls me close to him.

“This is Callum, my…” I trail off because I honestly have no idea what he is. Boyfriend? Roommate? We haven’t exactly talked about labels yet.

“I’m hers,” this rolls off of his tongue with such ease. There isn’t any complication and I decide that that is the best way to put it. Not to mention, that accent still makes me weak at the knees.

“Young love, huh? A lot’s changed since the last time we’ve seen each other, eh, Matilda?”

Cail winks at me and pulls a cup from a stack next to the coffee machine.

“Double tall soy cappuccino, wet?”

“You still remember? I haven’t been in here in forever!”

I used to come to Grinder pretty much every day. That changed when I got my last check from Scottsdale and it was used for even more booze and bad habits.

“Of course I remember. Hard to forget such a pretty girl’s order. What about you? You look like a plain coffee kind of guy.”

Callum snaps out of some kind of trance that involved shifting his eyes between Cailyn and I. He laughs a quiet little laugh and looks up at the menu – handwritten on the chalkboard walls that I watched them paint a few months ago.

“Actually, I think I’ll just take a tall mocha.”

Now, I am the one to laugh and he stands there, confused.

“How boring.”

Cailyn says this with a mischievous grin and starts to make the drinks. Callum kisses the top of my head and whispers into my ear, so quiet I can barely hear it.

“You’re gonna tell me about her later.”

For a second I think that he is mad, but then we lock eyes and see that he isn’t. I nod and bite my bottom lip, running my hand down his chest. I think that he likes this because he pulls me closer to him and I can feel the definite beginnings of a hard-on.

“Relax, baby.”

I whisper this even quieter and he makes a little puppy dog face. It is probably the cutest thing I have ever seen… besides Callum, himself. I get this feeling that something is going to happen tonight and I don’t know how I should react to it. That will be determined when the time comes.

Cailyn is done making our drinks and she sets them down on the counter. I start to pull out the wad of money that I shoved into my pocket but she says it’s on her, that she hasn’t seen me this happy in a while and it makes her happy in return. We say our goodbyes, take our drinks, and walk out the door, back into the blinding sun and warmth.

I try to turn right, to keep going further down the street. There are more little shops down here, all of them having different qualities that make them special. Callum has a different idea, however, because he pulls me to the left, back towards my building. The shine of lust and desire is evident in his eyes and I’m not one to complain so I don’t resist his attempts.

Eventually we are at the door to my – our – apartment and I pull the keys out of my pocket and pretend to struggle with unlocking the door. I know that he wants to kiss me and maybe do more. I think that I want to do these things, too, but I like to tease so I take my time letting us in. When I do, he takes the Styrofoam cup out of my hands and puts both of ours on the counter. I haven’t even realized that we hardly drank any of them.

He kisses me – soft and pure. My eyes flutter shut and I press myself into him, melting into his chest. He deepens the kiss a little and I grant his tongue access to my warm mouth. In one motion, he picks me up and moves us both to the couch, never once letting his mouth leave mine. He is on top of me now, one hand tucked under me, resting on the small of my back. The other is above my head, grasping onto the arm of the couch. I bite his lip a little and he lets out a soft moan. He pulls away from me – leaving a few inches of space between our lips, now plump and rosy red.

“You are so beautiful,” he breathes out, looking directly into my eyes.

I don’t even have time to think before a smile graces my face and I lift my head the short distance to connect our lips again. We kiss for a little bit longer, but not with the intensity of before. It doesn’t need to be like that, which makes me sure of the fact that Callum is so different than all the other guys. He doesn’t need the frenzy of tongues and hands; he just needs me.

By now, we had completely forgotten the reasoning behind our outing in the first place. Our hunger was pushed to the back burner by the sudden need for sensuality and connection. We still don’t have anything to eat here and our drinks have, without a doubt, grown cold.

“We never ate.”

It’s a fact: Callum can most definitely read my mind.

“I was just thinking that. There’s really nothing here. The grocery store isn’t that far, though.”

We untangle ourselves and get up from the couch. Both of us have ruffled hair and cheeks that are blushed, but we don’t take the time to fix how we look. After all, it is just the grocery store. We lock the apartment behind us and take off down the street again, hand-in-hand.

*

We return from the store and put away the groceries that we bought. The cupboards and fridge fill up fast and we leave out a few things to make dinner – well, so Callum can make dinner. He decided in the store that he was going to make grilled chicken with pasta and vegetables. That sounded great to me so I didn’t protest. It looks like he has everything under control so I say that I’m going to take a shower. He gives me another kiss – I’ve lost count of how many we’ve had today – and pats my butt a little when I turn to leave.

In the shower – scalding hot and steaming – I think about how much different I’ve felt since Callum came into my life. I feel like it has been years since I was that partying girl who didn’t know the meaning of too much alcohol or didn’t care about anything besides the name of who I was going to fuck, when, in fact, I had been that girl just a few nights ago. I let the water cascade down my body for a while before I start to wash my hair or do anything that I normally do in the cleaning process. I didn’t have any reminders of last night’s party to scrub off and that felt good – like a weight was taken off my shoulders.

I stay in the shower for about 20 minutes before I turn off the water and step out. I can hear a faint voice coming from outside of the bathroom and I think it’s probably the TV but I’m not sure. Usually I would just walk back to my room naked but this time I wrap my body in a soft yellow towel, not that Callum would mind either way. I open the door and am instantly ambushed by the smell of chicken roasting and something garlic-y.

“That smells amazing!”

Callum whirls around from his command post at the stove and immediately smiles. I can tell that he is enjoying the sight of me in a towel.

“I have good news,” he walks over to me and puts his hands on my hips, looking me dead in the eyes, “while you were in the shower I called the vocalist of that band, Eyes of Sparrows, and…”

He trails off and leans down. He rests his lips on my forehead and stays like that for a few seconds. I prepare myself for the worst – that the spot had been filled and he was going to be leaving town. Leaving me, just as quickly as he arrived.

“And?”

He backs away from me and rests against the counter. He stares absently down at his fingers and starts picking at one nail.

“I have an audition tomorrow.”

He says this so nonchalantly that I feel like I misheard him. But then he stands up straight and does this weird little dance, a huge smile on his face.

“Are you serious?! That’s amazing, Cal!”

“The weird thing is he, Jake, that’s the singer, he said he had heard some of my solo stuff. He recognized my name almost immediately. How cool is that?!”

I can tell that he is overcome with excitement and, to be frank, so am I. He picks me up and spins be around. I kiss him on the nose and each cheek and finally the lips and, for that moment, it feels like nothing can ever go wrong. That moment is quickly forgotten when the smell of burning something finally reaches us.

“Shit! The chicken!”

Callum races to the oven and pulls out a pan. The chicken is a little dark but still edible. I go into my – our – bedroom and pull on my little black dress. Tight, but not too tight, with one strap over the right shoulder. Little rosettes cover the strap and cascade down the front of the dress to where it stops just above my knees. I quickly twist my hair into a French braid and look in the mirror. I decide against make-up and take in my appearance. I realize that this is the first time in a while that I have dressed like this and I like it. It makes me feel beautiful, something that has been missing for a while.

“Dinner’s rea – holy shit, you look incredible.”

I hadn’t even noticed that Callum had walked towards the bedroom and now stood in the doorway, mouth hanging open. I twirl around for him and say thank you. His cheeks turn a light pink and I realize that he is seeing more than just a girl that could be a one night stand.

“Let’s eat,” I take his hand and lead the way to the small table in the kitchen. He has it set with the nicest plates and silverware that we have in the apartment. There are two plastic cups filled with wine and a candle flickering. Food covers the whole table; it looks like we are eating for a whole family. Either that or we haven’t eaten in months. To be honest, though, I don’t remember when the last time I ate like this was. Probably at some stifling family Christmas party or something.

Dinner was delicious. Not only is Callum gorgeous and talented – he can cook, too. I offer to help him clean up but he refuses, always the gentleman. It’s 7:11 PM and I climb into bed. He does a few dishes and announces that he is going to take a quick shower. 7:27 and a boxer-clad Callum slides under the comforter next to me. He forms his body around mine and kisses me a few times on the neck. Our limbs become intertwined and the heat from him relaxes me instantly. The calm exhale of his breath on my skin slows to match the rhythm of mine. We stay like this for a long time, no words being shared. 8:14 and my Callum breaks the quiet.

“If I remember correctly, you have some stories to tell.”

He’s right. These things would have to come out eventually. I take a deep breath and turn to face him, readying myself to share secrets that had been locked away.

.