"Definitely not. Also, the whole cheating on Lon thing was not for me."
"Yeah, me either," I joke, a little darkly, and he cringes at the mention of infidelity.
To my delight, there’s a lack of ache or pain at the memory of Paul confessing. I don't know if it's because seeingthatlast night extinguished some of that pain, or Callum's presence is just so soothing that it masks all pain, but I sit happily in the peace I'm feeling.
"So, our list will remain'The Notebook'free, but I'm definitely adding'13 Going on 30'.You'll love Jenna and Matty."
"Sounds good," he raises his mug, and I smile, tapping mine against it with a light clink. We finish our coffee, and I run to brush my teeth, turning my phone on as I scrub.
Many notifications pop up, and I ignore the book club group chat for now, then see that Tess sent me a text asking how I'm doing and about book club and Callum. She seemed to have sensed something shift during our last phone call, when I was raving about my new friends and how I was having dinner with Callum that night.
"Callum?" she asked, her tone protective at first, but the more I talked about him, the more she softened. She always seems to know how I'm feeling, even when I don't explicitly say it.
Then I see Callum's notifications:11 text messages. 5 missed calls.
Callum Rhodes: Are you sure you're okay?
Sophie?
I'm really worried about you.
Okay, I'll leave you be for now.
I'll be there tomorrow to pick you up.
I'm not going anywhere, Sophie.
Not unless you want me to.
I promise I'm always here for you.
Are you awake?
I'm heading over now.
I just need to know you're okay.
My vision blurs, a couple of tears slipping down my cheeks at the words, at the care. He didn't bulldoze or demand to see me. I would have retreated even further last night if he had done so. He just let me know that he's here for me, that he's staying. That's what I need—what I want.
Presence.
"Sophie, you ready?"
I quickly finish brushing and spit, calling out. "Coming!"
When I walk into the living room, Callum is looking at the picture of Tess and me at my collegegraduation, with a small smile on his face. It's one of my favorite pictures. The contrast between my sister and me is always shocking to people, and most don't believe we're related.
Tess is naturally beautiful, very tall, like our dad, standing around five feet ten, with strawberry blonde hair, inherited from our mother. She has a toned and fit physique from regular gym workouts and marathon running.
I, on the other hand, am short and softer, with our dad's dark hair and our mom's height and build. The only feature we do share is our dad's blue-green eyes. We're so different, looks and personality-wise, but I think that's why we get along so well, we're a healthy balance.
She's towering over me in the photo with her arm around my shoulders as I beam at the camera in my powder blue gown and honors cord, holding my diploma in front of me. I remember feeling so proud of myself in that moment, seeing the pridereflected back in Tess's eyes when we went out for tacos and margaritas afterward.
That was one of the best days of my life.
Then she was deployed, and I headed to Boston—toNortheastern—and met Paul. Everything in between then and now feels like some weird interlude. Or maybe it was just a needed journey to get to this moment, here and now, with a kind and wonderful man about to drive me to chemotherapy.
Callum looks over to me with a smile still on his face. "You were right, you guys really don't look alike."
