Calum’s nostrils flared, and his head swiveled back to mine, his intense eyes locking with mine. I don’t know why I’d thrown it in, but now that I had, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was as jealous as I was the day the news broke of him entwined with a model-slash-actress.
It felt a little satisfying to see the storm brewing in his irises. “Is that so?”
Before I could speak, Adella returned with a tray of drinks. “Are you guys ready to order?”
“Can I get chicken tenders and home fries, please?” Asher requested, pushing his menu to the edge of the table.
“For you?” Adella asked, glancing at me with a slight smile.
“I’ll have the signature soup with a ciabatta bun,” I replied, my brows pinching together as I closed the menu and placed it on top of Asher’s. I didn’t have much of an appetite but knew if I didn’t try to eat something, I’d regret it later.
“Fish and chips for me, please,” Calum said when her expectant gaze turned to him.
“Haddock or cod?” Adella questioned.
“Cod, please.”
“Can I get fish and chips, too?” Asher requested. I glanced at him with surprise, my brow arching. In his nearly eight years of life, I’d never succeeded in getting him to eat fish. Any time I presented it to him, he’d vehemently refuse it.
“Sure thing,” Adella grinned, scratching out Asher’s original order and adding the new one. “Cod or haddock?”
“Cod!” he answered after a moment of careful consideration. I smiled at the grown-up tone, and Calum laughed lightly, his hands reaching across the table to add his menu to the pile.
“I’ll be back with your food soon,” Adella told us, reaching into her apron for crayons and setting them down in front of Asher before she headed to pass the order to the kitchen staff.
Before he could act like he didn’t want the crayons—when really, he loved drawing—Calum picked up a purple crayon and started doodling absently. “Do you like to draw, Asher?” he asked, peering up to look at him.
“Yeah,” he replied, watching his father colour for a moment.
“Me too,” Calum grinned, glancing back down at the paper. Asher relaxed, smiling as he reached for the green crayon and started drawing a Minecraft creeper.
My gaze skirted across the table, to Calum. Every few seconds, he’d glance up, never for very long, but his eyes would trace out everything. He’d do the same for Asher, his hand moving as he sketched.
Calum had always doodled when he had a pen and paper in front of him. His lyric notebooks had been filled with as many doodles as there were songs, and he had done the early cover art for the band’s two indie albums. Asher’s notebooks and homework pages were the same. His agenda was full of drawings, each month at a glance page filled with doodles.
“Oh cool, what’s that?” Cal asked, leaning forward when he caught a glimpse of Asher’s drawing.
“It’s a creeper, from Minecraft,” he explained, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
“Huh, no kidding. What’s that?”
“It’s only one of the coolest video games ever! I can’t believe you’ve never heard of it! We can play it later today if you want?”
“If it’s okay with your mom, it sounds great to me,” Calum replied, his eyes gauging my reaction.
I smiled, hoping to convey that I was okay with it—and I was, but a part of me was a little conflicted. My heart raced in my chest, but it wasn’t because Cal wanted to spend more time with Asher. I was elated they’d hit it off, and that things weren’t strained or awkward.
But the more time I spent in his presence, the more I gravitated to him.It’s only been a couple of days, I reminded myself—but my heart didn’t seem to care. If the bloody thing had arms, they’d be reaching out to him.
Hell, we’d already kissed. I’d surrendered so easily that it made me question all the progress I thought I’d made. My lips buzzed, and I pressed a finger against them distractedly. Calum caught my movement and lifted his head, his lips tugging up in a slow grin like he could guess exactly what I was thinking about.
I dropped my hand, and his gaze went to my lips. He swallowed, blue irises heavy with seriousness as his gaze dropped down to the brown paper tablecloth, hand moving in little strokes as he drew what he saw.
Shifting uncomfortably, I glanced around the dining hall and took another sip of iced tea. I could see Adella and Ariel near the kitchen window, talking lowly while they waited for food orders.
“Hey,” Calum said lowly, drawing my attention back to him. The way he gazed at me and the set of his lips told me that he thought I was beautiful. That had been one of the first things that had drawn me to him, how he could express his feelings and emotions so unequivocally though a glance, a touch. He could make me feel like I was his entire world, which is why I’d never suspected he’d leave until he was gone, and why I was so conflicted over his return.
In a way, it felt like he’d never left. The chasm between us was loaded with all the feelings that had never faded on either part. Right now, we were standing on either side of the chasm, facing each other.
