Outside, the fresh air nearly knocks me out. Still, it’s good to take a lung full as I run my fingers through my hair. I so need to see my girl right now; more than anything, I need to hold her and tell her how much I love her. New York is amazing, but fuck, I’ve had enough of this shit for one night.
CHAPTER THIRTY
CALLA
“Come on,Cal. You must have time for one more drink.”
“I have an early lecture; I can’t do it, Eddie, I told you.”
If he knew why I wasn’t hanging around, he’d royally take the piss.
“What is wrong with you? It never bothered you before,” he argues.
If he thinks embarrassing me in front of the rest of the group will work, he is sadly mistaken. I have more important things to attend to, like getting through my final year. “You go for it, but I’m out of here. I’ve got work to do.”
“Goody two-shoes,” he smirks.
“Whatever, see you all tomorrow.” I wave to the rest of the group and make my way through the student bar. I have no idea Eddie is following behind until he calls after me, “Hey Calla, can I walk you back?”
“It’s just across the square, so don’t worry, I’m good, but thanks for offering.” I’m about to turn away when he catches my arm. “How about a quiet drink, just the two of us. I promise it won’t be a late one.”
“I’m sorry. I really do have an early start, but how about I see you tomorrow for lunch instead?”
He lifts his chin. “Sure.”
I smile before I leave, not wanting to upset him. He’d repeatedly asked me out for drinks last year and now is forever suggesting we study together. I’ve made it pretty clear I’m not interested, and I have a boyfriend, but I’m sure he thinks I’m making it up. I tend not to tell my uni friends exactly who I’m dating. Ash’s band is making waves in the sea of music. When they first went to New York just over two months ago, they were relatively unknown. Since then, they’ve released their first single and their popularity has exploded. I always knew they’d make it, and I’m over the moon for him and the band, but the downside is that it’s difficult to get any quality time to talk with Ash. There’s always someone around at his end when we video call, mainly because of the time difference between us. But tonight, he promised we would be alone. This is the real reason why I want to get back to my dorm so early.
Sprinting across the square in a panic, I know I have minutes until his call will come in. I’m pulling off my sweatshirt, hot and sweaty from the run and the excitement I’m holding inside.
Pushing through the doors to the halls of residence, I sprint up the stairs, and frantically rummage around in my pocket for the keys. I’m all a fluster and totally excited to speak to him, so I need to calm down and get myself together. Taking a deep breath, I open the door to my dorm. Quickly, I brush my hair, slap on a little lip gloss and spray myself with body spray. All ridiculous, especially as the video screen doesn’t give the best image and Ash can’t smell me from where he is. Even if he were here, Ash doesn’t care about stuff like that, but it doesn’t stop me from wanting to lookand feel my best for him. The thought of Ash mixing in glamorous circles has entered my mind too many times, so this is my way of upping my game. Stupid, I know.
Finally, my laptop sings to alert me of his incoming call, then Ash’s beautiful face appears.
“At last, there you are?” He looks a little worried.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve tried twice, I thought you weren’t going to make it.”
“Oh,” I look at my watch. “I thought I was right on time?”
“You are, I just got impatient and tried you earlier.”
“That’s strange,” I say while checking my laptop. “There’s no log of any missed calls.”
“It’s okay. You’re here now.”
With a contented sigh, I breath out the words, “I am.”
“And you look beautiful.” The boy still has the power to make me blush.
“You do too,” I tell him.
He laughs at my words, then asks, “What’s going on in your world?”
“Nothing. My life is boring. Apart from the odd drink with friends, I don’t have a lot of time for anything else but study. You?”
“Jesus, where do I start.” He rubs his eyes. “It feels as if we’re on the go 24/7 at the moment, but it’s good, you know? We’re doing what we love, and from a music point of view, I couldn’t ask for more. Oh, and I have news. We have a release date for the album.”
