A low grunt comes from the far right, and I flit my eyes to Callum. He’s doing battle ropes, a picture of quiet focus and coiled strength. His shirt clings to his sculpted torso, soaked at the collar, and there’s a crease between his brows, as though he’s daring the ropes to fight back. I aim the camera toward him—discreetly—but he catches me and lifts an eyebrow.
“No close-ups,” he says, but it’s more of a warning than a threat. Still, there’s no bite to his words.
“He speaks!” Archie guffaws. “Must be because he’s aninfluencernow.”
Finn lets out a dramatic gasp. “That’s right! I still think you should have gone with Grumpycal for your handle. Has a nice ring to it.”
“Don’t you lot have workouts to finish?” Callum grumbles, tossing the ropes aside and grabbing a towel. Despite his sharp retort, I catch the way the corner of his mouth almost twitches. Almost.
I glance up from the screen. “Callum has actually been great to work with,” I say before I can stop myself.
He wipes beads of perspiration from his neck and throws the towel over his shoulder. “Don’t ruin my reputation, Templeton.”
I catch the faintest trace of amusement in his voice, and it makes my chest do something weird and fluttery. I focus back on the camera.
“Don’t worry. You’re still terrifying,” I chirp, offering a bright smile.
His eyes lingeron mine. “Good.”
The guys fall back into full jabbing mode, so I walk away to film the rest of the team training. I’m making my way toward another group when Callum calls my name.
“Millie. Can I talk to you for a sec?” he says, his voice softer than usual.
I spin to face him. “Sure.”
“Um.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I didn’t manage to add the captions like you showed me. I don’t know why it won’t work. And I can’t shorten videos either. My fingers are too big or something.”
I repress a smile. “That’s okay. I’ll show you again. When’s a good time?”
“I have to focus on my training here, but maybe after? If you don’t mind.” He looks embarrassed asking me to work overtime, reminding me again how different he is from what I first expected.
“No problem. Should I come to your place?” I ask, then press my lips together. “Sorry, that just came out. I don’t want to invite myself over.”
He arches an eyebrow, folding his arms over his chest, but the look on his face isn’t nearly as severe. It’s almost as if he’s having fun.
“You want to see Fergie again, eh?”
I feel the blush coating my cheeks. “No. I just think you’re more focused when you’re at home, that’s all.”
He shakes his head. “He’s been talking about you, you know. He’s going to be thrilled.”
“He has?” I beam.
“Aye.” But he doesn’t elaborate. “See you later.” With that, he flips his towel over his shoulder again and saunters over to the elliptical machine.
I get out of the car, tucking my hair under my hood to shield it from the light drizzle. The air smells like wet pavement and rain-soaked leaves, and my boots tap softly on the walkway as I jog up the few steps to Callum’s townhouse door. I’ve barely raised my hand to ring the bell when the door swings open.
Callum stands before me, his wide shoulders filling the doorway.
“Hey,” I say with a smile, slightly breathless from the cold.
“Did you take a taxi?” he asks with a subtle frown.
“Yeah, I don’t have a car. Getting one soon. I’m actually going to look for one this weekend with my dad.” The words tumble out faster than I intend, and I mentally wince. Why am I sharing all this with him? He doesn’t need all the details.
“You should have said something. I would’ve given you a ride,” he mutters, scratching the back of his neck before letting me in.
“Oh, no worries. Now, where’s my man?” I smile so wide my cheeks hurt.
