“Millie pretty,” Fergie chirps. “Cuddles.”
I oblige, then give him a wink before walking out of his room, Callum following close behind.
“Millie loves Callum,” Fergie calls out to us, and I freeze. “Millie loves Callum.”
That little traitor.
My heart jumps to my throat, and I spin on my heel to find Callum staring at me in confusion. His eyebrows are drawn together as he glances between me and Fergie.
“Um,” I manage, my cheeks catching fire as Fergie goes at it again. Well, I guess we’re doing this now. “This is awkward.”
“What—oh,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Yeah, it’s… well,” I clear my throat. “He heard me on the phone. I was planning to talk to you about this, but I didn’t know how to broach the subject. Anyway, I guess Fergie handled it for me.”
Callum just watches me for a second, then simply says, “Okay.”
My heart falls. Of course that’s all he has to say. There is nothing else to say. He sees me as a friend, not a potential girlfriend. “Well, I’m going to go now. Talk soon.”
As we’re trudging down the stairs, he mutters, “Relationships aren’t exactly my thing.”
“No, of course not. That’s fine. I never thought...” I reach the bottom step and give him the thumbs-up, like an idiot. “All good.”
“Are—”
“I’ve got to go. Bye now.”
As soon as I close the door behind me, tears start rolling down my cheeks. I hurry down the steps and start my car, wishing it could just teleport me out of here.
Chapter 25
Callum
I can’t believe I said that.
The second Millie walked out of my house, I wanted to run after her and tell her how bloody stupid I was—but she practically bolted to her car. The rest of the morning, I’ve been hoping to come across her at work, but she’s nowhere in sight.
“Have you guys seen Millie today?” I ask Archie, Cameron, and Finn when I join them for lunch.
“Yeah, I know where she is,” Finn says, casually tearing off a piece of bread and popping it into his mouth.
I arch a brow. “Well?”
“I’ll tell you if you answer my question—truthfully.”
“What now?” I growl.
My jaw tightens, and I try to loosen it. No matter how many weights I’ve lifted this morning, or how many laps I’ve run, the tension hasn’t left my body. I’m wired. Restless.
“You’re in a sour mood today,” Archie remarks, stabbing his fork into his food. “Who stole your favourite knickers?”
I ignore him and focus on Finn.
“What’s going on between you and Millie?” Finn asks, his expression serious now.
“What?” I blink. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“We saw you two yesterday,” he says. “Outside the bus.”
