Dad
sup
Mom
Hi Ian!
Flying to Zurich soon but I can talk now
What are you up to?
Nothing much, just finished breakfast with the bf
“And now we wait?—”
Incoming call from Mom in the group “Family Chaos”
Dad has joined the group call in “Family Chaos”
“That was fast,” I say, picking up. “Hey, guys, what’s up?”
I keep the camera in front of me so Callum doesn’t appear in the frame.
“What’sup?” Mom asks, sitting down in an airport lounge conference room. “Youknowwhy we’re calling.”
Dad is in his home office back in New York. “Boyfriend. Details. Now.”
I can always count on him to get straight to the point.
“His name is Callum, we met in class, and he’s awesome.” Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Callum smiling when I mention him, and I squeeze his knee. “He's here right now.”
He waves at the phone, even though the camera isn’t fixed on him. “Hi.”
“Ooh, he’s got a nice voice!” Mom says, and Callum hides his growing smile. He sure does have a nice voice. It’s hot, even if I don’t say it out loud.
“Can we meet him?” Dad asks.
I glance over at Callum, stalling for time, and that typical tentative smile tugs at his lips. My god, it's as adorable as ever. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing it.
He sticks his hand out, and my heart races.
“Yeah,” I say. “Here he is.”
I hand the phone over, and he gives a small wave to my parents.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Callum.”
I rest my head on his chest, listening to his heart thump and his conversation with my parents. They’re both excited, asking him how we met and if I’m behaving myself, and I take the phone back after a few minutes so I don’t overwhelm Callum from the start. My parents are smiling back at me, Mom mouths “he’s cute,” which makes my face heat up, and we sign off.
“Your parents are so nice,” Callum tells me.
“They are. They weren’t around that much after I turned sixteen, but they’re awesome.”
Tilting his head, he parts his lips. “What do you mean by that?”
“I was mature enough to take care of myself alone, I guess. Doesn’t every sixteen-year-old dream of running amok without parental supervision?”
“And did you?”
