“I’m feeling better now I have some food in my belly. I’ve never called in sick before, and I’m not going to start now.” He nods before moving to the coffee machine. I scoop up the lastof the eggs and shovel them in my mouth while watching Callan make me a cappuccino.
“Thanks,” I say when he passes it to me.
He sips his black coffee while he watches me, and his attention lifts all the fine hairs on my arms and the back of my neck. Callan brings an intensity to everything he does, and as the current focus of his attention, I’m feeling it all over like a sensual caress. I haven’t met anyone whose physical presence affects me so much. It’s a little unnerving, though thrilling at the same time.
“I need to get changed for work.” I slip off the stool and stand, aiming toward the sink with my plate and mug when Callan steps in front of me.
“I’ve got it,” he says, reaching out to take them. His fingers brush against mine in the exchange, and I tingle all over. My gaze bounces to his lips before drifting up to his eyes, and I notice he’s doing the same as me. I miss being kissed and held by him, and it would be so easy to just sink into his arms and let him comfort me, but he’s not being forgiven that easily.
“Thanks.” I step back and avert my gaze.
“Go get ready. I’ll clean up and meet you out in the truck.”
“What ishedoing here?” Gwen purses her lips as she stares at Callan through the window of his truck.
“He gave me a ride.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re back with him.” She folds her arms, pushing her chest up with the motion. “Have you forgotten what he did?”
“No, Gwen.” I heave out a sigh. “I haven’t forgotten, and I’m not back with him, though he has asked me to be his girlfriend officially.”
Gwen laughs. “Of course, he has. Nothing like a little competition to put a fire up his ass.”
“It’s not like that.”
She arches a brow. “Really? Cause he was all over Ana until he saw you with Joe.”
“He wasn’t all over her.” Now that I think back on what I saw, I realize Callan was standing there like a statue while Ana pawed at him. His hands weren’t touching her, and it’s clear now it was one-sided.
“So, what? He says all the right words, and you just fall back into his arms?”
“That is not what’s happening.” My voice elevates a few notches because my bestie is starting to piss me off. “I told him he’d lost my trust and I’d have to think about whether I want to be with him again. Thanks for the vote of confidence though. Good to know what you really think of me.”
“Babe, no. You’ve got it all wrong.” Her expression softens as her arms go around me. “I’m just looking out for you. I don’t want him to hurt you again.”
“I haven’t made any decisions yet,” I confirm, shucking out of her hold.
“I’m sorry, Azzie. I don’t want to fight with you or project my fuckups onto you. Look at my track record? How many times did I forgive Cole, only for him to hurt me over and over again? Same with Dwayne and Rusty. I just don’t want to see you make the same mistakes I’ve made.”
My ire flitters away now I know where her advice is coming from. “Callan isn’t like any of your exes.” Except for Scott, all of Gwen’s boyfriends were self-centered jerks. I never knew what she saw in any of them, and it feels unfair for her to lump Callanin with those assholes. I don’t articulate the thought because I don’t want to stand at my bestie’s front door and argue with her in front of Callan. “I can’t hang around to talk.” I hold my hand out for my car keys. “My shift starts in an hour, and I want to talk to Joe first.”
“Why do you want to talk to him?” Lines furrow her brow as she drops my keys in my palm.
“I can’t remember everything from last night, and I want to ask him what happened.”
“Why does it matter?”
“What is with you today?” I’m getting irritated again. “I don’t know what we did in that room, and given how drunk I was, I doubt it was consensual. I want to know what happened.”
Her eyes pop wide. “You think Joe raped you?”
I wince at the word. “No, but I think he did something, and I want to know what.”
“Joe can be a jerk, but he’d never go there. Would he?”
I scrub my hands down my face. “I don’t know what to think anymore. If I talk to him, hopefully he can clear it up.” I don’t want to imagine what might’ve happened while I was pretty much passed out on that bed. Not knowing is worse than knowing—even if it’s bad.
“Okay, yeah.” She hugs me again. “You should definitely go talk to him. Want me to come with?”
