I knew this version of him well. I thought he was funny all the time. He was charismatic and such a good listener, but he put the shield up when he was protecting himself. Was he shielding himself fromme?What the actual fuck.
We’d been together-together for three to four days. Talking about kids was way too fast. Way too soon. Way too… wait. It made sense for Callum to go hard. He did everything a thousand percent. So it was normal for him to think about that already. But dropping the kids comment in a bar was a lot. I mean, the thought of seeing little Callums running around had my face getting all hot, but we had been together for one minute. That was it!
Ale went through the agenda items, listing them off one by one, like how we felt about Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, or what we thought about the playboy professor we always saw at the bar. But I noted Callum’s stiff shoulders. Guilt ate at me. I always dreamed about touching him when I wanted, but I could now. It gave me such a thrill to reach over and rub his shoulder. He leaned into my touch like he was starved for it, and I made a promise to touch him more.
I ensured him I’d let him know if I ever had a blip of doubt, but it was hard when I trusted him again, yet I still held myself back. A small part of me kept my heart locked up, even though I knew the walls were going down day by day. I didn’t know why. Because the fact he’d ghosted me fucked me up so much, even though I forgave him for it? Would time heal that wound?
I hoped so. Because I wanted to give my all to him. As I listened to his friends and him laugh, I played with the endsof his hair. They got into a heated debate about what was considered cheating versus flirting, and they all asked me a question I didn’t hear. I was daydreaming about Callum and I in the future, even though he was right next to me. Cool. I was officiallythatkind of girlfriend.
“What was it?”
“Do you consider a kiss cheating? Like a fun, plant one on your friend ‘cause you’re partying, but it wasn’t steamy?”
“Uh, yeah, I would.”
“Good answer. You’re not kissing a single fucking person besides me.” Callum’s nostrils flared.
“So funny coming from you, Callum, the king of hookups.” Vee frowned. “Shit, no, that came out wrong. Ivy, I’m so sorry.”
A rock formed in my gut, but her words weren’t untrue. The tension at the table rose instantly, and I needed to rectify it. The night had been so great. “It’s okay. No, don’t stress. I know Callum was a bit of a slut.”
Mack snorted and held up her beer. “As someone dating a reformed playboy, cheers to you.”
I smiled and took a sip of beer, but I could feel everyone’s attention on me. After a long sip, I set the beer down hard and narrowed my eyes. “Stop staring at me. I’ve known Callum longer than any of you, so there is nothing you could say that would surprise me or change my feelings on him. So please. We can talk about Callum’s past without worrying about me freaking out. I promise you. Now carry on, Vee. Why do you think kissing isn’t cheating? Do you have some ex-baggage we should dive into?”
“Oh my god, I love you, Ivy!” Ale grabbed my hand and squealed. “She is perfect. You’re invited every Tuesday, forever.”
“Yes. Agreed. Fuck yeah. I knew I liked you. Callum, want to head to the bathroom for like thirty minutes?”
“Absolutely the fuck not.” He grinned and stared at me with pride and love swirling in his eyes. “But to your comment, Ale, yes, my Ivy is perfect.”
My Ivy.
“Alright, this is too much for me. Kissing, cheating, Taylor Swift. What’s the next topic please?” Vee said.
They followed my lead, and for the next two hours, we laughed, drank, and I got to know Callum’s friends well. They were incredible. I was a slow burn when it came to making friends, and they made me feel part of the pack in a few hours. There was no second-guessing if I said something weird or that could’ve been taken the wrong way. They were accepting and thoughtful and kind. I had an extended invitation to their girls’ nights, and I was brave enough to ask if I could bring my best friend Esme.
They squealed, and now Esme and I were going the following week.
That felt surreal.
A group of girl friends who were supportive of each other, kind, but also gave each other shit. I loved them.
“Yeah, they loved you too, baby.”
“Didn’t mean to have a think out loud.”
Callum and I strolled hand-in-hand back to my apartment. He was going to walk me back and then head to the house to hang with the guys. That was when it hit me. “Oh. No.”
“What is it?” Callum stopped and immediately faced me. “Is it your leg? Arm?”
“No, you mother hen.” I swayed left and right. “I’m… I don’t… drink. I’m tipsy. Shit, how much did I drink?”
Callum blinked as his jaw tightened. “You had four beers. Fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t… I should’ve counted.”
“Not your job to take care of me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Ivy. It is. We’re a team now. I need you to take good care of yourself when I’m not around, but when I am? I’m taking care of you.” He ran a hand over my shoulder and arm. “Do you have water and pretzels still?”
