I love you, Callum Callaghan.
I think I always have and now I know I do.
I’m not running anywhere.
I love you,
Wren.
I read it,deleted the mis-typed words, pressed send. He had his phone with him, waiting for a call from the zoo as a new tiger was arriving this evening and he might be needed. He’d check, he’d feel the vibration as the email came through.
So I waited.
I’d wait forever.
I knew that now. Maybe I’d been waiting all along.
Eventually, footsteps and the crunch of leaves made me look up, Callum coming into the clearing. He was smiling, grinning,
I stood up.
“You got my email?”
“No, just coming to tell you dessert was out.”
“Oh.”
“It’s apple crumble. With ice cream.”
“Sounds great. You haven’t checked your email?”
“Not for a bit. Why? Have you finally checked yours?”
“No.” I knew I couldn’t tell a lie to save my life. “Thought I’d do it after the weekend.”
“Okay. That’s fine. You know, maybe don’t bother to read it. I might have changed my mind…” He stood there with his hands in his pockets, absolutely dying not to smile. His grin kept trying to force the corners of his mouth up and he was fighting it desperately.
“Good to know. I’ll just delete it then. Hang on…” I took out my phone from my pocket.
“Only delete it if you want to.”
It was a last way out.
“I don’t want to.” My arm holding it dropped to my side. “Is it really apple crumble?”
“No. I have no idea what it is.” He was smiling hugely now.
He had read my email, probably memorised it. “You’re such a dirty liar.”
He was there and I was in his arms, my arms around his neck, holding on while he picked me up, clutched me to him.
“Every word. Everything you put. Did you mean it?”
My needy man, my damaged boy.
“Everything. Every word. Every goddamn fucking word.”
His eyes were glassy, smile wider than I’d ever seen. Above us, lightning cracked the sky and the rain started to pour, hard, huge drops.
