“He sat next to me today in lectures.”
Jonah tossed his head back and laughed. “Seriously? That’s all he has to do to get a girl to go out with him…”
I put my hand on Jonah’s forearm. It was hard and firm. “No, seriously, I’m not going out with him. He’s not my type.” You are. At least I didn’t say that. The gods were smiling.
There was a laugh, his eyes crinkled at the sides. “Callum’s not your type? Bloody hell, I thought I’d never hear those words from any woman.”
I shook my head. “He’s too pretty. I like my men with a touch of something less perfect. Not like they’ve been groomed by a stylist.”
Jonah laughed again, but his eyes shone differently. There was a spark there I hadn’t seen before. “Callum’s a lucky bastard who wakes up like that. But you prefer men who have a few flaws?”
I nodded, accepting the mug of coffee that was passed down to me with a thank you. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My boyfriends had never gotten beyond second base and here I was pretending I was something I definitely wasn’t.
Jonah lifting his mug up to mine. “Cheers.”
“What are we toasting?”
“New friends.”
Callum sat down opposite, his arms folded, eyes amused. He looked from me to Jonah and grinned.
* * *
When I thoughtback about it, as I had a hundred times to that first coffee, that first lecture, the beginning of a first of a lot of things, I see what I missed then. Callum Callaghan was never a player; he was just Callum. Easy going, laid back, sociable, ridiculously gorgeous and women and men would lie down and spread their legs for him.
The more time I spent with them, the group of friends and the wider circle that lingered, the more people I saw him turn down. He was no saint, but no slut either. Not most of the time.
As far as hotels went, I’d probably never stayed in one as amazing as this. After Callum disappeared and I got over my grotty self, I moisturised and dried my hair, then headed off to explore.
Matt had thrown me off kilter. I hadn’t really understood why I was with him in the first place. He wasn’t what I’d usually find attractive, but for some reason I’m been drawn to him enough to spend months as his girlfriend. Killing time maybe?
The corridors and rooms were opulent, huge windows exposing the view across the modernist buildings and mosques, the sea and the evening haze setting in. I hadn’t stayed anywhere like this and was unlikely to again – I wasn’t sure if this was a place I’d choose to stay even if money was no issue.
I had no idea where to find Callum. The place was huge and I didn’t know if he would’ve stayed in the hotel or whether he’d have headed out to the downtown area.
I paused, watching the workers and waiters, the people arriving with their wealth an anonymous, unbranded sign. I knew Callum and the Callum I knew would be near the sea, the water. A break from people.
Hidden in plain sight.
I followed the sign and took a few wrong turns, finding an outdoor area that overlooked the sea. A lone figure sat looking out into the ocean; broad shouldered, tall, unaware that a lot of the world revolved around him.
I headed over, seeing a waiter pass him a drink which I knew would be a beer, low alcohol. He and I were both creatures of habit.
“You got over yourself yet?” He didn’t even turn round.
“Eyes in the back of your head?”
“You never change your perfume. Coco Mademoiselle.”
“You bought me a bottle for my twenty-first.”
“I did.”
“It was a limited edition bottle.”
“Do you still have it?”
“No.” I lied.
