“You know I can only get away with saying that because she’s asleep?” Grant tried to smile.
“She’d have something to say if she heard you being so soft.” Callum’s voice sounded crackly.
“She’d have something to say anyway. What are you up to tomorrow?”
I got the feeling that these two weren’t used to making small talk.
“We’re going to have an easy morning and then go round the souks. I think we need at least six tea pots now so we need to start haggling.”
Grant laughed, partly out of relief I thought. “Don’t let Callum haggle. He ends up feeling sorry for the seller and will give them more than they’re asking.”
“Dad…” It was a warning.
I laughed. “I can imagine that!”
“He’s generous. When he was a boy he used to give his packed lunch away to a man who we knew was homeless. I found out he would buy this man’s dog food out of his pocket money.”
Callum groaned. “I didn’t think you knew about that.”
“Course I did. I just didn’t want to bring it up in case you thought I was telling you off.” Grant looked as if he wanted to say more. “I was proud of you for being so kind but you hated any form of compliment, unless it was a pretty girl giving it.” He paused. “I’ll stop rambling. Will you video us tomorrow? Marie would want to see you.”
And his dad too.
“Yeah. Same time. Can someone send me a few texts? Let me know how she’s getting on?”
“I’ll do it. Keep posting photos. Have a good evening, both of you.” His smile looked nervous as well as tired.
“We will,” I said, pressing Callum’s back.
“Thanks, Dad.”
The man’s face lit up at the title and then the call was ended.
Callum put the tablet down. “Shall we grab some dinner? Or eat here?”
Callum
The look on her face when I mentioned dinner made me put a hand quickly over my cock just in case she decided to attack me. It was an obvious and shit thing to say, because she was reading me like a book and I’d basically just said ‘I don’t want to talk about it to you’ and I hadn’t even done it well.
“No. We’re not grabbing any fucking dinner.” She stood up, her hands on her hips and her eyes blazing. “We did this eleven years ago, where you refused to acknowledge anything about what you felt or even feel something behind that fucking stupid armour of yours. For fuck’s sake, Callum…” She sat back down again. “I’m glad Marie’s okay. She’s doing well considering what that operation must’ve been like.”
“You swear as much as her.” It was probably a compliment.
She shook her head. “Callum…”
“I don’t want to talk about my dad.” Even I could hear that I sounded like a petulant child. “I know he seemed concerned…”
“Proud,” she interrupted. “He seemed proud. He seemed like he was reaching out and he wanted to talk.”
“He wasn’t always like that.”
“I’m not saying he was. I’m not saying you shouldn’t feel the way you do. What I am saying is that eleven years ago when you told me you wanted something more with me, I couldn’t say yes because of this.” She gestured to the tablet.
“They weren’t invented then.”
“Don’t be flippant.”
“Why then?” My voice was quiet, calm. “Why couldn’t we have had something more than friends who fooled about?”
