Maybe we would be eventually.
Or maybe he would never bring it back.
This time, the ball was in his court.
fifteen
LIV
I drove immediatelyto Callum's and Kat's house, after checking the app we used to track each other's locations to make sure he was home.
He was.
I rang the doorbell a dozen times, then waited on the porch for five minutes before walking in. After accidentally catching them fucking in their entryway a few months earlier, I didn't take chances anymore.
It ended up being a good call, because they didn't come out of their bedroom for another five minutes. They kept a stack of desserts and other baked goods from Kat's cafes in their fridge, which I liked to pretend was for my sake.
They didn't care if I ate them, so they might as well have been there for me.
I'd already downed an entire cinnamon roll and was starting on a slab of coffee cake when they came strolling out of their bedroom, hand in hand.
"What happened?" Callum asked, eyeing the new, gigantic bargain mark on my leg.
"Nothing," I said around a mouthful of cake.
Kat squeezed my shoulder supportively on her way to the fancy coffee machine on their countertop. She had a bag of decaf beans in her cabinet, just for me, and I forced myself to focus on my coffee cake instead of getting emotional about it.
I was so tired of feeling things. This had to be the longest day of my life. I was glad it was getting dark outside, but it would be an incredibly long night, too.
I never got to rest.
My magic was always there, riding my ass and driving me crazy.
Callum sat next to me while Kat made decaf lattes for all three of us. They weren't even her favorite drink. She was doing it for me.
She took a seat next to Callum, and he casually rested his hand on the part of her thigh that was left bare by the stretchy shorts she always wore.
I cleared my throat and sat back in my seat. "Niall gave me an ultimatum."
Callum's eyes narrowed.
He was about to offer to torture my... whatever Niall was to me now.
"He's not willing to bargain with me at all. He wants to be mates, whether or not we're fated," I explained.
They both stared at me, their foreheads creasing as they processed the words.
"You haven't been together in two years, and he wants to seal a mate bond?" Kat finally asked. "That's crazy, right?"
I took another bite of my cake, sipping my coffee with it.
She looked at Callum, who grimaced. "I wouldn't say it's crazy for Niall."
"What? Why not?"
"Niall and Liv..." He trailed off, like he was considering how to explain it.
I took another bite. "I'm pretty sure our family likes him more than they like me, if that tells you anything. They took my side anyway. True loyalty."
