A Surprise ⇢ Callum Ilott

TWENTYSEVEN

Callum walked through the hotel's lobby and looked outside; the evening fell in Abu Dhabi, but at the same time is was light outside. That was because the lights of the track were on. His eyes fell on a person, who sat alone on the stairs what led to the pool. The person looked like Catherine, but why would she sit outside alone in the evening? Or no, this wasn't Catherine. Callum doubted if it was Catherine.

He stepped outside, and a chilly breeze blew against his face. During the day, Abu Dhabi was pretty warm, around 28ºc, but during the night, it was 15ºc - quite a contrast. Callum tightened his jaw and looked at the person; the closer he got, how more he began to doubt. If it isn't her, I will just walk around the pool. He wanted the person to be Catherine for some reason.

It was Catherine.

Callum walked closer to her and sat down next to her on the stairs. She looked up, being in shock to see someone. "Hey," Callum weakly smiled.

"Hey," Catherine surprisedly said and pressed a smile on her face.

"What are you doing here?" Callum noticed the goosebumps on Catherine's bare arms, she wasn't wearing something warm.

Catherine ran her hand through her hair, and a deep sigh left her mouth. "I don't know," she muttered. "Just looking at the stars," was an excuse. There wasn't really a reason why she sat outside.

"Looking at the stars," he repeated and looked up to the sky, there were barely stars in the sky... "In the cold?"

Catherine nodded.

"Here," Callum said and took off the hoodie he was wearing. He gave it to her. "You need it more than I do."

"Oh, no, thanks. I'm fine," Catherine polity turned down his hoodie. "You can't catch a cold."

He rose his eyebrows, but they lowered again when he thought of the night of the wedding; this exactly happened at the wedding as well. A soft smile spread over his face. "Take it, you are cold, I'm not." It stayed silent. "I insist," Callum said.

Catherine locked her eyes with Callum's eyes, and she bit her lip. Her heart skipped a beat, and a warm feeling spread in her body. She accepted the hoodie eventually. "Thanks," she said and put the hoodie on. Her eyes closed when his scent entered her nose, and when his warmth what got left behind, embraced her cold body. Shit.

"How are you?" Callum asked.

Catherine shrugged. "I'm okay, I guess. How about you?" Her eyes opened again, and they looked straight into his eyes.

"I'm fine, thanks," he softly said.

"I'm sorry you didn't win," she confessed her thought.

Callum looked away and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Yeah, thanks. I can't change it. I'm satisfied with it, I have to accept it."

"Yup." Catherine looked down, so many emotions were going through her now.

"Are you enjoying Abu Dhabi?" Callum tried to have a normal conversation with her, he felt the need to talk to Catherine.

"It's alright," Catherine shared. "I can't and don't complain, but there isn't much to do here. You probably think I'm a spoiled bastard, but I have no one here to spend my day with. I could do the same at home, for less money," she admitted.

Callum squeezed his eyebrows together. "You have George and more people."

"They're all working, and I don't want to bother them. I don't want to feel annoying to other people because I have no one around. But George's happy to have me here, so I'm happy to be here for him," Catherine told him and looked at the still water in the pool. She wasn't feeling it to be in Abu Dhabi; she had nothing to do besides the race. Catherine watched every session at the weekend, but when there wasn't a session, there wasn't much to do on your own. She felt like a bother to George, to Carmen, to other people. Perhaps it was because of her mood, which wasn't stable at the moment. "You?"

"I'm enjoying it, but I'm glad this is the last weekend. I'm done with facing the press, but I can't say no."

The silence fell between them, but they both didn't mind it. Catherine and Callum were tired of avoiding each other, they were tired to talk about it, they didn't care about the situation for once - they acted like it never had happened. For once, it was alright.

Hours past, the temperature dropped more, but that wasn't a reason to go inside. Catherine quite enjoyed being outside with Callum next to her. Callum also didn't mind the situation, he just enjoyed having her presence around him. No words were exchanged, there was no need to exchange any words. Sitting next to each other, staring into the dark - or the lights of the track, was enough to fill the silence.

Without any notice at first, Catherine was staring at Callum. The corners of her mouth were slightly curled up. He was just beautiful. Every memory they had made, flashed in front of her eyes. There were so many happy moments they shared together. It was their story, but the inspiration stopped too soon. Is this what people call 'meeting your soulmate at the wrong time'? Catherine didn't want to think about it, she wanted to cherish the positive thoughts only.

Callum looked at his watch, it was time to go. He had to go to bed according to the tight schedule he had during the race weekends. "I have to go, I'm sorry." His voice filled the silence, and he looked at Catherine, who to his surprise already looked at him; she was lost in her own thoughts. "Catherine?" He saw Catherine blinking a few times, and she leaned in.

It all happened so quick. Catherine's lips were connected with Callum's lips. Every muscle in Callum's body relaxed, he dreamed of her lips on his again. His heartbeat raised, and his mind went crazy.

But he pulled back. It felt so good, but it was wrong. Callum felt Catherine's forehead resting against his cheek. "I...we can't..." he whispered. His eyes were still closed, he was scared to look at Catherine.

"I know," Catherine softly breathed. "I'm sorry."

Callum pushed her away, and he held in his breath. This was a decision he didn't hesitate on making. He cupped Catherine's face in his hands, and he kissed her again. A smile curved on his lips when Catherine moved closer and when he felt her hands on his chest. Her lips against his lips... Callum couldn't describe the feeling he got. It was something he needed to do.

After a few minutes, Catherine pulled back, and her giggle got mixed with Callum's short chuckle. Her breath was heavy, her heart was racing in her chest, there were so many butterflies in her stomach, but it was all worth it. Her eyes opened, and they locked with Callum's eyes, they were sparkling.

Callum let her go and got up. He shared one last look and walked away.

"Fuck," Catherine whispered and bit on her lips. A smile grew on her face, this was a huge surprise. Of course, she wanted Callum to stay longer, but she knew Callum needed to go. This was the best option, this prevented some awkward situations. She stared back into the dark, processing this moment. It came out of the sudden, she just kissed him, she didn't mean to kiss him, but it just happened.