A Surprise ⇢ Callum Ilott

THIRTYNINE

The sun was shining in Italy, making it a fabulous day. Callum just arrived back home from work; there was a day at the Ferrari Academy office. Now his holiday could officially start. He put his bags on the table in the holiday home and looked around in the living area. There was no one to be found.

"Hello?" Callum waited a few seconds for an answer, but he didn't get a response. His eyes fell on the open doors that led to the backyard. Callum walked outside and found Catherine lying on a bed in her bikini, under the sunshade, next to the pool. A smile grew on his face, and he walked towards her. When he got closer, he noticed Catherine was asleep. Poppy was lying next to Catherine, also asleep.

Callum laid next to Catherine on the bed and pressed a kiss on her cheek. "Babe," he whispered and ran his hands through Catherine's hair. "Wake up," he said and pressed another kiss on her cheek.

"Hmm," Catherine hummed and opened her eyes. She looked at Callum and a tired smile curved on her lips. "Hey, you're here," she whispered, and her hand reached for Callum's hair. "How was your day?" Catherine squeezed her eyes closed for the bright sunlight.

"It was a good day," he replied. "The last bits of information before the summer break, finishing the last projects and prepare for the second half of the season. It was fun. How was your day?"

She nodded. "Good to hear." Catherine opened her eyes again and had a brief look at Poppy, she was still asleep. "It was a fun day," she smiled. "I visited the town with Poppy, exploring all the streets and the food market. All those people are so kind, I got to taste so many products. It was delicious. My chef's heart fell in love with everything. And I just chilled at the pool."

"Sounds good," Callum said and gave her a long kiss on her lips, something he needed after the long day at the office.

"Now it's holiday time."

"Absolutely."

Catherine looked around. "Where are the others?"

She was referring to Marcus, Mick, Robert, Zhou, George, Alex, and the boys' girlfriends. They were renting a holiday home in Italy for the summer. Catherine first didn't want to join them, because she thought it would be awkward to go on holiday with her twin brother George and his friends. George and Callum persuaded Catherine on joining them, which worked - only because the friendship between Catherine and Callum's friends was normal now, luckily.

"They're eating out."

Catherine raised her eyebrows. "Oh, and we aren't?"

"Nope." Callum softly chuckled. "It's just you and me. We didn't get to spend much time together due to our busy schedules. I'm cooking tonight."

A satisfied smile grew on Catherine's lips. "Yes," she whispered. "I was longing for 'you and me' time, no offence for the group though," she admitted. It made Callum laugh. "For a second, I was like: are we not invited? But I honestly like this much more already. And I'm talking too much," she mumbled and looked away.

"You're such a cutie."

Callum pressed a few kisses on Catherine's cheek. It made Catherine peak his lips a few times. The kiss got broken apart because of Poppy, who was woken up and wanted her boss's attention.

"Princess," Catherine chuckled and let Poppy walk over her legs so she could go to Callum.

Callum petted Poppy. "Hello, love, hello," he said. "How are you? I heard you had a nice day with Cate." He gave Poppy a kiss on her forehead and continued petting his dog.

Catherine sat up and put on her shirt. A yawn escaped her lips; spending a whole day outside and partly in the sun, made her feel knackered - even though she just woke up from a nap. She looked at Callum, he looked happy. An unconscious smile was playing on her lips, Callum was the light of her life.