ˢʷᵉᵉᵗ ʳᵉˡⁱᵉᶠ, ᶜᵃˡˡᵘᵐ ᵗᵘʳⁿᵉʳ

06

06- teddy bear

MANDARIN ORIENTAL HYDE PARK, LONDON HOTEL
london, england
february 25, 2024
sunday
8:50am

i was just finishing up applying my makeup when the hotel phone rang, interrupting my train of thoughts. i picked up the phone and answered. "hello?"

"good morning, this is the front desk. there's someone here to see you." the voice came through the phone, sounding slightly amused. i could already guess who it was.

"of course. send him up." i said, not bothering to hide the excitement in my voice. i put down the phone and gave myself one last look in the mirror, making sure i looked presentable.

just then there as a knock at the door. i took a deep breath and made my way to the door, quickly opening it to reveal callum standing there with a smile on his face.

"come on in," i said as i moved out of the way so he could walk in.

"thanks." callum replied as he stepped inside, looking around the hotel room with interest. "nice place." he remarked, taking in the luxurious surroundings.

i closed the door behind him, feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement. this was the first time i had been alone with callum in this kind of scenario. i watched as he walked over to the window and looked out at the city views.

"you know, you could've picked a better view." he said, turning around to look at me with a teasing glint in his eye.

"oh give me a break, my team picked this place out not me." i replied as i took a seat on the couch.

callum chuckled, walking away from the window and making his way over to the couch. he sat down next to me, still with a playful smirk on his face. "well, i guess you can blame them then."

i rolled my eyes, trying to hide the fact that his closeness was making me feel a bit flustered. "yeah, i guess so." i said, shifting slightly on the couch.

we sat in silence for a moment, just taking each other in. callum's gaze was intense, and i couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious under his scrutiny.

"you okay?" callum asked out of the blue.

"oh i'm great with this room...i mean it's-" i started to say before i was interrupted by callum.

he chuckled. "no not about the place, i mean in general."

i was taken aback by his question, not expecting the conversation to turn so personal so quickly. "oh...yeah, i'm okay." i said, trying to sound reassuring. "just a bit of anxiety from the show."

"not about the show either." he said. "i mean with your recent breakup and everything being in the spotlight." he sighed, "i took the time to research it a bit and i'm sorry that therapist exploited you and jacob like that."

i was shocked that callum had even bothered to look into my personal life, especially after hearing that he never does that. but callum had actually taken the time to look into what had happened.

i paused for a moment before answering, feeling a mixture of vulnerability and gratitude. "yeah, it's been tough." i replied honestly. "whatever happened to doctor patient confidentiality?" i said with a laugh.

callum chuckled, clearly enjoying my sarcastic remark. "guess it doesn't exist in hollywood." he said, still sporting that easy smile on his face. "but honestly," he added, his expression growing serious, "i really am sorry that you had to go through that."

i shrugged, trying to downplay my feelings. "it is what it is." i said, trying to act tough. but deep down, i was still hurting. callum must've noticed because he then reached out and gently placed a hand on my knee.