Between a Rock and a Hard Place // c.h.

27 - Surprise

   The next morning, I tried to prevent myself from waking up. The idea of facing Joy after she'd caught me and Cal.. Doing what we were doing... I was completely and utterly embarrassed as well as mortified. Cal eventually shook me awake, despite my greatest efforts to stay asleep. He planted a soft kiss on my temple. I got dressed, moving as slowly as humanely possible. My every movement was stalled, slowed to a point of ridiculousness. Cal seemed to notice, he wrapped me in a tight, comforting hug from behind. He squeezed me gently, kissing my cheek. I put my hands over his as we stood there, the problems we had seeming to disappear into the air. I could smell the cologne he'd hastily applied, the sweet aroma filling my nose. I sighed, gripping his hands tightly in my own. He rested his head on my shoulder blade, leaning his head against mine. I glanced at him, kissing his cheek softly. He grinned, pulling me close to him.

   "I can feel your pulse." He spoke quietly. "Are you that nervous?" He joked, holding me firmly against him. I blushed, nodding in response. He chuckled, grabbing my waist with his hands. "You'll be fine," he leaned back as he spoke. "Let's go up and get it over with, ok?" I nodded again, less sure this time. "Ladies first." He smiled and I started to walk away. As I took a step I felt Cal's hand touch my butt. I jumped around to face him.

   "Cal!" I giggled, gently slapping his hand. He laughed, blushing light pink. He grabbed my hands, pulling me to him, then behind him. I wrapped my hands around his torso. He took them softly, placing them over his shoulder without letting go. Suddenly he pulled me by my hands. I squealed and giggled like a little girl when my body lifted onto his back, wrapping my legs around his torso. He laughed, holding my legs up for support. Calum took off out of his room and up the stairs into his kitchen. I laughed at the simple, yet cute, sweetness of the gesture. Calum's mom and dad sat at the dining table, smiling kindly when they saw us. I felt my cheeks turn hot when I saw them, remembering the awkward encounter with Joy. Still, the mood in the room was light and happy, so I went along, smiling and laughing as Cal gently tossed me onto the couch in the living room. I scrambled to my feet and followed him into the kitchen where his parents had prepared breakfast, pancakes and bacon. Cal poured us some coffee while I loaded our plates -especially his- with plenty of food. Sitting across the table from my boyfriends parents, one of which who had seen me giving her beloved son a blowjob, was indescribably awkward. Calum seemed to pick up on this, bringing up a topic that would distract everyone.

   "We're thinking of taking a vacation to Hawaii. Somewhere along the beach." He declared, looking at me kindly. "The boys and I are planning it for a month from now." I stopped mid-chew. A month wasn't that long, but I assumed the guys had it under control, so I just smiled and nodded. Cal continued to talk about the trip with increasing excitement, his eyes growing brighter with every word. I grabbed his hand under the table, interlocking my fingers with his. We looked at each other, our eyes meeting in the middle, and I fell in love with the color all over again. They were the color of dark chocolate, with specks of gold. Every time I looked in his eyes, I fell in love with a new spectrum of colors that showed. If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then Calum had the warmest, most beautiful soul on the planet. I sighed, forgetting about what was happening around us until I heard laughs coming from Cal's parents. Me and Cal looked at them apologetically, but they only responded happily.

   "Don't be sorry, you two are just in love. I mean, you act like it and after Cal told me what he was gonna do for you.." Joy started. Cal glared at her, clearing his throat when she was saying the second half of her sentence. Her eyes widened and she changed the subject. "Anyway, are you guys gonna go back to your hotel tonight?" She turned red, her voice as unconvincing as it could have been. "I mean, after dinner of course." Calum groaned, clearly exasperated with his mother.

   "You know we're not mum." He laughed. "Since you've given it away I guess I should tell her now." He looked at me, sudden seriousness
crossing his face. "Cara, I have a surprise for you. But I want you to pack your stuff first. I'll tell you what's happening once we've got all our stuff packed." I remembered my stuff, sitting in the hotel. It was at least a three hour drive. The thought of it made me shudder. Cal chuckled, seeming to read my thoughts. "Mali went and got our stuff last night, she's bringing it here in a little while." He smiled at me, squeezing my hand.

   "Ok," I grinned, looking at him excitedly, "so what's the surprise?" I smiled innocently. What could Cal be surprising me with? A million possibilities ran through my head, some scary and others exciting. Cal only shook his head in response, laughing to himself. He stood from the table, taking mine and his plate to the sink to be washed.

   "'Follow me." He winked at me, bouncing down the steps to his room. I waved shyly at Joy and David, following him swiftly. He was waiting for me in his room, leaning against the wall with a smug smirk on his face. I looked at him, asking the information with my eyes. "What's it worth to ya?" Calum joked, winking again. I smiled and shook my head.

   "Not sure what it is." I replied sarcastically back, sauntering over to him. He flipped, so that I leaned against the wall, pinned there by his strong arms, his face inches from mine. He leaned in, softly kissing my temple, then my cheek. His lips eventually met mine, they tasted sweet, like the creamer in his coffee. I kissed him back, indulging myself in the gentle and passionate feeling. My hands found their way to his soft hair, holding it firmly, yet gently. We kissed for a moment, then Cal leaned back, evaluating me.

   "How did I get so lucky?" He asked, a sweet smile playing on his face. He kissed me again, quickly this time, our lips only brushing for a fraction of a second.

   "I could ask the same thing, lover boy." I joked, kissing him again. "Now how about that surprise." He laughed, walking to his dresser and pulling a box out of the cabinet. He grabbed it, holding it out to me. I gasped when I opened the box, pure excitement filling my heart.