Trying to be as quiet as i could possibly be in heels, I tip-toed through the halls in search of Calum. His phone was off, and I hadn't seen him anywhere near the party since Grace had given me permission to leave. It had taken me awhile to actually leave the sun room because all of my family members simultaneously decided to pry into my life and ask a slew of unnecessary questions.
I smiled my way through it like a pro, and after about half an hour, managed to slip away.
The halls were lit with fluorescent lights that ran down the tops of the walls on either side. The wallpaper was an aged bronze and gold paisley pattern that shimmered under the lighting.The marble floored clacked under my shoes, leaving a faint sound echoing though the empty halls.
Peeking down a new hall, I whispered Calum's name. When there was no reply, I swore silently to myself. If I didn't make an escape before everyone decided to leave, I would be forced to leave with my parents, which was the complete opposite of what I wanted.
With a huff, I decided to give his cellphone one more try, As I began to type in his number, something hard clamped around my stomach. Before I could react, a hand covered my mouth.
Panic instantly set in.
My body tensed as I reached for their hand, hoping to pry it off. Before I could even make contact, they muttered, "Shh, shh, shh! It's me."
I instantly relaxed and let out a deep sigh. Removing his hand, I turned to face him. "Calum! There really wasn't a better way for you to get my attention?"
He placed a finger over his lips and nodded towards the bathroom a little further down the hall. "Your dad is in there. We have to go now!"
"Damn it! Come on!" We quickly ran down the hall and bolted to the left just as the bathroom door popped open. We didn't stop until we were at the end of the corridor.
Dead end.
I glanced quickly at Calum and saw the nervousness in his eyes. On the other side of the passage, my dad had stopped in the middle to check his phone. Breathing seemed impossible as we waited for him to move. If he turned around, we would be found out. Out of my peripheral, I could see Calum's right hand moving in a slight circular movements.
The terror streaming through my body outweighed my curiosity. Whatever Calum was doing would have to wait until we were in the clear.
I watched as my father held his phone up to his ear and placed a hand on his hip. As if the situation couldn't get worse, just as he finally started to walk way, my phone began to vibrate.
With the hall being so empty, the sound echoed loudly throughout it. He stopped mid-step as my blood ran cold.
This was it. Everything I had fought for for the past month was about to be taken away.
A slight dizzy feeling took over me as I heard a light click. Calum grabbed me by my arm and dragged me into the room to our right and ever so gently closed the door. He put his back to it, and let his head fall back into the sleek wood.
Clapping a hand over my heart, I struggled to breathe.
The last minute of my life had been a complete blur.
First I was in the hall, and now...I didn't know where I was.
"Calum, what the actual hell just happened?" With a smirk he held up a scratched up credit card.
"Picked the lock. I knew there was no way we were getting away with that one."
Walking further into the room, Calum clicked on the lights and gasped. 'Whoaaa. Looks like we stumbled into the manager's office. Nice.'
It was a rather large room that was occupied largely with the mini TV's in the corner that showed the going-on's of the hotel we were currently in. Calum started pilfering around the room, peeking at documents and surveying the surveillance footage.
I, on the other hand, was still in a daze. I couldn't shake the thought of us being that close to being found out.
All I could do was shake my head. Calum was on the other side of the room, rambling about something that I wasn't listening to. After awhile, he must have noticed that I hadn't been replying and came over to me.
Wrapping me in his arms, he rocked me back and forth.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
I shrugged and leaned into, thankful for the support.
"I don't know that was just...surreal I guess. He was so close, Cal."
He smiled down at me then gave me a quick kiss.
"Don't worry, babe. We're safe now! Look!"
He pointed to the bottom screen of the security system.
"That was the hall we were just in. No one is there anymore."
The news was slightly calming. But who's to say he wasn't still wandering around out there?
Just as my heart started to slow, I received a text.
Your father just came looking for you, but I covered for you! Have a great night sweetheart! <3
Now, I felt completely safe.
"Grace covered for me! We're good for now. Now let's get the hell out of here before someone else walks in on us."
I headed towards the door but stopped when I realized Calum wasn't behind me.
"Calum? What are you doing?"
I turned around to find him stooped down behind a desk.
"I think I saw something good down here. Give me a sec." I waited impatiently as he dug around for a bit longer. After awhile he popped up, a green glass bottle in hand.
"Are you seriously about to take that bottle of champagne?"
He shrugged and stared back at me innocently.
"Fine! Just come on. I'm dying to get out of here!"
*
Tilting my head back, I laughed loudly, the sound drowned out by the screech of tires and gravel being kicked up around us. Opening my eyes, I saw a thick, tan cloud encompassing all sides of Calum's jeep.
"Whoooo!" He shouted, a large smile on his face as he sharply turned the wheel to the left. We spun around in a wide circle, he giggled like a child. After awhile, he grew tired of it and brought the car to a stop. Placing it in park, he unbuckled his seat belt and turned to me.
We had long since left the wedding and had headed off in search of our own adventure. Calum had driven us out in the middle of nowhere, and when I asked where we were, he simply answered with a wiggle of the eyebrows and proceeded to do doughnuts in the lot.
Giggling, I looked over at him. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes, closed.
He leaned his head back on the seat and reached his hand over, finally resting it on my knee.
"So,babe... I have a question for you."
Tracing the top of his hand with my index finger, I gazed at him.
"What is it?"
He rolled his head to the side and opened his eyes.
"What...what are we? I mean, l don't want to rush you into anything, but I just...I just need to know."
Heat immediately rose to my face, and I grinned down at our hands.
This was crucial.
I didn't want to make him feel like I was trapping him, but he, after all, had asked me first. If there was ever a time to confess feelings, though, it was now.
"I guess...Calum, I...want to be your girlfriend."
Peeking up at him, he was smirking slightly, a pleased look on his face.
"Really?"
When I nodded in response, he flipped his right hand over and intertwined his fingers with mine. His cheeks were flushed once again, and I couldn't help but be flattered by it.
He was as intimidated by me as I was of him.
"Wow. I've never had one before."
He chuckled as my mouth fell open. I closed it quickly at the sudden realization at what I had done.
"I'm sorry, but..you've never had a girlfriend? That's not possible."
He sat up and beamed at me. "Believe it. No one has even gotten close to making me feel the way you do, Leisa."
Stunned didn't begin to describe the way I felt. My brain drew a blank, and all I could manage was, "Wow. Calum, that's...that's so sweet."
With a light shrug, Calum began to scan my face. Like clockwork, almost as if he could sense my joy, my phone jiggled around in the cup holder with another call from none other than my dad.
It vibrated twice before Calum snatched it up and clicked it off. I stared at the cup holder, awe stricken.
My attention was immediately averted back to Calum when he reached over the center console and grabbed me by my waist.
Gently, he lifted me up and over onto his lap. Once he made sure I was settled, he stroked my cheek.
"Maybe I should answer that. I mean it's the second time he's called, and I don't want-."
Calum licked his lips briefly before pressing them to mine. Pulling away, he shook his head.
With a hand on my thigh, he murmured, "Let it go to voicemail."
_______
Ah, thought I forgot about you, didn't you? I've been waiting to get to this chapter for awhile because it's suuuper important to the rest of the story so make sure you paid attention!
Tell me what you think and give this a vote! More later! :D
xxx
