A Walk In The Park

22 - Curious

My family has a surprise for me before they leave. No biggie, just a new car. A freaking blue Camaro, no less. I so don't deserve it. It brings me to tears and my mom threatens to make me go back home with them tonight because she's convinced that I'm depressed again. Good grief. I appreciate the concern and all, but I'm going to have to live with this for the rest of my life. And I hate that I've done that to her.

It takes a lot to convince her that I've never been happier. But I finally do so sometime around 9:00. I hate to see them go, though. But if this party is happening, then they need to be on their way or I'll have some explaining to do. I'll see them again before I know it. The next time will probably be in about a month, when - if - I decide to move. Or sooner, if the baby doesn't wait until his due date to make an appearance. At least that's something to look forward to. I already love him so much I can't stand it.

I've changed into some casual clothes and taken Harley for a short walk. Now I'm sitting here on a barstool in my kitchen, twiddling my thumbs. What the heck is taking them so long?

No sooner than I ask myself that question, the doorbell rings. Harley scurries to greet our guest. I'm blessed with Calum's presence when I open the door. I swear I hear angels sing every time this happens.

He's in possession of a bottle of wine, which he hands to me as he walks past me to the kitchen. I follow, drinking in every step he takes. I could watch him walk for days. I'm completely obsessed.

He's opening and closing cabinets. "Don't tell me you don't have wine glasses."

I place my hand on his to keep him from opening the next cabinet. "I do, but not in there." I intentionally hold onto his hand for just a second. Okay, a few seconds. I can't help myself. I glance at him and see that he's grinning, which makes me smile. It's so stupid, these feelings I have for him. Sometimes I wish that he'd discourage me, because that's the only way I'm ever going to get over him. But he doesn't. If anything, he encourages me by not pulling away or telling me to shut up. What's a boy to do?

I hand the bottle back to Calum, along with a corkscrew, and retrieve two wine glasses. I watch him open the bottle, and my mouth is watering. I'm not sure if it's in anticipation of the wine, or my thoughts of kissing Calum with the sweet taste of wine on his tongue. Jesus, here I go already.

He pours the wine into the glasses and we sit at the bar in the center of the kitchen. I may or may not have intentionally scooted my seat closer to his before I sat down. I'm close enough to smell the scent that is uniquely him, and I feel that familiar tugging in the pit of my belly. I'm yearning to bury my face in the crook of his neck and run my fingers through his thick wavy hair. It's becoming harder and harder to resist the more I'm around him. This wine certainly isn't going to help matters.

We're quiet for a minute before I say, "I didn't take you for a wine type of guy."

"I'm not, usually. But I know you like it. This stuff isn't so bad. I took it from Ashton's stash. Don't tell him," he says the last part quietly, as though someone could hear him, and adds a wink.

"Your secret is safe with me. Where the hell is everyone anyway? Not that I mind it being just the two of us."

"I talked to Ashton on the way here. He and Mali should be back any time. So we should probably hurry up and drink this wine."

We laugh and drink it way too fast, one glass after another. Before I know it, my head is already a little fuzzy. I tend to get drunk off of wine faster than anything else. And horny. I'm feeling so content with Calum beside me, laughing and maybe being a little too touchy-feely. But he doesn't seem to mind, so I don't either. Once the bottle is empty, he gets up and throws away the evidence and sits back down.

His arms are resting on the top of the bar, and I find myself studying his forearm tattoo with Mali's name. I touch it, and he moves his arm closer to give me a better look, I presume. I put one hand on his, just because it's there, and with the other, I lightly trace the letters of the tattoo with my index finger. I chuckle quietly and make a confession.

"I can't believe I used to think Mali was your girlfriend."

"What? Are you serious?"

I nod, still staring at the tattoo and rubbing it. "Yes, I'm serious. You never told me otherwise, and you have this tattoo, and you seemed to really like each other. So, what else was I supposed to think? I was so jealous of her until I figured it out." I'm a little embarrassed, but, thanks to the wine, I don't care.

Calum has a good laugh about it. He finally says, "I can't believe I was trying to set you up with her."

I pretend that my feelings are hurt.

"No, not that you wouldn't be perfect for her. It's just that you turned out to be gay and all."

That's enough to get us laughing again. But I haven't let go of his hand. I realize that he has wrapped his fingers over mine. He's actually holding my hand. Probably not intentionally, but still.

When the laughter ends, we're left staring at each other. Like, an intense, trying to read each other's minds type stare. I swear to God, with my hand on a bible, Calum is thinking about kissing me. He looks at my lips and leans his head toward me just a fraction of an inch, with his own juicy lips parted slightly. I don't dare move. That is, until Harley starts barking his head off and we hear commotion outside just before the front door flies open. Thanks for ruining my life, guys!

Naturally, Calum hops down from the barstool and goes to help Ashton, Mali, and Luke with the shit ton of bags that they're carrying. At first, I'm so mad I could scream. But then I tell myself that it's not the end of the world. Calum wanted to kiss me. I just know it. I need to be patient. Maybe - just maybe - there actually is a super slight chance that Calum may see me as more than a friend. If nothing else, maybe he's just curious. I'm okay with that, too. I'll let him experiment with me any time, any place. Maybe even tonight.