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"Hey, I found cigarettes in your dresser," I tell Calum as I walk to sit with him on the sofa. I place the packet on the coffee table awaiting his response. "I didn't know you smoke."
"I don't," he shrugs. "Michael tried to smoke inside during the party so I hid them in my room."
"Oh, OK."
"What's up?" he asks, probably referring to the tone of my voice.
"It's just, the thought of you smoking, I don't like it," tell him. "My dad used to smoke a lot, and he almost died at one point from it."
"Don't worry about it," he smiles, bringing me over to straddle his lap. "They're not mine."
"Good." I furrow my brows. "I don't know how long this is going to last."
"Scotty—"
"Hear me out," I beg. "I don't know how long this will last, but I like to believe it's a while. Um, when George and Poppy first started to plan their wedding I was still this girl who couldn't hold a guy for more than an hour, so I just thought I'd go with Emma. I guess what I'm trying to say is, would you like to be my date, for the wedding?"
"I wouldn't think of missing out on seeing you up at the alter wearing canary yellow."
"Really?"
"No doubt about it."
...
"Do you think it's possible to fall in love with someone in two months?" I ask the question as I walk back into our office space with Emma and Arden.
"Kate Hudson knew she loved Matthew McConaughey after just ten days," Emma says plopping down in her chair.
"That's true," Arden agrees.
"That was a movie, guys," I remind them as I fall back into my own seat. I'm surprised Arden hasn't been fired yet seeing she more than often abandoned the receptionist desk to chat with Emma and I.
"Do you think you're in love with him?"
"I don't know," I tell them honestly. "I mean, I've never been in love before. I love Brad Pitt and George Clooney but I'm not in love with them you know?"
"I totally get it," Arden nods. "Like, the love I have for my Prada isn't the same as my love I had for Charlie when we went out."
"Exactly," I exasperate. "But I don't know if it's really love yet."
"Well what does it feel like?"
"It's like every time I see him or even hear his name I instantly smile no matter my mood before, and I can't believe I'm saying this but I think that I wouldn't be totally repulsed if he did something I would consider a flaw."
"It must be love then," Emma exclaims. "You'd love him despite his flaws."
"Maybe you're right."
"Are you guys talking about that totally hot guy Calum?" My attention turns to Ashley—the girl on the other side of my cubicle. We don't like each other because we've kind of been rivaling ever since we started working at the magazine because we both write columns about love and relationships, so we constantly compete for the acceptance of our boss. "He just left a few minutes ago."
"He was here?"
"Yeah," she nods, and I don't trust the sickly sweet smile on her face. "He's quite upset, because someone told him about how you're just using him to have someone to make fun of with your friends."
I gape at Ashley. "What? Why would you do that?"
"Victoria wants a success story for the next issue instead of another sappy story about a failed date and I figured I'd get rid of your inspiration. It's my turn to matter for once."
"Ashley, you're a bitch," I tell her before grabbing my purse and jacket. "I'm going to find Calum."
"Yeah, I'll see you tonight."
"Good luck!"
...
The elevator ride up to Calum's floor is painfully slow. My fingers fidget with the strap of my cross body bag and I gulp once the elevator doors finally slide open. It takes a while before the apartment door swings open Calum stands before me with a blank expression covering his face. "Can I come in?"
He doesn't say anything but turns back into the apartment to have me follow him, and we walk into his bedroom where he sits down on his bed.
"What did Ashley tell you?"
"That I'm some type of project you and your friends made up," he tells me, his voice sounding distant. "You were just going to see for how long you can stand being with me, and to blow off steam about it you decided it'd be fun to make me out as a joke around your friends."
"That's not true," I say. "I mean yes, it started out that way, but it was pretty clear from the start that it wouldn't work out."
"You know how I told you about that girl who used me for catering?" I nod. "You using me hurts way more." My heart breaks at his words and I take a seat beside him on the mattress.
"I gave up on that project a long time ago," I admit. "The only reason I even held on to the idea for the first few dates was because I didn't want to face the fact that I think I'm falling in love with you."
Calum's head snaps my way as soon as the words fall from my lips. "What?"
"I've never really been with a guy for more than two hours before, but I've gotten to experience you for two months and now I don't know what I would do if I couldn't see you."
"You really feel that way about me?"
I nod. "The thing is that the project would never have worked because I could never find anything wrong with you, and I still can't."
