Scars To Your Beautiful : A Modern Beauty and the Beast retelling ✔

23. Nothing hurts more

Shifting her eyes from his visage, Callie's gaze caught the title of the books Larkin was reading on the table. "The Art of business strategy." She read aloud again. "Business management in the market world." She paused, to smirk at him. "You're reading business books?"

Larkin shrugged. "They're for my classes."

Her eyes bulged. This was news to her. She assumed all he did at home was to brood and turn himself into a hermit. A green eyed hermit. "You take classes?"

"What do you think I do all day? Cry in bed? Eat and complain about my life to any employee that happens to stand by the doorway, especially when they hold a tempting plate of my favorite pancakes?"

There was something so relaxing about him joking, no matter how wry it felt. "I just didn't think you took classes."

Once again, his eyes had darkened and it made her wonder if she said anything wrong. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me."

She blinked at him for a second. Callie couldn't understand what caused a switch in his mood. He just made a joke, a second ago and now he was back to being broody again. With Larkin, it was hard to tell. He would make her insides tingle by his unnerving gaze one minute, and then in another, he'd be offended by something she said and make her fury blaze. His emotions were always so hot and cold within a short time, and he made her feel almost the same way.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. It was almost like he could tell the emotions running through her. "I shouldn't have sounded so cold. I'm just a little tired." Which was true. Larkin wasn't going to admit to her how he stayed awake all night and struggled to sleep right after she came over. His meds didn't seem to work and Larkin didn't want her to blame herself over something she'd never have predicted. "I take online classes. I used to be a business major at UCLA. Now I just use online classes to finish my degree."

She smiled warmly at him. "I guess you need it to take over your parents' empire properly."

"That's true. It's their legacy." Larkin questioned, feeling the need to talk about her. "What about you? What is Callista Blanco's big dream?"

Her lips tipped up. "I've always wanted to be a film director. I love story telling. Books. Movies. Poems. Everything. They reach out to me in ways people can't. It's like my very own portal to a whole new world. It makes me feel secure."

"I can picture that. Books feel like my very own armor. I can wear it whenever I want and it's something many people don't understand. I didn't start caring about books until recently." His simple words twisted her innards into knots. To her, there was nothing sexier than a guy who reads books and now, it concerned her how his interests seemed to match everything she'd ever liked.

"Did you always want to be in business? Is it something you liked?" Callie couldn't even picture herself running a huge conglomerate like Hammell Corp, and yet it seemed like something his whole life was centered around.

He looked at her, with blazing green eyes sharper than his words. "It doesn't really matter what I like. This job is just something I really care about. The person I used to be, is much more different from the person you're looking at. I used to be an irresponsible jock, sometimes. My over privileged ass didn't know how lucky I was to have doting parents like mine. Even before I moved to LA to study for college, I didn't care about anyone but myself. All I wanted to do was to hang out with friends and get laid. Since I was the only kid, I wasn't bothered about getting screwed over by any sibling trying to take over my position. It's a shame it took them dying, for me to get my act together and take life seriously."

Callie took a long look at him. If she knew his old self, she wouldn't have tried to befriend him like she was doing now. There was nothing she hated more than ignorant rich kids and it was a surprise to know a version of who he used to be. A polar opposite of the quiet and brooding scarred young man sitting by her side. "You should at least, see a silver lining in this."

"A silver lining?" Larkin scoffed at her words. "You're one to talk."

Her tone turned chilly. "Excuse me?" There was something in the way he spoke, that didn't sit well with her.

"I'd rather not go into—"

Callie had cut in, sharply. "No, I want to hear what you have to say."

He made an annoyed scowl. "Fine. You're not over your mom's death and yet you want me to do that. To see a silver lining in their deaths? Please, don't patronize me."

Callie blinked. "You have no right to say that."

"And I'm guessing the only reason you're friends with me, is to make yourself feel better because you see your pain through me. You want the pain. You want to be reminded of it." He added, with a hardened stance. "Well, you're just like me. I've seen how guarded you get around everyone else in this house. It's like you're afraid of falling apart. But then, you're here next to me with smiles, like your problems don't exist anymore. It's like I'm the only person who gets to see you. The real you. "

Callie gritted her teeth. Something in all he said, made her feel exposed. It felt like he was peeling layers of herself to the world and she wasn't going to let it happen. "How the hell do you think you know the real me? I guess being a douche bag comes naturally to you. Maybe something in the "old you" didn't change after all."

His voice went low. "I admit I'm a bitter lonely guy and I'm self aware of the person I am. Are you? Cause you work so hard to keep up with a facade that doesn't seem to exist."

Callie stared at him for a moment. She struggled to find the words to say to him, but his harsh reply had torn apart her walls. All she had left inside her, was the crying sixteen year old former version of herself who kicked everyone out of her life. The version that worked hard to burn the images of her lifeless mother in her head. Her silence seemed to subdue Larkin in his hot headed state.

Larkin made a sigh and tilted his head downwards. Strands of hair covered his eyes, shielding his gaze from hers. "I'm sorry I—"

Callie snapped back. Neither of their voices were raised, but the raw emotions in their eyes were unmistaken. "You're not sorry. I bet you've always wanted to say that to me. If you truly were sorry, you wouldn't have said it in the first place."

He corrected. "I'm sorry if I spoke so harshly, but I'm not sorry for speaking my truth. You can start judging my choices, the moment you've abscond from yours."

Standing up, her frigid words tore through him. "Thank you for finally letting me know the kind of person you see me as. Now, I know the type of person you are. Thanks for the chat."

★★★
😭😭😭😭. I hate when these two argue. But honestly, it's necessary for them to hash out their lingering vexation because Callie and Larkin have bottled up their true emotions for so many years that it's affecting the people around them.
Anywayyyyyy, I'm going to throw one question out. I'm dying to hear your response.
What's your favorite moment in this book so far? (I have mine, but I'm not going to tell you😋😝😜) I'm curious about your responses.
Xoxo
Jasmine