Who do you love?

21

Teal sat on the couch of the house near the mansion that was being used by Brad Lenay, the director and producer of Who Do You Love? Her attention wasn't focused on her coworkers, the other executive team members of the show that were present for the premiere of the first episode, but instead on the door. The oversized wooden door was located almost directly in front of her just to the left of the television. Every time it creaked open she held her breath, anxiously awaiting for her blue eyes to be met by the chocolate brown ones that had filled her dreams for weeks.

She hadn't seen him in person in days, not since she had assisted in filming his date with Ansley. She'd seen him on video though, more times than she could count as she had thrown herself into assisting with the editing and final cuts of the episodes slotted for release in the next few weeks. In all reality she was hiding from him but she hadn't worked up the nerve to admit that to herself yet, she didn't like the implied amount of power that would mean he held over her.

She dared a glance to the clock on the wall of the kitchen to her far left, wondering where he was and why he hadn't shown up. They had all been asked to attend the watch party so that they could discuss strategy as far as the editing for future episodes. Only two minutes remained until the premiere and as much as she had spent the last few days avoiding him, she was a bit disappointed that he appeared to be a no show.

Her heart lurched in her chest as the credits for the show before theirs rolled and the front door opened, her eyes scanned over to the entrance and she knew immediately it was him when she saw the Doc Marten clad feet. She couldn't tear her gaze away and found herself allowing her eyes to drift upwards over his thin grey sweatpants and long sleeve black T-shirt covered chest before she finally found his eyes, already set on hers. She had thought that he would look away but he didn't and she couldn't bring herself to, so instead they shared a moment, somehow no one else in the room seemed privy to what was transpiring between them, as he stared at her, unapologetic, unwavering, and his face devastatingly unreadable.

Finally, when her cheeks were flushed and her desire was a pit of hot fire in the base of her stomach, he looked away, greeting the small crowd of people as he made his way over and took the seat directly beside her on the couch.

"Hope this seat wasn't taken." He said out the corner of his mouth without giving her so much as a sideways glance.

She didn't say anything back, didn't trust herself to say anything for fear of what might come out of her mouth. Her whole body throbbed as his thigh brushed hers while he settled into the seat of the sofa, his legs spread slightly as he got comfortable.

She waited for the show to start and everyone around her to be enthralled before she dared a glance in his direction. His jaw was sharp, his eyes set on the television in front of him as he watched from the other side of the camera the events that had occurred during his first week on the show.

He really was beautiful, no one would dare blame her for having the thoughts and feelings she had for him. His arms bulged from beneath the sleeves of his shirt and she wondered what it would feel like to have them wrapped around her, holding her against him. Her eyes wandered up, thankful she hadn't been caught, but the sharp intake of breath drew his attention and though he didn't turn his head she could feel him looking at her so she turned her head back to face forward. The sight of the large purple bruise at the collar of his shirt emblazoned in her brain.

She shut her eyes, trying to regain control of her emotions. She knew he'd been sleeping with some of the girls. She had heard all of the rumors about Rileigh and Jules and even though she had heard the words, there was something about seeing the evidence, dark and obvious at the base of his throat, that struck her differently.

Her throat worked desperately to swallow the large lump that had formed. She shut her eyes tightly trying to gather herself and steady her breathing. She'd made a big enough fool of herself at his birthday, she didn't need to repeat the scene in front of the entire crew, on Valentine's day nonetheless.

At the next commercial break she excused herself, standing up and heading to the restroom. She just needed a bit of space, trying to sit beside Calum at the moment hurt and she just did't want to put herself through the torture.

She moved quickly through the partly crowded room, trying not to disturb anyone else or draw extra attention to herself but she could feel him watching her. She squared her shoulders, doing her best to personify being fine as she locked herself in the bathroom.

With prying eyes and the pressure of being in a public setting gone she gripped the granite countertop in front of her tightly and let her body lean forward, willing herself not to cry. She felt pathetic.

She had no experience being this girl. She didn't know how she was feeling nor how to handle those emotions. There was no script for her life and she was practically out of character anyways. Her only comfort came in the form of knowing that it was already week six and that in only two weeks she would no longer be constantly surrounded by Calum and everything that accompanied him.

She took a moment to freshen up and grabbed for the door, swinging it open only to be stopped in her tracks when once again her eyes met Calum's. He stared at her, hard and unmoving but she didn't feel intimidated. If anything she felt reinvigorated as she broke their stare and brushed past him, headed back into the living area and retaking her place on the sofa as if nothing was wrong.

Calum stayed gone for longer than she expected to and while she was thankful for the added moments of peace she was simultaneously missing the heat from his body being next to her. When he finally did reappear, his shirt had been shifted so that the large hickey that had upset her in the first place was now no longer visible.

Had he noticed how seeing it had affected her? Had he realized she had seen it at all? She wasn't sure but nonetheless she was happy to no longer be faced with the evidence of his escapades and it made getting through the rest of the premiere at least a little easier.

When the show had ended, Brad led them through a run down of what to expect for the final few weeks. Teal held her breath as Calum leaned back on the sofa, throwing his left arm over the back of the couch and subsequently around her. He was just getting comfortable and rationally she knew that but that fact did nothing to slow her heart which raced in her chest just the same.

She didn't hear another word that was said, only recognizing that their meeting had ended when everyone else stood to leave. She followed along, grabbing her coat and stepping out the front, inhaling sharply when she felt a rough calloused hand slip into hers, spinning her back to face him and stopping her in her tracks.

"T...I, I just would really like to talk to you." He said, his words were even but not naturally so. Was he nervous? For her sake, she hoped so. It would help to make her feel less lamentable. "Could—would you just come back to mine for a bit?"

Her eyebrows raised in automatic response. They'd barely spoken in weeks, not really since his party and their kiss. She'd arrived at the conclusion that it hadn't meant anything to him, the welt on his neck and all, but that didn't mean it hadn't been completely humiliating for her. Still, if he wanted to talk she wanted to listen. Pathetically, she just wanted to be near him at all.

So finally, she met his eyes, the chocolate eyes looking back at her the same ones she had fallen for almost instantaneously weeks before, even if she had struggled to admit it, and nodded. Hoping that whatever he had to say would help her to ease the pain of knowing he wasn't hers to have.

An: I was so rushed to post this morning I forgot to add my note 🤦🏻‍♀️

*you can cut the tension with a knife*

What happens at Cal's?

Are they FINALLY going to admit they have feelings for each other?

Let me know your thoughts!
Ily,
Sav 🖤