It's finally Friday, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't spend the entire week thinking of reasons why Callum wanted to see me. I racked my brain for hours each day, but all I could come up with was that he had found out about Matt.
I'm just finishing up work for the day and heading into Mr. Kennedy's office to say goodnight. On Wednesday, I had missed Callum's program because Mr. Kennedy had kept me late on a project. He had congratulated me on all my hard work these past couple of weeks, both in the office and in Callum's program. So, I haven't seen Callum since Monday before the meeting with Lina.
"Goodnight, Mr. Kennedy. See you Monday," I say with a smile. He waves back and says, "Have a good night." I turn to leave the building.
I glance at my phone at the text Callum had sent earlier today:
Callum: Meet at my house after work.
I've officially changed his name from "Unknown" to "Callum." Let's hope I don't regret it by the end of the night.
I wave down the nearest cab and slide into the open back seat. I rattle off Callum's address and can't help but let my mind wander off in thought. Never did I expect three weeks ago, or even one week ago, that I'd be driving over to Callum's penthouse willingly. I admit that I'm afraid of the feelings I have for him. I know that I should hate him for his actions, but I don't.
"Here you are, Miss," the driver says politely, snapping me out of my thoughts. I flash him a smile before exiting the cab. With shaky hands, I enter Callum's building and head for the elevators.
Stepping into the elevator, I press the button for the top floor and let out a nervous breath. The elevator ride seems to go by too fast, and before I know it, I'm standing in front of Callum's door, waiting to knock.
There's no reason for me to be so nervous. I've done nothing wrong, and if he had found out about Matt, it's my past. I have the right to protect it, and at the end of the day, he has no real entitlement to knowing it. So, with that, I raise my fists and knock on the door.
It takes him all of three seconds to open the door as if he had been waiting.
I raise my eyes to him immediately after he opens the door wide enough for me to see his face. He looks tense and almost nervous, which is a weird combination to see on Callum Brown's face.
"Gianna," he smiles softly and opens the door wider. "Come in, I ordered takeout. It's in the kitchen."
I follow him through the door and let my eyes run along his fit body. He must've just recently gotten home, seeing as how he still wears his dress pants as well as his button-up shirt. There are a few buttons undone, and my wandering eyes don't miss the sight of his chest when he opens the door.
"Got some Chinese takeout, hope you don't mind," he says briefly as he opens a cabinet to grab plates. I watch him extend his long, muscular arm and reach for two shiny white plates. I gulp. He is so attractive.
"No, don't mind," I say and proceed to take off my jacket and place it, along with my purse, on a spare chair in the kitchen.
"Great," he hands me the plate without looking at me. It's clear there's tension on his end, but I don't know what for. I just want him to start talking already.
"We can sit in the living room at the coffee table," he says and with that, grabs his now full plate and proceeds to make his way into the living room.
Shaking my head, I make my plate in silence, and once I'm finished, I make sure to grab my phone and follow him into the living room. Lina and I have been texting all week, keeping each other updated as well as just catching up. I want to have my phone on me.
I take a seat next to him on his large, fancy couch and notice how he keeps his eyes focused on his food. We eat awkwardly, and once I take my last bite, I'm pushed to my limit with the silence.
"Why am I here?" I finally say, looking over to him and watching as he stills.
He places his fork down and swallows the food in his mouth, turning to me.
"I wanted to talk," he says quietly. His eyes finally scan my face, and his jaw clenches.
"Well, what about? About the deal?" I ask, not forgetting the fact that Tatum now knows about the deal. Could he be mad about that? Could he have found out about her knowing?
"Fuck," he swears and drops his head into his hands quickly. I'm shocked at his response. He jerks his head back to me, jaw still clenched and face in pain.
"Gianna. I need you to know how sorry I am for how we first met," he says, and I gasp at his words, completely shocked. He takes a deep breath and faces away from me, as if he couldn't bear to look at me while he says the next words.
"I convinced myself at the beginning I was doing the right thing. But I wasn't. I was protecting myself and my business, which I still am. But that didn't give me any right to suck you in," he continues. "I want you to know that I feel awful about using your past against you. It clearly hurts you, and for that, I fucking hate myself."
He scoots closer to my body, and I furrow my brows, holding my breath.
"I think I've known for a while now that whatever the fuck is going on here is no longer a deal. You drive me insane with want and need. But you also consume my every thought. I thought about you constantly, I still do. I'm not good at feelings or being anything less than an asshole, and for that, I owe you an apology," he finishes with a contorted face, and the brush of his thumb along my cheekbone.
I couldn't think. This wasn't the type of confession I was expecting. My heart was beating so fast, and I swear this was too. I sit there, looking into his eyes, seeing the truth behind his words.
He was sorry. And from what I could gather, he had no idea about Matt. No, this was a night of confessions. Confessions about us.
"Say something," he whispers, keeping his one hand on my cheek. I close my eyes for a brief second, taking a breath.
I was falling for Callum Black, and he was falling for me.
"I'm not even sure what to say," I say quickly. Opening my eyes, I meet his concerned green ones.
"How about we start with whether or not you accept my apology," he questions with a slight smile.
"I'm not going to sit here and say having you dictate my life for a moment and dig up something personal of mine was okay," I start, watching his face fall. "But it's clear you regret it. And in some weird twisted way, my heart wants to try and forgive you," I finish, watching his face light up again.
"Gianna, you don't know how fucking happy those words make me," he smiles.
I stare at him for a moment, and he leans in, successfully taking my breath away. His lips brush mine in a gentle kiss.
"I like you, Gianna," he whispers, leaning in and placing his soft lips on mine for a kiss. It's slow and passionate. I match his pace, feeling his every emotion in the language of our kiss. I grip his shirt and lean into him. His arms circle around me, successfully pulling me into his lap.
I break the kiss with a smile.
"We still have so much to talk about," I whisper.
He just nods and dives in for another kiss. I laugh into his mouth, and he moves my legs to straddle his own.
He pulls back.
"Whatever this is, Gianna. I want it. And I want it with you," he whispers into my face and grabs my wrist in his hand. He guides my own hand up to his chest and places it over his heart.
"You feel that?" he asks me, studying my face. I smile at the fast-paced beats of Callum Brown's heart.
"That's what you do to me," he smiles. "You, Gianna, successfully made my heart race like a lovesick teenage boy. And I'm not mad about it."
I try to hide my smile, my own heart beating faster at his words. This man was going to be the death of me.
"What about the deal?" I whisper with a smirk. Leaning into his lips, I say, "Do I still get those weekly visits unannounced?" I tease, feeling all high on the emotions coursing through my veins.
His jaw clenches, and he reaches for my face, tugging it to his.
"Actually, there has to be an amendment made. We're going to have to meet several more times a week, seeing as your behaviour is less than appropriate lately," he teases with a smirk and places a kiss on the corner of my mouth. I laugh at his comment and swat his chest. Pulling back, I roll over next to him so I can rest my head on his shoulder.
He takes my hand in his, and I curl up next to him.
I had never been so comfortable in my entire life. Running for years had meant no sense of comfort or home. Which reminded me of the second part of the deal. My past.
"How much did you dig about me, Callum?" I ask.
I feel him tense beside me, and the fingers that were dancing along my leg stop.
"Just what I've told you. No more. When you're ready to talk about it, we can. Just know I'd never go public with any of that shit. Not anymore," he says softly.
I don't answer. I just nod and sit there for a moment. Was it finally time to just fucking let go? With Lina back in my life, Amy, and now Callum. Was it finally time to move on?
Before I could give it much thought, my phone dinged from my back pocket, and I reached for it, bringing my head up from Callum's shoulder.
"Tell Amy she can share for a day," he teases, peeking over my shoulder.
But when he does, I feel my world quickly stop. Because it isn't from Tatum; no, it's from Mari.
Mari: GIANNA. Answer your phone! They found him! They found Matt, and Callum's mom just released a statement about the trial! PLEASE CALL ME.
I freeze, and I feel Callum still as well. My nerves spike at the message. They found him? Oh my god, they found him.
"Gianna," Callum whispers.
I look over my shoulder at his face, already holding back tears at the news, and the look on his face gives everything away. He knows.
"Why is she texting you about my mom's case? Isn't that the foster family predator? Why would-" He stills. His whole body stills.
I see it in his eyes as he makes the connection. All the missing pieces falling into place. And I know from this moment on, there's no going back.