Since Callie and Mariana have entered Wyatt's house, there has been a pair of eyes fixated on Callie. A shiver runs down Callie's spine, but she disregards it as nerves. The house is filled with people, some Callie recognizes from school. She has a flashback to a party from two years ago, as if she has walked into her past. That event became Callie's worst and most recurring nightmare.
Yet again Callie feels out of the ordinary, as if she is being watched. Callie spots Wyatt across the room as he is making his way towards her. "It must have just been Wyatt's gaze." Callie reassures herself.
As Wyatt approaches Callie, for a split second he morphs into the person that Callie fears the most. She sees the boy she was once head over heels for - a tall, handsome, blonde boy with an intense look in his eyes.
Wyatt takes Callie's hand gently in his and leans in to get closer for her to hear. "Let's go somewhere more quiet!" He shouts in her ear. Those words, those same words Callie has heard before.
"Where?" Callie shouts back, the same question she addressed in the past. Callie wonders if this is simply a dream unraveling in a manner identical to the previous event.
Wyatt's lips turn up at the corners as he shouts, "Follow me." And that smile is all too familiar.
Callie does as he says, turning to Mariana to make sure that it's fine. Mariana nods in approval, practically pushing Callie to go with her boyfriend. Callie's previous words denying the fact that she is in a relationship with Wyatt haven't yet registered in Mariana's mind.
The party is occurring around them, but Callie and Wyatt are in a bedroom, all alone. Callie is lying down, Wyatt's warm body against hers. His lips press to Callie's neck, lingering below her jaw. His nose gently grazes Callie's ear and her hands drift up Wyatt's back. Wyatt breaks away from the embrace and looks at Callie, the corners of his mouth turning up into a smile. Affectionately, he brushes hair away from her eyes and slowly leans into another kiss. Callie's hands travel up to Wyatt's neck and her fingers become tangled in his hair.
Callie's sight is constricted by Wyatt's closeness, his hair in her face. As Wyatt shifts higher, a shadow falls upon his face and Callie returns to the past. Her eyes focus on the first boy that took interest in her, the first boy she ever shared a kiss with. Callie exhibits his lips lightly against hers. The soft touch awakens the butterflies in her stomach.
Callie's hands pause at his shoulders as Wyatt slowly turns onto his back. His hands are at Callie's waist and he gradually pulls her to be on top. Callie presses her hands on the mattress on either side of Wyatt's chest. They kiss, one slow lingering kiss after another. Moment upon moment, Callie and Wyatt move against each other, their motions perfectly coordinated. Wyatt wraps his arms around Callie and her head buries into his chest. Callie is receptive of his warmth and the feeling of safety that Wyatt emanates.
Wyatt's hands wander down to Callie's waist, where her shirt hangs at her jeans. He grabs the bottom of the shirt and swiftly pulls it over Callie's head. Her hair falls chaotically over her face and neck. Callie promptly sits up. Wyatt looks up at her with a puzzled expression and fixes a lock of her hair that fell awkwardly out of place. In that moment, Callie can feel Liam's cold hands on her tingling skin. The way he stripped off her favorite shirt, a shirt she threw away the next morning. She perceives the fear that consumed her and the pleas to be released. Liam's amused expression from that night is permanently engraved in Callie's memory.
Wyatt can almost see the tears that Callie is holding back, but that can be misconstrued by the dim lighting. He runs his hands down Callie's arms which extend rigidly to her knees. She flinches and jumps to her feet on the bed, then leaps to the floor. Wyatt's expression grows even more bewildered as he watches Callie 'run away'.
While putting on her shirt, Callie says, "I can't do this." A hint of guilt is evident in her voice, but Wyatt is more surprised by the fear in her eyes. Callie shuffles to the door, throwing it open and stealing a glimpse back into the room. She is aware of Wyatt's presence on the bed - not Liam's, Wyatt's - but she still feels her airways converge, suffocating her. Callie stumbles down the hall, a few bystanders witnessing her not-so-subtle escape.
Wyatt rushes into the crowd, searching for Callie and trying to comprehend her actions. He notices her sitting on the floor, in between a classmate drawing on the wall and a couple making out. Cautiously drawing closer, Wyatt notices Callie's heavy breathing. She avoids eye contact and rushes away in the opposite direction, weaving to get around drunk teenagers.
All the while, Callie is still being watched by someone who blends into the crowd all too well. Curiosity flows through the person, noticing the situation between Wyatt and Callie unfold.
Callie searches every corner of the house for Mariana, desperate to leave the party. The second she walked into this house, she felt uneasy and she wanted to walk right out. And if it wasn't for Mariana, Callie would be comfortably lying in her bed, listening to music. Instead, Callie made a complete fool of herself with Wyatt. "He probably thinks I'm a tease." Callie proclaims in her mind.
After Callie finds Mariana in the line for the washroom, she waits at the balcony that overlooks the first floor, watching the people interact below. Callie snaps a few pictures of the graffiti on the walls and catches a shot of a familiar face staring up at her. To her dismay, Liam is waiting at the foot of the stairs.
At first, Callie doesn't assimilate the scene in her mind, believing he is merely a figment of her imagination as before. She waits for him to convert into Wyatt until the reality of the situation dawns on her. Callie's instinct to run is denied by Liam's swift jog to meet her. They stand face to face, Liam admiring her and Callie despising him.
On occasion, Callie would wonder about Liam and the months that she lived in his parent's house. She would think of the times he treated her to ice cream and their miniature golf tournaments. He would always let her win and she considered it so endearing. She became attached to him as a sister would to a brother, although, they were only foster siblings. Eventually their sibling relationship evolved into an attraction. Callie felt loved, a foreign emotion before she met Liam.
Unfortunately, every good memory always led to the remembrance of that awful night when Liam took the one thing Callie had in this world - her innocence. Of everything Callie lost, or never had to begin with, her innocence was her one true possession. It was not meant to be taken without her permission.
"Have you missed me?" Liam is still holding on to Callie's wrist in a gesture that Callie perceives as threatening.
"Let go of me." Callie's eyes search for Wyatt, partly to avoid Liam's gaze. The only relief in this situation is the crowd of people surrounding them. If worst comes to worst, Callie has decided that she will simply scream at the top of her lungs. "I have to go." Callie attempts to walk around Liam.
"Let's go somewhere private." Liam orders. His grip on Callie's wrist tightens and she winces. Liam's hand moves up to Callie's upper arm.
Callie tries desperately to pry her arm free. "I am not going anywhere with you." She pulls him in the opposite direction, knowing that he probably won't even budge. Since the last time that Callie saw Liam, he's gotten taller and more muscular. There is still a look of confidence and possession in his eyes. That look initially charmed Callie. She thought it was sweet, especially directed at her. But fourteen year old girls are often terrible at picking boyfriends. And in Callie's case, she was and still is attracted to the 'bad' boys even if her head knows better. But with time comes maturity, and Callie has learned to not act on every feeling. And she refused to relive the horrible past that has scarred her for life.
"Let go!" Callie yells. "HELP!"
People in close proximity turn to observe the situation. To Callie's dismay the few people that gave their attention went back to their conversations just as quickly.
"Wyatt!" Callie pleads for the only person that cares about her at this party. "WYATT!"
"Shut up! You're making a scene." Liam places a hand over Callie's mouth. His other hand is still firmly on her arm, pulling her towards him. "You are going to walk out of here with me... right now." Liam utters with an intimidating tone, but Callie swings a punch with her left hand. Liam quickly catches her fist with the hand that was previously on her arm. He spins Callie around and pushes her to walk forward.
"Wyatt! Help!" Callie continues to shout.
At the bottom of the stairs, Liam releases Callie's arm in order to secure both his arms around her waist. Callie's arms are subdued under his hold. Liam slightly picks her up and carries her in the direction of the nearest exit. Callie kicks her legs back and forth to slow him down, with no avail.
"Let go!" Callie's tone becomes less convincing as fear slips through. "Please." She begs for a miracle required to awaken from this nightmare.
Outside, Liam lowers Callie to her feet at an isolated spot away from inquisitive stares. Callie stands in front of him, turned slightly towards the house. She tries to remain calm, scanning the area for a good escape route.
Liam watches Callie intently, unable to fathom how much more attractive she has become. Since he has last seen her, she has grown, changed, matured. He can tell that Callie is no longer the naive little girl that he took advantage of.
Callie's eyes raise to meet Liam's gaze. A look of pure hatred pierces into him. He dismisses Callie's emotions with a question. "Was that your boyfriend?"
Through her unwavering hatred, Callie answers, "Who?"
"The guy that held your hand as he led you up the stairs." Liam explains.
Callie simply stares at Liam, disgusted by his casual persona.
Liam emits a small laugh. "If I remember correctly, you looked the same way at me once upon a time. I guess history always repeats itself."
Callie can no longer contain her outrage. "You have no right to say that! Wyatt is nothing like you. And after what you did to me, you should be ashamed to speak of our past. You ruined me." Callie's voice quivers as she utters the words that she has longed to say for over two years.
Initially after Liam raped her, she pretended that nothing happened. But eventually she had to admit to herself that Liam was a monster and she shouldn't be ashamed of herself. He was the one who wronged her in the most horrible way that a guy can hurt a girl. Callie has dreamed of confronting him about it and getting the closure that she deserved. Without the confrontation, no amount of therapy would have erased the past or fixed it. Now she can truly move on with her life.
"I bet he's nowhere near as good as me. But who are we kidding... you didn't sleep with him." A smirk spreads across Liam's face as he implies that Callie belongs solely to him.
"You are wrong. I was broken and scared, but anything broken can be fixed." Callie smiles at the realization that Liam was only a dark part of an overall happy life that is ahead.
Callie's answer strikes a nerve and Liam grasps her shoulders and pushes her against a tree. Before Callie can resist, Liam's lips are on hers. She gathers all of her strength to shove him away, but he doesn't shift so much as an inch. Her arms fly at his chest, hitting him, struggling to break away. In between kisses Liam declares, "You will always be mine."
Liam is so invested in forcing Callie to remain against the tree trunk that he disregards everything around them. Suddenly, Liam receives a blow to the shoulder and he stumbles back.
Callie notices Wyatt, as he nurses his hand. She joins his side, both of them standing in front of Liam, awaiting his reaction. Callie strokes Wyatt's upper arm and gently touches his bruised knuckles.
"Is there a problem?" Liam questions Wyatt, as casually as possible.
Wyatt strikes Callie an inquisitive look, wondering whether Callie was just as invested in the kiss as Liam was. Callie slips her hand in Wyatt's in response.
Wyatt is pleased with Callie's choice and turns his attention to Liam. "Stay away from her." Their fingers intertwine, and Wyatt leads Callie back to the house. She looks over her shoulder, still expecting Liam to follow up Wyatt's attack. Liam simply stares as she walks away, anger clouding his eyes.
"I'm sorry about before. I just..." Callie tries to explain, but Wyatt interrupts.
"Don't." He lightly kisses her cheek. "I understand."
"But you need to know about Liam." Callie takes one more look in the direction of the tree where she last saw Liam. "I need to explain."
"It's in the past. We all have one. I like who you are because of it." Wyatt smiles and relief flows through Callie's entire body. The tension disappears.
"The past tends to come back to haunt us." Callie replies.
"Let it." Wyatt pulls Callie into a crowd of dancing people. "We'll face it together."
Callie and Wyatt sway to the music. The movements around them become irrelevant as their eyes connect. Callie thinks of her experiences with Liam one more time, cursing the day that she first met him. Until she realizes that things happen for a reason and she appreciates that life guided her into this moment. A moment filled with hope and a promise of future happiness with Wyatt.
This is me trying to expand my horizons and write a one-shot. Tell me if you like it. Please comment on what can be improved.
I know that most people support Brallie, and so do I. Ultimately, I want Brandon and Callie to be together. They are soulmates. But at the moment, I think Callie needs to deal with her past and Wyatt can help her. That's my opinion, you don't have to agree.