Yesterday, I watched Next Year's Words for the first time and spent the whole episode wanting to cuddle Cal, who looked really ill and said he had a virus. Then at the end of the episode, he was cuddled up to Taylor and (once I'd got past all the jealousy), I started thinking that maybe giving a girl your germs wasn't the best new year present in the world.
I hope it's not too disgusting.
Cal had always known Taylor was a sight for sore eyes, but he hadn't realised she was a sight for sore stomachs as well.
He'd been feeling absolutely terrible all day and he was fairly sure that the only reason he'd managed to avoid throwing up was because he'd forged Ethan's signature in order to prescribe himself metoclopramide. Luckily, the pharmacist had had no idea that Ethan had gone away for the new year. Either that or she hadn't been able to resist Cal's charm.
And now, here he was, celebrating the new year with Taylor, the stomach ache and nausea had that plagued him no more than a distant memory.
When she kissed him, everything else became a distant memory as well. The pub. The fact he was surrounded by colleagues. Even the fact that he'd left Taylor an embarrassing voicemail that made Ethan look socially competent.
She'd said that was hot anyway. Cal was fairly sure she was just being polite, but the important thing was that she was here and showing no signs of being scared off by his uncharacteristic ineptitude.
Cal kissed along her jawline and up towards her ear. "How about we get out of here?"
"You must have read my mind," said Taylor, smiling. Then she added: "Don't get used to it."
Cal laughed and stood up, holding out his hand to Taylor. He knew he was smiling uncontrollably and he knew everyone in the pub could see it, but he was leaving with the most attractive woman in the pub, if not the world. If anyone had a reason to smile, it was Cal, and if his soppy smile did do some damage to his street cred, the fact he was with Taylor would cause it to shoot up again.
As they'd both been drinking, Cal called a taxi and asked Taylor if she wanted to go back inside to wait, but she shook her head. Her long, blonde hair tumbled around her shoulders and her face was lit with a warm, radiant smile. Cal had never seen anything so beautiful. He felt dizzy as he turned towards her and his stomach filled with butterflies, which surprised him, but he'd never met a girl like Taylor before. She wasn't just stunningly, amazingly beautiful. She was extremely intelligent and had a loving heart.
Whether there was space in her heart for Cal alongside the charity she devoted her life to remained to be seen, but as Taylor put her arms around his neck and softly placed her lips on his, he began to believe it was possible.
The churning in his stomach redoubled, but Cal ignored it as a perfectly natural reaction to being kissed by a beautiful girl. It wasn't until he felt the pressure in the back of his throat that he realised what was going to happen. He shoved Taylor away from him with more haste than care and vomited noisily into the gutter.
The attack was so violent, it forced Cal to his knees and it seemed like some time had passed before the retching and spluttering finally stopped. He stayed where he was, feeling too weak and too ill to stand, his eyes closed so he didn't have to look at what he'd done.
"Well. I've met a lot of guys, but I've never had that reaction before," said Taylor.
Cal groaned and put his head in his hands. Impossible as it seemed, he'd actually forgotten Taylor was there. He didn't think he'd ever been so embarrassed, but he forced himself to stand up and look her in the eye. "I'm sorry, Taylor."
Taylor ignored his apology and held out a tissue. "Wipe your mouth."
Cal did as he was told.
"That's better," said Taylor.
Discomfited, he offered the tissue back to Taylor, but she shook her head firmly.
"It's fine," she said, part-flirtatious, part-sarcastic. "You can keep it forever if you like."
"Right. Yes. Sorry," said Cal as he realised she wouldn't have wanted it back. He cleared his throat and tried to engage his brain. "Don't worry. It wasn't anything to do with you. I've been feeling rough all day. Some kind of virus."
If he was expecting sympathy, he was disappointed. Taylor took a step away from him. "You have a virus and you wanted me to go home with you? Is that your idea of a late Christmas present? To infect me? And you call yourself a doctor?"
Cal squirmed a bit as he realised she had a point. "Haven't you had loads of injections, though? For visiting Mexico and places like that?"
"Bolivia," said Taylor in a tight voice. "I was in Bolivia. And inoculations don't protect me against everything. Not viruses, nor silly little boys who should be in bed."
"Well, bed was where we were heading…" Cal said with a cute smile.
It didn't work on Taylor. She didn't say anything else until a taxi drew up alongside them. "This must be ours. You take it, Cal. Go to bed and get well soon and then maybe you'll find I'm still interested."
"Oh, I couldn't leave you to stand out here on your own," said Cal gallantly. "You have this taxi. I'll phone for another one."
"It's yours," said Taylor with finality. "I need another drink."
Cal offered a fiver. "Have one on me?"
Taylor shook her head. "I couldn't possibly take your money."
Cal returned the fiver to his pocket. "I'll call you… I'll leave you a voicemail…"
"Perhaps you should wait for me to call you," said Taylor, and walked away, sparing him the briefest glance over her shoulder. "Goodbye, Cal."
"Bye, Taylor." Cal gave a long, sad sigh and got in the taxi.
On the journey home, Cal closed his eyes and made two new year wishes. The first was that he hadn't completely blown his chances with Taylor. The second was that he could make it home without throwing up again.