OMG I just saw Hayden Byerly (the boy who plays Jude) in an Oscar Mayer's hot dog commercial :) It's so funny! And thanks for the support! You guys are amazing!
"I should probably sleep in my bed…" She furrowed her brow and bit on her lip. "If your parents catch us…"
"C'mon Callie, lets enjoy the time that we have left before we have to start hiding this".
I could see the war waging in her head, each little battle of good and bad were ready for action. But I wouldn't let her shy away from her feelings when I had just gotten her to admit them.
She stood there in the rain, deciphering her thoughts, when I realised that we were both soaked to the bone, as if we were Don Lockwood in Singing in the Rain.
"Let's go in so long, ok?" I wrapped my arm around her waist and tugged her in the direction. "We should get dry"
She nodded and let me pull her along, curling into my side, trying to stay warm.
We reached the front door and I pushed it open. "Wait!" I said as I saw Callie about to enter the house, I pulled her close once again and swung her over my shoulder.
She squealed at me and started lightly pounding her fists against my back "Brandon!" she wailed, "Let me go!"
"Nope, you'll get the floors all wet!" I retaliated, but was mostly distracted at how light she was, I knew that she didn't eat much, but surly this wasn't a healthy weight. I tried to get my joking manner back, "You, young missus, are taking a shower; you're starting to smell like wet dog!"
She gasped at me, "well Brandon that is no way to talk to a lady! Your mothers would be appalled at you!" she tried her best to create an air of aristocracy around her, which didn't exactly work as I was carrying her up the stars, her head bouncing against my back with each step.
We laughed together until we reached the bathroom, where I set her down and turned to walk away.
"Hey" she called out after me, "where are you going?"
I spun around so fast I got whiplash. "What do you mean?"
"Well" she said, fiddling with the edge of her shirt, "I was thinking that you could join me…"
As soon as the words left her mouth I could see the anxiousness in her eyes, awaiting my answer. All I could manage was a near imperceptible nod.
Was she really doing this? Inviting me to shower with her?
My silent question was answered by the smile tugging at the edges of her sultry mouth.
She held out her hand and grasped it in mine, and bit her lip. Just those soft delicate lips could make me go crazy, as they had in the past, which is how I knew that the only remedy for a mad-man was to kiss those lips.
So I did.
We treaded across the hard tile of the bathroom floor, slamming the door shut on our way. We shed our clothes until we were bare, and I pushed the curtain to the side so we could walk in. We were showering in a state of bliss, our little illusion that if Callie and I could just keep that shower curtain closed, we could be together without any discipline for our actions.
I skimmed my hand over the shadows of her ribs, so clearly jutting out on her frail figure.
"Callie" I whispered to her, she stared up at me, eyes full of tears, knees clanging together wreaked in nerves. "Are you ok?"
Tears kept pouring down her face, and she hugged me around the stomach, where I could feel the vibrations of her sobbing against me.
"Callie, Callie?" I pulled her head upwards to look at me, "What's wrong?"
She let out a choked laugh and smiled at me, "God, my mom would have loved you"
"What happened to her?" Callie had never mentioned her mom, either of her parents actually.
Her face instantly sobered up, and I regretted my words that took away that rare smile. "Well, I don't know, one day Jude and I came home and she was dead in the shower"
The bluntness of her words sunk in, and I could only feel horror at what a traumatic experience that must have been.
"After that, I just couldn't concentrate on anything, I skipped school, did loads of really stupid things…" she laughed silently, "And you know the stupidest thing? I'm still afraid to go in the shower!"
I had to crack a smile at that, Callie? Callie… afraid of something? That was something that I never expected her to admit.
I knew that she could get scared, I saw her eyes when we were in that house with Jude, but I never had even dreamed that she would confide in me like this, just her trust was a massive warning signal for me, for me not to blow it.
"Are you afraid now?" I tenderly bent her neck backwards and kissed her pulse point. " Because I don't want you to ever be afraid again."
"What, so you're going to shower with me every other day?" she shook her head in exasperation, "Brandon, its irrational, there's nothing to protect me from in a shower"
That wasn't something to discuss, I don't give a crap about Talya and the backwards ideas about popularity and privacy. Talya wasn't my girlfriend anymore; she was just some bitch who had the same friends as me.
"Bull, Callie. I'm not going to let you be afraid of anything, that's what a boyfriend is supposed to do"
"Boyfriend?" she tilted her head, allowing me further access to her neck.
"Yes, boyfriend", I mumbled against her skin, "And you know what else boyfriends do?"
"What?" she smirked at my antics
"They feed you endless amounts of bacon and eggs until you're so fat that you look pregnant!" She quirked an eyebrow at me and burst into giggles. God I loved this girl. Wait, loved?
Callie recovered from her fit of laughter and started inching towards the shower curtain.
"Well okay then, boyfriend, we should probably dry off and get ready for bed, before you get me so fat that I can't fit into my pyjamas"
Still inching towards the curtain she started to slide it open, "Dibs on the last towel!" she shouted and I cussed at her.
Leaping out of the shower after her I tried to get the towel without slipping but she wrestled it out of my grip and wrapped it around her body quickly, she stuck her tongue out at me and turned around, headed towards the door.
"C'mon Callie! I'm cold!" she laughed at me
"You snooze you lose Brandon!" with that she gave me a little wave and flung open the door and stepped out.
Both of our eyes widened in shock. I was the first one to speak.
"Oh hey Jesus"
