Right then, Callie's heart started to bleed. It was so different to hear him telling her about his dates compared to actually seeing a woman in his arms. The pain was so unbearable that tears stung her eyes. She couldn't even speak or move when Chris opened her door and looked down at her with a smile.
"Cal," Chris lifted a brow, "do you mind?"
It took her several seconds to realize what he was telling her. He wanted her to go in the backseat so that Brenda could sit in the front with him. Fighting back tears, Callie wiggled out the car, aware of Brenda's eyes watching her as she struggled out the car. Without looking up, Callie pushed the seat forward and climbed in the backseat and to her humiliation, tripped forward and banged her knee against the car.
"Whoa!" Chris helped her steady herself. "You okay, buddy?"
Not trusting herself to speak, Callie just nodded and climbed the rest of the way in the car. She didn't have to look to see Susan looking at her with sympathy from her side of the backseat. It was all she could do to not burst into tears. How would she be able to explain that?
"Hi," Brenda smiled at Susan as she slid gracefully in the car. "You're Susie right?"
"Susan," Susan smiled. "I haven't gone by 'Susie' since high school!" Both of the ladies laughed but Callie was too far gone to hear it. Inside she was dying, inwardly crying tears that she couldn't shed in fear that it would be questioned.
How could she tell them that she was crying because of a broken heart? That seeing Chris happily with another woman, a beautiful Asian woman in a fancy red silk Chinese dress that clung to her petite curves, made Callie wish that she'd never been born? That she cried because Chris saw her as a man and would never....never...
Callie stared out the window and wished the night would just end already. Why are you so sad, you idiot? She asked herself. Wasn't it you who said that you didn't mind that he saw you as a man just as long as he was by your side? Wasn't being his best buddy enough? Wasn't that why you didn't tell him the truth? So why? Why are you crying?
The other three people in the car talked merrily to each other but Callie kept silent, even when Chris tried to lure her in the conversation. When at last they arrived at the Fireman's Ball that was being held in a huge ballroom located inside a casino, Callie started counting the seconds, wishing that the time would fly by faster so that she could go home and cry herself to sleep.
If she was in a happy mood, she would have appreciated and enjoyed looking at the firemen decorations. The hall was simple with a large dance floor and a huge disco ball attached to the ceiling above them. Like Chris had told her, all the women were in fancy dresses and the men in tux, large amount of food on long tables in the corners of the room.
There was even a fancy chocolate waterfall in the middle of the dance floor with a small statue of a fire truck in the middle of the fountain. Music blasted around them and everyone was enjoying themselves all except her. And Chris noticed this right off the bat.
"Okay," he said with a sigh thirty minutes after their arrival. He ushered her to a corner away from the prying ears of their dates. "What's up with you? Why the long face?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Callie replied smoothly, face expressionless.
"Uh-huh." Chris lifted a brow. "Come on, out with it. Why aren't you enjoying yourself? You haven't even asked Susan to dance. Hell, you haven't even talked to her since we got here."
"Just leave me alone," she muttered.
"What?"
"I said," Callie looked up at him, "leave me alone."
"Aw, come on," Chris wrapped an arm around her shoulder and shook her. "Don't be such a party pooper. The night is still young and I'm sure Susan would love to dance with you."
Any other time his touch would send her heart into a frenzy but Callie felt too down to take pleasure in it because she knew the touch was just casual to him. Sighing, she shrugged his arm off her shoulder and stepped away from him. "I don't feel like dancing."
Chris frowned at her. "Cal, what's wrong? You know you can talk to me right? Did someone say something to offend you?" He looked around them, body language going tense at the thought of someone offending his friend. "Who was it? Tell me and I'll gladly deal with them."
Callie shook her head. "No, no one said anything to me." Actually, aside for a few glances, no one paid attention to her. For that she was grateful.
Chris stared at her, brows furrowing with concern and confusion. "Hey. You're really not having fun, are you?"
She shook her head. "Don't let me bring you down, Chris. I'm fine. Why don't you go back to your date, she's looking this way."
Chris glanced back and met Brenda's questioning eyes. He flashed her a smile but turned his attention back to Callie. "You know what, I know how to get you back in the mood."
I was never in 'the mood', Callie thought but didn't comment. All this feeling sorry for herself was getting her tired.
"Wait here," Chris told her, handsome face suddenly looking excited. He pointed sternly at her as he started to walk away backwards. "Don't go anywhere, okay? Stay right there."
Callie lifted a brow and watched him turn around to jog towards the DJ's booth. A horrible feeling began to set on her stomach when she saw him whispering to the DJ's ear. The DJ with the colorful dreads and rainbow shirt grinned at Chris and nodded, turning his attention to his records.
"What did you do?" She asked him suspiciously when he jogged back to her.
With a wide smile plastered across his face, Chris didn't say anything but grabbed her hand and began to tug her towards the empty dance floor.
"Oh no." Callie's eyes went wide. "Oh no, no, no. Chris, I don't want to do this. I don't want to dance!"
"Come on," Chris urged her, still dragging her across the room towards the dance floor. "Dance with me, Cal."
Callie shook her head, heart pounding wildly. "Chris! No!" She tried to plant her shoes on the ground but it was useless. Chris kept dragging her as if her struggle didn't affect him. "Chris!"
He released her as soon as they got to the middle of the dance floor. Feeling many eyes on them, Callie tried to make a run for it only to be dragged back. "Stay." Chris sent her a stern look. He nodded to the DJ and the DJ sent him two thumbs up before the stereos began to blare with a familiar song.
"Oh God," Callie moaned, recognizing Michael Jackson's "Thriller".
"Come on Cal," Chris grinned at her. "'No mere mortal can resist, the evil of the Thriller'." Then he threw his head back and howled, making Callie jump.
It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark...
Callie covered her face to keep herself from laughing at the sight of Chris beginning to twitch like zombies in the Thriller video. Every time she tried to leave he'd step in front of her, blocking her path with his dancing, forcing her to back away from him.
Cause this is thriller! Thriller night! There ain't no second chance with the thing with forty eyes, girl...
Callie laughed as more guys joined Chris in the Thriller dance, most of them firemen. Chris pointed to her, grinning as he shook his hips forward suggestively and moonwalked around her.
They will possess you, unless you change that number on the dial...
Laughing uncontrollably, Callie no longer noticed the others watching them, instead she was lost in the humorous twinkle in Chris's eyes as he dance and pulled her to join him.
"Dance, Cal!" Chris shouted over the music. "Follow our moves!"
Callie tried to follow their steps but she knew she was doing a horrible job at it but the thing was, she didn't care! Suddenly, she was having too much fun. And there were others who had joined them, including Susan, who didn't know the exact moves but they were having fun too. If she was making a fool of herself, then so were they.
Right there, her love for Chris grew even more and suddenly, she wished that the night would never end, not this moment between them. She wished that she could have him all to herself but all too soon the song ended with Ch
ris laughing and patting her on the back. He looked proud of her and she smiled at him, proud of herself too.
She didn't realize it then, but later she'd realize that Chris was helping her crack out of her shell, one chip at a time.
Chapter Four
Still laughing and winded, the trio made their way back to Brenda, who smiled and immediately went to Chris and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"You guys looked so silly out there," Brenda laughed as Chris planted a kiss on her forehead, his arm snaking around her waist. "But it was entertaining to watch."
Callie felt the woman's eyes land on her and suddenly felt self conscious. Fidgeting, she gave Brenda a tiny smile. "It was fun. Chris is a great dancer."
"Don't be modest," Chris winked at her, "just say what's on your mind. I'm a FANTASTIC dancer."
Callie snorted and rolled her eyes at him but couldn't help but be affected by the wide teasing smile on his gorgeous face. "Sorry, only one compliment a day. If I give you any more than that then you'll become greedy and I'll never hear the end of it."
Chris sent her a wounded look before his eyes landed on Susan. "Some friend he is, right?"
Susan laughed at his expression. "You're a wonderful dancer, Chris, but Cal is right, we can't make your ego bigger than it already is."
"See that?" Chris looked down at Brenda by his side, "they're ganging up on me."
"Mmm," Brenda purred, giving him a peck on the chin. "Well I think you're a fantastic dancer."
"Atta girl," Chris chuckled and nuzzled her neck.
Callie watched them and imagined herself shoving Brenda away from Chris and diving towards her like a fly squirrel and belly-plopping on the skinny woman. The image of Brenda looking like a flat pancake strangely made her feel a little better. Just a little.
At the thought of pancake, Callie longingly glanced at the tables filled with goodies. It really wasn't healthy to eat whenever she felt down but then again, since she had been so nervous all day because of this date she hadn't eaten since breakfast.
Sighing, Callie resisted the urge to go to the table, telling herself that she can wait and get something to eat in the comfort of her own home. She didn't want anyone giving her funny looks. She could already see peoples reaction. The fat girl by the food table. Ha ha ha.
No, Callie corrected herself with a wince. The fat guy by the food table.
"Christopher!"
Callie looked up at the sound of the excited voice and watched as an elegant man dressed in a shiny grey tux made his way towards them. The man was a pretty one with sleek blonde hair and laughing blue eyes that looked too familiar for comfort. She watched with amazement as the pretty man came right up to Chris and gave him noisy air kisses from cheek to cheek.
"Hey, Abel," Chris smiled at the man with eyes identical to his own. "Glad to see that you made it."
"Ha!" Abel waved a hand, looking strangely graceful as he did so. "I wouldn't have missed this for the world. Surprisingly, there are a lot of important people here."
Chuckling, Chris broke away from Brenda and faced his three companions. "Ladies," he said smoothly, "and gentleman," he added with a wink at Cal, "let me introduce you to my brother, Abel."
"Uh-belle," Abel pronounced, smiling at his brothers friends. "I pronounce my name that way because it gives it an elegant flair, don't you think?"
Callie stared at him, mesmerized. So this was Chris's mysterious gay brother? He certainly was...extravagant.
"Abel," Chris said, using the masculine name their mother had give his brother because he felt ridiculous saying 'Uh-belle.' "Abel, I'd like you to meet Brenda, my gorgeous date. Susan, my gorgeous co-worker and Cal, my gorgeous friend."
Callie sent him a dry look, knowing that Chris was teasing her yet again.
"Hi," Brenda smiled prettily and offered her hand to Abel. "It's so nice to finally meet you. Chris has told me so much about you. You're a hair stylist right? I've been meaning to go to your salon here in Seattle."
"You'd have to book a reservation, darling," Abel said, ignoring Brenda's hand. "My salon is always packed."
"Oh." Brenda's smile dimmed as she lowered her hand. "Isn't that nice?"
"I love the highlights in your hair," Susan commented, admiring Abel, "it simply looks divine on you."
Abel smiled at the flattery, gently patting his hair. "Well thank you, I do my best to advertise my work."
Callie kept staring at Abel, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by his presence...and he had a big presence. She never met anyone like him.
Abel focused his eyes on Callie and grinned. "Ah, so you're Cal. Chris has told me so much about you that I feel like I've known you all my life." To her surprise, he bent down to give her air kisses on each cheek.
He straightened, eyes twinkling with amusement. "My, aren't you just adorable." To her surprise yet again, his fingers locked on her chubby cheeks in a tight pinch. "So cute!"
Callie stared wide eyed at him, mouth hanging open in protest but couldn't seem to form the right words. Her eyes darted pleadingly at Chris but the jerk looked far too amused for her taste. She certainly wasn't going to get any help there.
"Come," Abel said suddenly, sliding his arm around Callie's. "Let's talk and get to know each other better. I'll even show you naked pictures of Chris when he was a baby. Did you know that he wet his bed till he was seven?" Abel sighed sadly. "Tragic really."
"Hey!" Chris glared at his brother. "Don't you dare."
"Hmph!" Abel flipped his head back and ignored Chris, practically dragging poor and confused Callie with him. "He did you know," Abel whispered with mischief. "I even have a picture of him crying by his bed with the pee stain on it."
Callie chuckled nervously, glancing back at Chris who was already engrossed in a conversation with Brenda and Susan. Swallowing, she looked up at Abel and couldn't help noticing that he was just about as tall as his brother but built slimmer. He didn't have the muscles that Chris had but he still looked slenderly fit.
She had to wonder though, what did Chris's brother want with her? Shouldn't he be talking to Brenda instead? After all, Brenda was his brother's date. She on the other hand was just his chubby friend. Callie was completely at lost at Abel's interest.
"Isn't my brother just wonderful?" Abel asked her, leading them into the men's restroom. Callie didn't comment, mutely staring up at the "Men's Restroom" sign with wide eyes.
Oh lord, she thought, I hope I don't see something that I don't wanna see in there. If Callie's mother saw her daughter now (the same mother who had tried to beat the fineness of a lady into Callie without much success) she'd have a heart attack.
The restroom was surprisingly clean with the stalls unoccupied. Abel released his hold on Callie and checked himself out in the mirror. "Did you hear me, hun?"
"Huh?" Callie jumped. "W-what?"
"I said, isn't Chris just wonderful?" His eyes connected with Callie's through the mirror. Feeling like a trapped rabbit under his gaze, Callie nodded furiously in agreement.
Abel smiled. "You know, when we were kids, he used to drive our parents crazy. He has a bleeding heart so every week he'd come home with a homeless animal."
Callie had to smile fondly at the image of a young Chris with an injured puppy safely in his arms.
"I used to be chubby too," Abel admitted with a sigh. "I mean really big. And kids being kids, they teased me constantly and was even bullied. Even though I'm two years older than Chris, he'd always get into fights for my honor."
Callie stared at Abel's reflection in the mirror, wondering why he felt like telling her all of this, not that she minded.
"From elementary school to the beginning of his high school year he'd defend me. I could never wish for a better brother. It's because of him that I lost all that weight. When he was a Freshman and I was a Junior, he made me start working out with him." Abel rolled his eyes at the memory. "He was a tyrant! But all the same, he helped me lose all that weight and now look at me. I look fabulous, don't
I?"
Callie nodded. It was hard to imagine that a beautiful man like Abel used to be fat.
"So you see why I adore him so much. I look out for Chris as he looks out for me" Abel smiled, turning to face her. "So you see why I have to wonder why such a seemingly nice girl like you is pretending to be a guy."
Callie's heart stopped. "W-what?"
Abel crossed his arms and leaned his back against the sink. "Now, now, don't try to deny it. My blind brother might not be able to see it but I certainly do. You're a girl."
Oh god, Callie thought with a sickening feeling settling in her stomach. I'm doomed!
Abel lifted up a perfectly trimmed blonde brow. "Well?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," she blurted out pathetically and tried to make a run for it but Abel was fast. He smoothly stepped in her path to block the exit.
"Tsk, tsk," he shook his head. "I don't think so."
Callie bit her lower lip, feeling helpless and trapped. Oh god! Why!? Why after all this time did it have to be Chris's brother who calls her out? Why!?
Round shoulders slumping down with defeat, she stared pitiably at him and said in a small voice, "Please don't tell him."
"Why?" He challenged, "why shouldn't I tell him? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tell my brother that he's been fooled all this time."
Callie's eyes burned with unshed tears at the thought of Chris hating her because of her lie. It hurt too much to imagine his beautiful sky blue eyes looking at her with betrayal and disgust.
"Please," she heard herself pleading, "please don't tell him."
"Why?"
"Because...cause I don't want him to hate me." Covering her face with her hands, her body began to shake with the force of her suppressed tears. "Please. I don't want him to hate me! I-I did it out of desperation! He thought I was a guy when we first met and I didn't correct him because...because..." Callie gave up and burst into tears.
This is it, she thought, her charade ends tonight. Abel is going to tell Chris what a big fat fraud she was and he'd hate her. They won't even be friends anymore!
Big Fat Liar Page 4