"There, there," Callie felt a hand patting her back. "You poor thing. You're in love with my brother, aren't you?"
Callie nodded, face still buried in her hands. She felt too embarrassed at her emotional breakdown to look up at the brother of the man she was hopelessly in love with.
Abel sighed sympathetically. "I know. That man is just too charming and good-looking for his own good, isn't he?"
Callie nodded weakly.
"All the girls just seem to fall for him and my friends mourn that he's straight as a pole." He patted her back again. "I have to admit though, you're the first person to go through such lengths just to be by his side. I can't imagine another woman forsaking her femininity like this."
"I know," Callie said dejectedly, "I'm pathetic. A pathetic fat liar."
"Boy," Abel murmured, "Chris wasn't kidding when he told me you liked to bring yourself down a lot."
Finally, Callie lifted her head up from her hands and blinked up at him. "Chris really talked to you about me?"
Abel nodded with a smile. "Yes, it was like he was a kid with a lost puppy again. He said how sad you seemed and wanted to help you out. He likes you. He thinks you're funny and smart but lacks confidence."
Callie sniffed. "I can't help that." Sometimes, no matter how much you tried to be brave and raise your fist to the world, the world works harder to beat you down and god did she feel beaten.
"You know," Abel began, wrinkling his nose. "I'm surprised that Chris mistook you for a man. He prides himself at being such a lady killer."
"It's because I'm fat," Callie said miserably. "And my hair is short and my voice is husky. No one's been able to tell that I was a girl since I got my stupid hair cut and gained more weight."
"Why did you cut it?"
She shrugged. "It was a symbolic gesture. I moved to a new city, a new place. The hairdresser convinced me to cut my hair shorter than I had intended to before dying it this color." Callie pointed to her dark auburn hair that Chris had slicked back with gel. "She said it made me look 'angelic'. What a load of crap."
Abel chuckled. "You poor dear. We should march right back to that salon and harpoon the bitch."
Callie laughed, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "Don't I wish."
"Even though Chris thinks you're a man, he must think that's something else is up with you."
Callie's heart jumped. "What? What do you mean?"
Abel shrugged. "Well, he asked me to take a look at you and see if you're one of my kind."
"Huh?"
He chuckled again. "My brother wanted me to see if you were gay, honey."
Callie's jaw dropped. "What!? Why? I told him that I wasn't."
"Well," Abel tapped his chin, looking at her up and down. "Well...while it's true that to the untrained eye you look...boyish, Chris has that lady killer instinct. I think his subconscious is telling him you're a girl but since you never corrected his assumption of you being a man, he assumes that you're a gay man. He has hung out long enough with me and my friends to hear us talk. Some of us talk...girly. He said that you talk the same way."
First he mistakes her for a man, now a gay man? Callie sighed. Will the humiliation never end?
"You should tell him the truth, you know," Abel told her. "Chris...he gives his trust away very easily but once it's broken it's pretty hard to win back. He thinks very highly of you, my dear. I'm sad to say that if he finds out about your little lie, he'll be very upset."
"I know," she whispered hoarsely, making her husky voice sound huskier. "I know that I should have been honest with him but...I'm sorry." Callie hung her head in shame.
Abel sighed. "Well...I guess it's his fault too for making rude assumptions. I honestly can't wait to see his face if he finds out that his 'lady killer' instinct had failed him." His lips twisted with humor. "That will take him down a peg."
Callie looked up at him with hopeful wide eyes. "So...does that mean you won't tell him?"
Abel tapped his chin again and studied her, but she could see the glint of mischief in his eyes. "Well, it's really none of my business and this situation is quite amusing."
Right then, Callie fell in love with him. Not the same 'love' that she felt for Chris but it was more of a sisterly love feeling. "Thank you!" She attacked him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Ooof!" Abel let out a breathless sound as she kept squeezing him, practically picking him off the floor. "Cal...darling...you're squeezing me to death."
"Oh!" Callie dropped him and backed away with a sheepish smile. "Sorry."
"Hmph!" Abel straightened his suit. "My, you're a strong girl, aren't you?"
"I know that it's wrong to keep lying to him," she told him with a grave voice, "but I...I just want more time with him like this. If he had known that he had made a mistake and saw that I was a girl, he would have never treated me like a close buddy. Never would have confided in me and treated me like...like the way he does now. He would have probably been embarrassed and kept his distance from me."
Abel nodded in agreement. "True."
"I know this lie will blow up in my face sooner or later so while I still can...I want to be beside him. Even just as a close friend."
Abel's eyes turned sad when he looked at her. "You're breaking your own heart you know."
"I know." It's the price she was willing to pay.
"You poor flower."
Flower? Callie mentally laughed at that. She wasn't no flower. Or maybe what Abel meant was that like a flower...she'd begin to wither without knowing how it would feel like to be truly loved by Chris.
Abel took out a pen and business card from his pocket and scrambled down his cell phone number on the back of it. "Here," he handed her the card. "If you need help with anything, anything at all, just call me. Don't be afraid."
Callie stared at his number and looked up gratefully at him. "Thank you."
"Well," Abel let out a deep breath and dusted his suit jacket. "We've been in here long enough, don't you think? Chris is probably wondering what's taking us so long. Now dry those tears. I wouldn't want him to think that I picked on you and made you cry."
Nodding, Callie quickly went to a stall to take out some tissue and noisily blew her nose with it. Smiling weakly at Abel, she washed and dried her hands. "Okay." She faced him. "Better?"
Abel nodded, not pointing out that her eyes looked swollen and her cheeks were too flushed. Hesitating by the exit, Callie paused and looked at him. "Um...Abel, how were you able to tell that...you know."
"That you're a woman?" Abel waved a hand. "Bah! Don't insult me. I have a very trained eye and it would take blind idiots to not see that you're not a man. Besides, I've been studying you the moment you entered the room. The way you look at my brother is a dead giveaway to how you feel about him, darling, but of course my brother can't see that either. He's so hopeless."
Callie frowned. Good lord! Was she that obvious? She better start hiding her feelings better. Susan hadn't commented on anything so maybe the other woman just didn't notice but what about Brenda? Whenever the pretty Asian woman thought that Callie wasn't paying attention, she'd give her these thoughtful looks. Was Brenda on to her?
"Come, come, your prince awaits." Abel made a showing of elegantly half bowing and sweeping his hands towards the exit.
Callie laughed softly and shuffled out the men's room and collided with her worst nightmare.
"Sorry," the familiar deep voice rumbled, not sounding sorry at all. Dark green eyes settled down at her with disgust. "You should watch where you're going, fella."
Callie gaped at the familiar handsome face of her ex-fiance. Holy shit! Her mind screamed with shock. What the hell is Greg doing here!?
This night just kept leading her from one awkward situation to another.
Chapter Five
"Why don't you watch out where you're going?" Abel snapped, coming up from behind Callie. He lifted a brow as if daring the other man to c
hallenge him.
Greg's dark green eyes narrowed, not in the slightest bit intimidated. "Why don't you mind your own business and get out of my way?" He walked around Callie without so much as another glance down at her and brushed passed Abel without another word.
But Abel wasn't through with him. Following the handsome but rude dark haired man with a mischievous twinkle of challenge in his eyes, Abel huffed. "My, aren't you a rude one? Didn't your mama teach you manners?"
Greg shot Abel a deadly glare but didn't take the bait. Walking inside an empty stall, he slammed the door close.
"Pompous ass," Abel muttered under his breath but he couldn't help feel a thrill of excitement. Perhaps he has found his new target of the month. Straight men were always fun to mess with. He just had to find out what Mr. Uppity's name was which shouldn't be too hard. He looked like a distinguished fellow that was easily recognized. It wouldn't take Abel long to find out exactly who he was.
With that in mind, Abel cheerfully turned and found that his new amusing friend 'Cal' had all but vanished.
Callie walked as fast as her pudgy legs could carry her, eyes nervously darting from left to right. She spotted Chris and his date talking with men she assumed to be firemen but Susan was nowhere in sight.
Panicking, she began to look around for other familiar faces. If Greg was here then there was a strong chance that Richard, her bastard of a stepfather, was also here at the Fireman's Ball as well.
But what would they be doing here!? Callie thought, mind racing. She had left them behind in Portland so what were they doing all the way in Seattle!? Were they here for business? Greg and Richard were ruthless real-estate businessmen so maybe they were in Seattle to close a business deal...
Callie froze, her nervously racing heart nearly leaping out her throat when she spotted the familiar figure of her mother clad in an extravagant emerald dress with her pale blonde hair piled up above her head.Even at age forty-three she was still a sticking woman.
OH MY GOD! Callie's mind screamed with horror. NO! Not my mother!
That was all she needed, for her mother to be here as well! Moaning with frustration, Callie made sure to hide herself between two couples, watching her mother from across the room between them.
This is bad, Callie thought with a sense of pending doom. If her mother was here then her sisters would be as well. Like chicks following the hen, her sisters were never far from their mother. And sure enough, she spotted Sarah and Hannah not too far from Annie Picket-Greene, both girls wearing soft pink dresses that was nearly identical aside for Hanna''s skirt being longer. Vain Sarah was very proud of her slender legs and would do anything to get the chance to show them off.
What in the world are they doing here!? Callie thought again. Was this night designed to bust her cover? Then again, Greg hadn't recognized her. The jerk. Had she really changed THAT much? Sure the last time he had seen her she was a bit smaller with long blonde hair but still! It was very disturbing that her ex-fiance hadn't seemed aware as to who she was. Like the rest, he had assumed her to be a man.
Would her family be any different? It was sickening, but she certainly hoped that they wouldn't recognize her.
"Cal?"
Squeaking, Callie looked behind her to see Chris making his way through a crowd towards her. The warm smile on his luscious lips didn't fail to send her heart aflutter but this wasn't the time to daydream about licking them. Now was the time to run faster than a hooker in heels.
Turning, Callie dove inside a crowd a people, hoping to lose Chris in them. "Cal!" She heard him shout behind her, making several heads turn their way. Callie groaned, mentally shouting for Chris to shut up and not bring attention to her.
"S'cuse me," Callie mumbled, shoving though people. "Sorry, s'cuse me, coming through." Disapproving looks were sent her way but no one stopped her. And then she had to bump into her second nightmare of the night.
"Whoa," Richard, her step-father caught her shoulder. "Watch where you're going." At age fifty-four, Richard was still a handsome man with a streak of silver hair across his black hair and strangely enough, he resembled the actor Richard Gere, which he would always point out to others. Standing at exactly six feet like Greg, Richard Greene could be a charming man but Callie knew that beneath that charm was the heart of a cold business man.
"Sorry," Callie mumbled, jerking away from Richard and quickly made her way around him. She could feel his eyes burning through her back as she shuffled away.
Not good, not good, Callie chanted, arms swinging back and forth as she hurried away. She was surrounded by her buffoon relatives!
"Cal!" She heard Chris shout behind her once again, though he sounded a bit more distant this time. "Hey!"
She turned and met his eyes from across the room. Leave me alone, she tried to message with her eyes, practically squinting at him to get the picture. Was he trying to blow her cover!? Couldn't he see that she was desperately trying to get out without causing more attention to herself? Stupid question, of course not. He had no idea.
And that, Callie thought with heartache, is the exact problem here.
She couldn't risk for one of her relatives t recognize her when Chris was just a couple of feet away. It would really be hard to explain to her family why she was dressed as a man and it would be really devastating to beg Chris for forgiveness if he finds out about her lie right in front of them. Sarah would surely enjoy her humiliation.
"Cal," Abel appeared out of nowhere and stepped in her path. "What's going on? Where are you going?"
"Help me!" She begged, nearly bursting into tears for the second time that night. This was just all too much for her. "Make Chris stay away from me! Gag and tie him up like a roasted pig if you have to!"
Abel blinked. "Why?"
"My family is here!"
Eyes widening with surprise, it took him just a couple of seconds before making his decision. "All right. You can count on me." Suddenly looking amused and excited, Abel hurriedly walked around her to make his way towards his brother. But she heard him say, "I haven't had this much fun since that orgy in Paris!"
Orgy? Callie mouthed, staring at his departing back with wide eyes before shaking her head in wonder. Abel was just too strange. Squaring her round shoulders with determination, Callie turned to make a beeline for the exit but paused when she spotted her mother eying her. Ducking, Callie walked faster.
I'm not gonna make it, she thought ruefully. The exit was still a ways away and it was becoming hard to walk through the thickening crowd. Glancing back, she found her mother advancing towards her in an alarming yet graceful pace.
Would God punish her for wishing that the glittering disco ball above their heads would crash right on top of her mother? Not to intentionally hurt her...just knock her out.
Doomed, Callie thought. I'm doomed. And then she spotted a silk blue dress. Susan!
The idea that instantly formed in her head was completely unexpected and impulsive but it was the only plan she had. Desperate times called for desperate measures and boy was she desperate! To throw her mother off her trail, she was willing to do anything...and that's why she was going to do it.
Forgive me, Susan. Callie advanced towards the woman whose back was turned to her, hoping that Susan would forgive her and not make a scene.
"Susie!" She cried, grabbing Susan's arm. "There you are! I-I love you!" And before she could change her mind, she jerked Susan around and planted a kiss right on her lips. Callie heard an intake of sharp breath from behind her so she broke the kiss to look back on time to see her mother marching back towards her step-father.
Annie Picket-Greene hated any show of intimacy or affection in public. She thought it to be a disgraceful act that should be done in private and Callie could see that her plan had worked. She had managed to repulse her away. Annie probably didn't recognize her anyway or she would have made a scene, seeing her daughter kissing another woman so shamelessly. She had probably just wanted to get a better look at Callie,
who looked strangely familiar to her from a distance.
Safe! Callie let out a relieved breath and turned to apologize to Susan but reared back in shock when she realized that the eyes glaring furiously at her didn't belong to Susan.
Oh my god! Callie's eyes widened. I kissed the wrong woman!
"You pig!" The unknown woman cried with outrage right about the same time she swung her arm back and punched Callie right on the left eye. Stumbling backwards at the impact of the punch, Callie crashed into a table. The table broke beneath her weight and sent food flying forward.
Dazed, Callie watched as different variety of food was sent sailing into the air, hitting unsuspecting people starting to dance on the dance floor. Women being pelted with flying food shrieked and tried to get away only to crash into others trying to make an escape. To make matters worse, a rotating ham hit a man right in the back of his head and sent him pitching forward. The poor man stumbled right on top of the chocolate fountain a couple of feet away from him before crashing on the ground along with it.
More women screamed and men shouted as they began to slip and slide on the puddle of thick chocolate on the smooth floor. Horrified and helpless, Callie watched the chaos unfold right before her eyes, knowing that this was ALL her fault.
Fighting back tears, Callie awkwardly tried to stand back up. "Cal!" Chris appeared before her, blue eyes wide with shock and concern. Abel wasn't far behind him with the same worried expression.
Judging from the look on their faces, Callie could only assume that they had seen everything. While she had desperately tried to prevent a disaster to occur, she unwittingly caused another. Choking back a sob, she let Abel and Chris pull her up to her feet. A pain so overwhelming invaded her chest that as soon as she was on her feet, she pushed away from them and turned around to flee.
"I'm a disaster," she whispered through her tears. "A walking weapon of mass destruction". If the ex-president Bush was looking for a weapon of mass destruction, he had been sadly looking in the wrong place because she was right here.
Big Fat Liar Page 5