Claiming Callie: Part two

by Rion, Paige

  “So, where were we?” Greg asks as he sits back down.

  Callie smiles and crosses her legs, angling her body toward Dean. She runs a finger across his arm in a way so natural that it almost convinces him that she’s done it a million times.

  “He didn’t date a whole lot in high school, and once he did start dating more, I was already starting school here, so I didn’t see much of his girlfriends. Until he enrolled at Pitt. Once he got a more serious girlfriend, I saw them together. That’s when I knew. The first time I saw him kissing this other girl, it just hit me. I became this jealous, raging lunatic.” She laughs. “I tried to hide it, but eventually he figured it out...” She shrugs, pressing her body into his side.

  Dean tries not to stare at her while she talks. He tries to focus on the things she’s saying. He needs to know them so that he can play along with this charade, but he can’t help himself. He watches the way her glossed lips move as she speaks. He takes in the perfect curve of her ears, the little gold hoops she wears, and notices—not for the first time—how tiny they are. She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear and all he wants to do is run his hands through it. To see if all that spun gold is as soft as it looks. His eyes move to her face, absorbing her feminine features—the soft slope of her nose, the bow of her mouth, the curve of her jaw...

  Callie clears her throat loudly, breaking through his thoughts. His focus slowly returns to the situation at hand and he realizes she’s waiting for him to say something, to complete the story. Not entirely sure where she left off, he takes a shot, saying a silent prayer that it’s right.

  “Uh, yeah. As soon as I realized her feelings for me, I was sold. I’ve always liked her,” he says, his voice soft. He glances at her, wondering if she can see the truth of his words in his eyes. “She was my first crush. And for a long time, the only girl I ever wanted.” He pauses, his gaze lingering.

  Reach out and touch her. You’re allowed, remember? You’re supposed to be her boyfriend.

  He reaches a hand out and gently tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. It’s smooth like silk, soft. And as he inhales to finish what he was saying, he breathes in the clean scent of her lavender shampoo. His stomach clenches, and he’s too aware that her side is pressed into his, their hands still intertwined, hers resting on his leg.

  Swallowing, he says, “Once I came to school, I figured I had to move on. That there was never a chance for us. But…”

  He loses his train of thought. Again.

  Damn, why can’t I focus?

  Because Callie’s gazing into his eyes, and that soft blue makes him forget where he is. He forgets that Greg is sitting across from him and Maya is hanging nearby, watching, taking pictures.

  He reaches out and lets his thumb gently graze the side of her face. But after a moment, her eyes flicker away from his to something beside them. The corners of her mouth draw up in a smile, and she leans into him. She begins to whisper, and before he can comprehend what she’s saying all he can think is that this looks intimate: the very goal they want to achieve.

  “I think it’s working,” she says.

  He blinks, feeling numb and completely alive all in the same breath, and it takes him a second to realize she’s referring to Maya—their effort at jealousy—and not his own plan of capturing her heart. As dawning sinks in, he glances next to him. Maya stares at them while she bites her lower lip and quickly glances away, but not before he is able to glimpse the anxiety in her expression. He turns his attention back to Greg, whom Callie’s chatting with, and the spell is broken.

  “When Dean saw how crazy I got at seeing him with someone else, he realized that we could actually be together,” Callie says.

  Her words hit him. For the first time since he hatched this plan, he realizes that Maya is sharp enough to figure out that Callie’s the girl he broke up with her for. And suddenly he’s wondering if his plan is such a good idea. In his excitement to win Callie over, he had never thought about Maya getting hurt, but maybe that’s because he never imagined trying to make her jealous would work. He’ll have to do something about this…

  Greg smiles. And asks another question, which Callie answers, but Dean’s too distracted to pay much attention. He resists the urge to drag his hand across his face. God, dude. Get it together.

  “So, what did your sister think when she found out that her best friend and her brother were dating?” Greg asks.

  Needing the distraction, Dean jumps in and answers. “She was a little shocked at first, and it took her a while to get used to it, but eventually she came around. When you put it into perspective, it can’t get much better than the two people you’re closest to, being together,” he says, hoping to plant a seed.

  He glances at Callie from the corner of his eye, but she seems unfazed by anything he says. She has a mask on for Greg, one Dean wishes he could crack with some real emotion.

  “What’s the advantage to dating someone you’ve known for so long?”

  “That’s easy.” Dean says. “We’re already comfortable with each other, yet there’s this heat there that we never knew existed. But we already know each other’s history, how to act around each other… It’s the same as being in a regular relationship except you bypass all the bullshit, and because of how long we’ve known each other, the feelings run deeper.”

  Dean inhales a shaky breath, hoping no one notices. He doesn’t bother glancing at Callie this time. He doesn’t want to see any disinterest.

  “Callie, you graduate this year. What do you plan on doing after graduation? Do you have any plans to move? If so, do you think you two will be able to continue your relationship away from here?”

  Dean’s stomach lurches at the thought.

  “I actually have a promised position with GG Financial. Maintaining a relationship will be no problem. Even if I moved away, our relationship is strong enough to sustain long distance.” Her gaze flickers behind Greg, before she turns her attention back to Dean. It takes him a moment to realize she is keeping her eye on Maya, assessing her demeanor and playing off of her.

  Callie unclasps her hand from his and places her palm on the side of his face. “After all, we’ve known each other so long. It would take a lot more than some excess miles to keep us apart.”

  Click.

  Dean hears the shutter of the camera and knows the moment is captured—Callie’s hand on his face, staring into his eyes. Goose bumps trail the back of his neck, and he wonders what she feels. Nothing? Not even a spark?

  “I think that about wraps it up,” Greg says, and Callie drops her hand. “This will be a short feature, just a write-up on how you met and are college sweethearts, that sorta thing. It should run next week.” He stands and gathers his things. “Maya will take a couple more photos, then you’re all done.” He steps away from them and exchanges a few words with Maya before he leaves.

  Callie moves beside Dean and wraps an arm around his waist. “Why don’t you…um…take a minute,” she says, subtly nodding in Maya’s direction.

  “You don’t mind?” His voice is hopeful, but not for the reason Callie thinks. Not because he wants to talk to Maya, but because of the ridiculous part of him that hopes Callie won’t want him to.

  “No. Don’t be crazy. That’s why we’re here. I’ll just go to the bathroom so it doesn’t seem weird that you approach her with me here.”

  Disappointment swoops in, nesting in his chest. Of course not. Why would Callie care?

  With time, I’ll make her care. That’s the whole point of this thing.

  Callie stands on her toes and gives him a light peck on the cheek. His heart’s beating so loudly he’s sure she can hear it, and all he can think at the soft press of her lips is how much he wants to turn his head to meet them with his own.

  But the moment is over in seconds, with Callie disappearing to the bathroom behind them. Clearing his throat, Dean goes to where Maya’s unloading her camera from her bag. She glances up as he approaches and flashes him a tight smil
e.

  “Hey, Maya.”

  “Hi,” she says, without glancing up at him.

  “Listen, I need to explain something to you…”

  Maya finally looks at him. Her eyes pierce him down, rooting him to his spot. “That’s her, isn’t it? The girl you couldn’t get over?” Her voice is soft, and surprisingly, no trace of anger is laced through her words.

  Dean nods and shoves his hands in his pocket. Feeling like a complete ass, he stares at the ground, as if this admission costs him something. “I just… Shit, this is going to sound so messed up.” How does he say what he’s doing with her without sounding like a complete lunatic?

  “It’s fine. I’m in a relationship, Dean. No worries, honestly. It’s okay. If anything, I’m guess I’m glad you finally got what you wanted.”

  Except he hasn’t. Not at all. And her words stab at his heart just a bit.

  She shakes her head and slings her bag over her shoulder. “It makes the fact that you couldn’t be a real boyfriend to me a little bit better.”

  He should say something. He knows it. He should come out and tell her the truth anyway. Just in case. Maya’s innocent in all of this. She was from the very beginning, yet she ended up hurt because of what he feels for Callie. If he is any sort of a man, he’ll explain what’s going on here so that she knows. He opens his mouth to speak.

  I’m just going to come right out and say it. Blurt it out. “The guy you’re with. You’re really happy? You’re not just saying that?” he asks, cursing himself for failing. Blurting out embarrassing or difficult things has never been his strong suit.

  Maya snorts. “I certainly wouldn’t say it because I want to make you feel better. My pride, on the other hand, is another thing. But, no, I’m not just saying that. We’ve been together for four months.” She shrugs her shoulders and grins. “He’s a great guy and it’s going nicely. I really think it might be something,” she adds, her face flushing a bit with this information.

  “Good. Good.” He’s bobbing his head like a damn bobblehead doll and he hates himself for it. But he consoles himself with the fact that she does look happy and appears to be telling the truth. Besides, he knows there’s more than pride holding him back. How can he tell this girl, who once cared for him, whose heart he once broke, that he’s now using her as a pawn? How can he tell her she’s the tool in which he hopes to win the heart of the girl he broke up with Maya for? Knowing he’s a jerk and admitting it to someone else are two different things.

  She steps forward, reaches up, and places a hand on Dean’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you, Dean. No hard feelings.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CALLIE

  Callie sits at The Perch outside Sutherland Hall. She comes here for lunch occasionally with Jinny, usually dining on a wrap from Mato’s. Today, however, she sits across from Jinny at Hill Top Grill. Not because she wants a burger, but because this is Maya’s go-to place for dining on campus.

  She stares quietly at the iced tea in front of her, gripping the sweating cup between both hands, looking up at Jinny occasionally. The silence stretches between them like a yawning lion. She hasn’t yet discussed the fact that she’s pretending to be Dean’s girlfriend. That alone makes this situation so much more awkward. They discuss everything, down to the most finite details. And now, Dean and Emmett are on their way over to the table, where Callie and he would resume another public display of their relationship in the hopes Maya would stop by, and Callie hasn’t said a word about it.

  Jinny already knows about the situation. She knows this because Jinny told her so the day after Callie agreed to the plan. It went something like this…

  Jinny: So, I know about you and Dean pretending to be a couple.

  Callie, feeling sort of foolish and uncomfortable with the way Jinny’s eyeing her: Oh.

  Jinny: Yeah. Just watch. He’s more fragile than you think. Then she storms off to her room, as if she said nothing at all.

  Still, the lack of discussion and analysis in this area of Callie’s life is an anomaly for her and Jinny, making the silence right now…

  AWKWARD.

  Unable to take it any longer, Callie clasps her hands on the table and clears her throat. “So, what do you think about me as a fake girlfriend?”

  Jinny shrugs, as if she doesn’t care about this particular conversation, but something tells Callie she really feels quite the opposite. “I don’t know. Weird, I guess. The question is: how do you feel about it?”

  Callie frowns. “It’s okay. I mean, I agreed, didn’t I? I want to help him out, and it’ll put any remaining rumors about the whole escort fiasco at bay. It’s a win-win, I guess.”

  “Yeah. Win-win. I hope so,” Jinny says, then begins to bite her lip.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Huh?” Jinny blinks at her, then shakes her head. “No. Yeah, sorry. I’m just a bit distracted. I’m not gonna lie. It’s kind of weird seeing you two together like this, but as long as you’re both on board...” Her voice trails off as Dean and Emmett approach their table.

  Dean leans down to Callie and wraps an arm around her, snuggling his face in close. The stubble on his jaw tickles her skin. “Everything okay?” he whispers.

  “Great,” Callie says, trying not to notice how both Emmett and Jinny are watching them. Putting on a display in front of a bunch of people Callie doesn’t know is one thing, but in front of these two, quite another.

  Pulling away, Dean plops down in the booth next to Callie and wraps an arm around her. She lets herself lay back on him and smiles.

  Emmett grabs a handful of fries and shoves a couple in his mouth. “I’m glad we decided on this double date. Now that you two are officially a couple, I think Jinny and I following in your footsteps is only natural. Right, love?” He turns to her and grins.

  Jinny groans. “First. This is not a date,” she says, pointing between the two of them. Second, it’s never gonna happen.”

  “I love it when she plays hard to get.”

  “So, are you guys are coming to our game Friday night?” Dean asks, stealing one of Emmett’s fries.

  “Why? Are you planning some romantic display of your affections?” Callie jokes. Glancing around the room, she looks for signs of Maya but finds none. Regardless, she grabs Dean’s hand—just in case—and begins running her fingers over his skin, tracing circles on his palm. Pretending seems to come so naturally to her.

  This fake-girlfriend stuff is cake.

  Dean laughs. “Maybe. Is that a requirement?”

  Callie shrugs. “It wouldn’t hurt. I mean, what girl doesn’t want the billboard to light up with some cheesy declaration of love? Or better yet, you could have the cheerleaders break out in a song and dance.”

  Dean’s hand leaves hers and he runs a finger up her arm. “True. Nothing says we’re a couple or spells true love like a Hallmark Channel cliché.”

  Laughing it off, she scoffs. “Men. You have no real concept of romance.” But on the inside, she’s not laughing. Suppressing the urge to shiver at his trailing fingers, she ignores the small blaze of fire that follows everywhere he touches.

  “You guys are nauseating in your flirty banter.” Emmett turns to Jinny. “What do you say we leave these two lovebirds and you can try and settle my stomach?” He winks at Jinny, who simply shakes her head in response.

  “I’m going to bathroom. I’ll be back,” Jinny says and slides out of the booth.

  She leaves and Emmett sits there, glancing around the room, whistling. This lasts two seconds, before he pauses. “Okay, now I feel like a loser sitting here alone with you two. Maybe I’ll go see if I can corner Jinny outside the bathroom, see if she wants to share a milkshake with two straws.”

  He’s halfway out of the booth when Dean turns to her. “He’s relentless.”

  “It’s kind of cute, though. Funny, at least.” Dean falls silent for a moment and clasps her hand, so she asks, “Why’d you ask about us coming to your game? Don’t we always come?
”

  “Yeah. I just wanted to make sure that this thing with us wouldn’t make you feel weird, or that you wouldn’t want to go because you’d have to keep pretending. You know?”

  Callie shakes her head and gives him her most reassuring smile. “That’s the whole point, isn’t it? Maya comes to a lot of your games. She needs to see me there and see us together. We should never squander an opportunity.”

  “Right.”

  He sounds worried. Callie feels the mood shift, so she waits until he meets her gaze, then says, “Hey, don’t worry. You’re going to win her over. I’m going to help you. All the way. You and I will make this happen.”

  “I hope so.”

  Just as Dean says the words, Callie spots Maya walking in, hand-in-hand with who she assumes is her new boyfriend. Callie smiles and whispers in Dean’s ear, “Show time.” Then she pulls away slightly and leans into his chest to feed him a French fry.

  #

  Callie gathers the papers on her desk into a pile and stuffs them in the file folder labeled the marcus account. Glancing at her watch, she realizes it’s later than she thought, but that’s okay. She has nothing pressing to do. Quite the opposite. Jinny’s out with Todd, and Dean’s basketball game isn’t until later this evening. No point in going to home to an empty apartment. Nothing feels more like a tomb than a home with no one in it. That, Callie knows from experience, and just the thought sends her already dark mood spiraling out of control.

  She thinks of her parents—as she’s done all day—and the empty apartment waiting for her, and shudders. Before she can stop herself, a familiar grief sneaks in like the grim reaper. She woke this morning with that familiar knowing. The same kind she’s had every year since her parents’ accident. That keen awareness that the anniversary of their death approaches crawls in her belly like a bad flu she can’t crush. She never knows when it will hit, but a few weeks prior to the start of March is usually a safe bet. Still, no knowledge of this fact can prepare her.