It’s 6:15 pm when Calum knocks on my door. I am refreshed, well-fed and thinking clearly. We can have our talk today. Or skip it till Saturday. I open the door to a smiling Calum. He sizes me up and I almost spin to give him a better look of my dress. He came. I thought he wouldn’t. “Would you like to take a walk with me?” he asks after a minute of silence. I nod shyly and he almost stretches his hand to me, slipping it into his pocket at the last minute. “Shall we?” “We shall,” I whisper. Calum opens the door wider for me to step out first. I wait behind to lock the door and we head towards the elevator. Inside the metallic box, I steal glances at his profile. What’s he thinking? His finger drums a rhythm on his hip, the only audible sound in the elevator till it pings at our stop. Sticking by his side, we head outside the hotel and the cool London breeze hits our

Calum further proves his point by strolling into the room naked. A towel dangles from his neck with another tied around his neck. He beams and his not-so-little man jerks in a wave. Asshole. “Do you want to pick out something for me to wear?” Calum asks. I don’t answer. I scoot to his wardrobe and pull out his boxers. “Really?” I want to feel the heat of his body. Undoing the buttons of my pyjamas top paired with skimpy shorts stopping an inch below my ass, I tell him, “I can take off my shirt so we are even.” “Sounds like a fair trade.” When we are both in the same state of undress, he guides me to the bed and spoons me from behind. The heat of his chest spreads through my back. Pushing my hair out of the way, he litters kisses from the path below my ear to the curve of my neck. I drag the cover over our legs and bring his hand to palm my stomach. My boobs are in desperate need

“Bubble gum?” Calum asks. I nod again. The hand holding the bubble gum hangs in the air, he stares at it, then at me. “Good luck charm?” “Well, yeah. Since I won’t be going with you, you need it. My mum always gave one to me every time I had to sing or go on stage or just do...” Calum covers the foot of space between us and braces one elbow on the door of the wardrobe. I keep still. Well, I try but he looks too gorgeous with his hair messed up stylishly and I want to keep him inside the room with me forever. I pry open his palm and dump the bubble gum on it.“Who says you won’t be going with me?” he asks.“Well, who says I’m going with you?” He points a finger at his chest. “You didn’t say anything.” “Because we were headed to your room anyway and you would have gotten a chance to change .” My lips pucker. Part from anger, h

Sunday morning sneaks upon us like a thief. It is our last day here. Our reality hovers above us all morning. Things will be different once we return to Wells. No more stolen kisses or open touches. It will suck big time and I don’t look forward to it.Calum orders a full English breakfast to cheer me up. When the attendant trolleys in the food, his blues bore into the tray, then at the back of the attendant’s head as he exits the room.“What is this?” Calum asks, pushing the trolley closer to the bed. His face has the same look of amusement it did when I ordered the spaghetti. I adjust to create space. He dumps the tray on the bed and stabs the crisp bacon. “This is all of it?” There’s bacon. Scrambled eggs. Sausage. Toast. A large side of baked beans for two. Even two cups of coffee. I sit cross-legged on the bed and dish our food into the smaller plates on the tray. “Yep. All of it. What were

CALUMCathy is hardly awake by the time the car drives into the familiar streets of Wells. The best I can do is haul our bags. Sadly, I have to watch my girl trot up the stairs on wobbly feet when she should be nestled in my arms and carried up to her room. Our long kisses, hugs on the way home feel like nothing now we have to face reality. It’s time for us to stop hiding. Pete’s car is parked out front. I flash my image on the window a smile and rehearse a few lines in my head. Mum should also be home. She’s the real issue, the person we need to convince. Cathy halts at the top of the front stairs without opening the door. Quickening my pace to find out the problem, I’m smothered in a tight hug. Her eyes well with tears, she sniffs and throws me a smile. Questions hang on the tip of my tongue as she unlocks the door. I follow behind but slow down to see what caught her interest.Our parents cuddled on the co