Chapter 23 Ian
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
IAN
“Hey, hey, look at me,” I tell Callum. “Come onnnn, babe, stop hiding from me.”
All I hear is a muffled protest from underneath the couch cushion that he’s holding over his face. I yank it away to reveal his sheepish, blushing cheeks.
As always, I melt at the sight. Fuckin’ adorable, this guy.
“I am not making my social media username ‘CockyCallum69,’” he insists.
“Okay, well, what about—”
“No shirtless profile picture, either!”
Wow, tough sell. “How else is the world gonna know how hot my boyfriend is?”
“They won’t.” He shrugs. “You’re the only one who gets to see me like that because you’re mine.”
Okay, way to derail the joke train and send it into a head-on collision course with the Boner Express. For a guy who moans when I push him against the wall mid-makeout, he sure likes to flip the script and get territorial in the best way possible.
“Say that again, babe,” I say.
“What?”
“Whose am I?”
He snickers, reaching up and pulling me onto him by the arm. “Mine.”
“Attaboy.” I give his hair a gentle fluff, restoring that heart-stopping bedhead I’m so drawn to.
I’m a week away from my first away-game road trip of the season, and while I’ve spent a few nights on the road here and there over the past while, seven whole days apart from my boyfriend doesn’t sound appealing in the slightest.
At least it’s warming up, so the hotel beds won’t feel too cold, but I’m a guy with needs. Emotional and physical. While distance might make the heart grow fonder, it also keeps my mouth empty and my dick deprived.
And my heart fucking aches as it grows fonder. Not nice.
I can’t wait for June—I’ll have a long summer of doing nothing more than relaxing with Callum at the lake house.
Unless he has a job or something.
Shoot, I didn’t even clock the idea of him needing to work during the summer. I know he has a scholarship, but his work-study could require a summer component.
My jaw firms up as I kick myself for being inconsiderate. Way to be a good boyfriend. Not.
“So, do you have any plans for the summer?” I ask, trying to be casual.
Callum’s head perks up. “Nah.”
Oh, thank fuck. Visions of swimming and fishing and chilling with Callum re-enter my mind and make my chest expand with blissful anticipation.
“I’m not going home, that’s for sure,” he continues.
“Yeah, no, I wasn’t thinking you would.” I nod in agreement. “I’m gonna chill at the house in Maine. Gonna be super quiet if I’m all alone,” I add, hoping he gets the hint.
He doesn’t. “Oh, okay.”
I groan, shaking his shoulder. “You should spend the summer with me at the lake house.”
Callum’s lips curve up into a little smile that makes my stomach simmer. “Yeah?”
I let myself flop down onto his chest, and he snakes a hand up my shirt, planting a firm hand on my back. “Yes, really,” I manage to say. “I’m gonna have to start forcing you to impose on me.”
My eyes roam to the plate of cookies I put on the coffee table, and I get a great idea. I grab a cookie and hold it in front of Callum, and like always, he stretches his neck forward to take a bite.
In a total asshole move, I yank it away at the last second.
Fuck. His sad, betrayed expression is almost enough to make me give in. Almost.
“Nuh-uh,” I say. “You aren’t getting a cookie until you tell me one impolite thing you’re gonna do at the lake house this summer.”
He rolls his eyes and reaches for the plate himself, and I drop onto his arm to trap it against the couch.
He scoffs. “Uh, I’m gonna… I don’t know, make you do all of my laundry?”
“Nice try, but there won’t be any laundry because we’re gonna be buck-ass naked with our dicks out for four months straight. Try harder.”
“I’ll be lazy and sit on my ass all day.”
Satisfied, I hand Callum the cookie. “Good boy.”
“Fuck off,” he replies through his mouthful of chocolate.
Since when were the words “fuck off” so endearing? I swear that guy can say anything and I’ll eat it up. I wrap my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest and listening to him chew.
“You okay there?” he asks between bites.
“Oh yeah. You’re so warm, and I’m looking forward to watching you sit on your ass all day at the lake house.”
Callum’s face hardens a little after he scarfs down the last bite of his cookie. “Are your parents gonna be okay with me going there?”
“Totally. Besides, I already took you.”
“It’ll be for four whole months. That’s a little different.”
I chuckle. “Trust me, once I tell them you’re my boyfriend, they’ll be too excited to care about anything else.”
He shifts around, almost making me fall off of him, and he sticks an arm out to save me while pinching his eyebrows together. “That would be nice. Are you sure they’d be fine?”
“Of course,” I say. “They’ve been asking if I’ve found anyone for ages now. I’ve only held off because of your history with parents and stuff.”
Callum puts his arms on my back and gives me a soul-melting scratch between my shoulder blades. “That makes sense. Thanks for considering that, but they’re your parents. I’m sure they’re great like you are.”
“Should I tell them?”
“Go right ahead.”
Grinning to myself, I pull my phone out to text the family chat.
Hey guys
Dad
sup
Mom
Hi Ian!
Flying to Zurich soon but I can talk now
What are you up to?
Nothing much, just finished breakfast with the bf
“And now we wait—”
Incoming call from Mom in the group “Family Chaos”
Dad has joined the group call in “Family Chaos”
“That was fast,” I say, picking up. “Hey, guys, what’s up?”
I keep the camera in front of me so Callum doesn’t appear in the frame.
“What’s up?” Mom asks, sitting down in an airport lounge conference room. “You know why we’re calling.”
Dad is in his home office back in New York. “Boyfriend. Details. Now.”
I can always count on him to get straight to the point.
“His name is Callum, we met in class, and he’s awesome.” Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Callum smiling when I mention him, and I squeeze his knee. “He's here right now.”
He waves at the phone, even though the camera isn’t fixed on him. “Hi.”
“Ooh, he’s got a nice voice!” Mom says, and Callum hides his growing smile. He sure does have a nice voice. It’s hot, even if I don’t say it out loud.
“Can we meet him?” Dad asks.
I glance over at Callum, stalling for time, and that typical tentative smile tugs at his lips. My god, it's as adorable as ever. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing it.
He sticks his hand out, and my heart races.
“Yeah,” I say. “Here he is.”
I hand the phone over, and he gives a small wave to my parents.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Callum.”
I rest my head on his chest, listening to his heart thump and his conversation with my parents.
They’re both excited, asking him how we met and if I’m behaving myself, and I take the phone back after a few minutes so I don’t overwhelm Callum from the start.
My parents are smiling back at me, Mom mouths “he’s cute,” which makes my face heat up, and we sign off.
“Your parents are so nice,” Callum tells me.
“They are. They weren’t around that much after I turned sixteen, but they’re awesome.”
Tilting his head, he parts his lips. “What do you mean by that?”
“I was mature enough to take care of myself alone, I guess. Doesn’t every sixteen-year-old dream of running amok without parental supervision?”
“And did you?”
“Not enough to get noticed.” I shoot Callum a little wink that makes him blush, and my heart squeezes at the sight. “You can say we had really different childhoods.”
My phone lights up with more messages in the group chat before I can elaborate, and I take a look.
Mom
Turning my phone off soon, about to take off
All good. You should swing by and visit our place the next time you’re in Boston
Hold on a second
OUR place?
Do you guys live together already???
Oops.
:)
I WILL pay for the overpriced WiFi to know what you say
Okok yes I invited Callum to move in w me bc a tree fell on his dorm
That was before we were together and then…yeah
Ok that’s actually cute
Just be safe and whatnot
Have a safe flight
Thanks Ian. Love you
My warm heart sinks when Dad sends three messages in quick succession.
Dad
Callum seems like a good guy
How much does he charge to put up with you
He can invoice us directly
I scoff. Like, I know it’s a joke, but it still stings.
Ouch?
Mom
Jake, stop being an ass
Dad
Sorry
I'm just happy you finally found someone nice
I brace for the words “I never thought it'd happen” to show up on my screen, and they don't. Sighing, I put my phone down, and Callum scrunches his eyebrows together, clearly concerned.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“Yeah.” I let the word out on a huff. “My dad made a joke about paying you to put up with me. It's nothing.”
Callum opens his arms, and I fall onto his chest, relishing the warmth of his body heat. “It's not nothing, Ian,” he says firmly. “That was a mean comment, especially since you've gotten shit for supposedly being too much before.”
“Like, I haven’t told my parents much about my guy problems,” I counter. “No parent wants to hear that their son is a loser who catches feelings for everyone he makes out with.”
“If that's true, I’m glad I kiss you so often to keep you interested.”
That manages to get a sad chuckle out of me. “You’re different. I caught feelings for you long before we shared spit.”
Callum cups my ass and gives it a teasing squeeze. “Aww, I feel so special.”
He really is special to me, but before I can fire back with a joke of my own, his phone beeps.
“Uh, I think your parents requested to follow me on social media,” he says. “Jake Scott and Elanor Greene?”
“Yup, that’s them,” I confirm. “You should post one of the cute selfies from the lake house to restore their confidence in me.”
Callum snickers and smacks my leg. “Absolutely not.”
“Fine, I’ll post one.” I pull my phone out for effect, and he grabs my knees to drag me across the couch, proceeding to lie down and trap me under him.
Yeah, I’m definitely going to threaten that more often. I’ll do anything to get the weighted blanket treatment.