13. Peyton
Peyton
I’m still dizzy from the kiss last night. Slowly spinning in my office chair isn’t helping matters, but I’m lost in thought while waiting for Romy to get off the phone with our bank.
That was the best kiss of my life.
I replay Callum’s words in my mind over and over, as if they’ll sound differently the next time I think about them.
A little piece of me healed as soon as his lips met mine.
It didn’t feel like a first kiss with someone new, but it wasn’t like a five hundredth kiss from a partner, either.
It was an awe-inspiring something, unable to be defined by time or familiarity.
An unspoken oath between our lips, sealed with contented sighs.
I understand you, and you understand me.
In the past, the people around me only maximized the chaos in my head, adding another knot in my tangled string of thoughts. But Callum takes my messy thoughts and gently unravels them with me.
The butterflies fluttering around my ribcage allowed me maybe four hours of sleep last night. How could I rest, when every time I closed my eyes, I saw us?
We didn’t kiss again after our first in the shed. His entire family had eyes on us the whole night, mostly watching us flirt and laugh in various shades of disbelief. We couldn’t stop grinning at each other the entire time.
I wonder how he’s feeling today. He texted me earlier, asking how my day’s going, but is he thinking about me the same way I’m thinking about him? He’s swamped at work, so we won’t see each other again until The Harvest Festival, and it can’t come soon enough.
My eyes snag on Romy, and she makes a talking hand gesture, trying to wrap up the call. “Yes, that’s the correct date for the deposit. Okay. Thank you.”
Romy hangs up the phone with a loud sigh. “Dear God. It’s impossible to get off the phone with Hal. Are you sure we can't transfer our funds to the big chain bank instead of the Waterton Credit Union?”
I put my hand over my heart. “And talk to a robot when we need support? Hal is sweet!”
“Hal talks to me like he’s trying to win the world record for Longest Phone Call.”
“Hal gives us monthly reward discounts for being a valued customer,” I point out.
Romy rolls her eyes. “Peyton, be serious. This month’s discount is ten percent off manual treadmills at Runnerton Gym Equipment.”
“It’s still a discount!”
“Are you going to use the discount?”
“That’s beside the point,” I mumble, rearranging the files on my desk. “Hey, Romy. Can I ask you something?”
She swings her feet forward and backward. “Go for it.”
“So… Callum.”
Romy stops moving and gives me her full attention. “Yes. How are things going with him?”
“Things are great.” I bite my lip, debating how much I want to share with Romy. “And I think I’m starting to develop real feelings for him.”
Her eyes widen. “Real feelings? As in, you want to date him?”
“Real feelings, as in, I think—in a strange and unconfirmed way—we might already be dating.”
Romy’s jaw drops.
“I mean, nothing’s been declared. But I think we’re both sort of there,” I say softly.
“And you like him? He’s good to be around? Good for you?”
I point to her raised eyebrows. “See? Right there. It’s something in your expression, or maybe your tone. All of the follow-up questions. It feels like you’re keeping something from me when it comes to him. I hate surprises. If there’s something I should know, I want to know it.”
Romy winces and blows the bangs out of her face. “No. No, I’m sorry. Cal is a really good person—his family is, too. It’s just small town talk. I’ve heard about some heavier stuff he went through years ago, and I wanted to make sure everything’s going well is all.”
I cross my arms, a slight frown tugging my lips down. “What have you—you know what? Nevermind.”
As long as he’s a good person, I want to hear about his past directly from him. Anything else feels like a violation. I’d hate to have people learn about my trauma second-hand.
Romy nods. “For what it’s worth, I’m very happy for you.”
“Thanks,” I say quietly.
“Any fun plans upcoming for you guys?” she asks, typing on her keyboard.
“We’re going to the Harvest Festival. And my best friend, Tessa—the one you met over Facetime—is visiting.”
“The designer, right? She’s the one who told me that my style was ‘giving Alexander McQueen, 2010 Paris.’ I had to Google it after, and I’m still not sure it was a compliment.”
“That’s the one!” I confirm. “And it was a compliment.”
“Good to know.” She gets a pen out of her desk drawer. “Meeting the family, then?”
I nearly correct her, but truthfully, with my grandparents gone and my parents checking in with me from wherever they are in the world once every few months, there’s no one else in my life that qualifies as family.
I can’t deny my own longing for a partner. For someone who knows me so well I’d consider them family. Could I have that with Callum? I bring my fingers to my lips absentmindedly, like I can touch the memory of his kiss.
“Yeah. Meeting the family, I guess.” I chuckle. “I’ve kind of already met all of his immediate relatives. Fair’s fair. But we still haven’t defined anything yet.”
Romy snorts. “Girl, please. That man is obsessed with you. He asks you to hang out every day. And that’s not an exaggeration.”
I grin. “Yeah, he does do that, doesn’t he?”
The phone rings, and both of us hold our breath.
“You get it! I can’t talk to Credit Union Hal again, I’ll die!” Romy hisses at me.
I groan and slowly pick up the phone. “This is Good Taste.”
“Is it him?” Romy mouths.
“Hey, Tammy!” I breathe a sigh of relief at the sound of her voice and shake my head for Romy. “Good to hear from you. How’s Jeff doing?”