Chapter 50
CALLUM
The following morning, Callum opened his eyes and smiled. The pair of them had forgotten all about Riley and Erin’s shock wedding as soon as they fell into bed.
He realised it would soon be time for Tasha to fly to England.
His mood dipped. Needing to hold her, he went to put his arm around Tasha, but instead of his skin connecting with hers his hand met a cool pillow.
He opened his eyes to see whether she was still in the bedroom somewhere but she wasn’t there.
He stilled, listening and hoping to hear her.
When he didn’t hear anything, Callum threw back the sheet and went to get out of bed just as Tasha appeared at the bedroom door holding a tray.
‘Oh, you’re up already.’
Seeing she also had a cafetière and cups on the tray, he didn’t like to think of her holding the heavy tray for longer than necessary.
‘I can get back in, if you like, or,’ he said, thinking how much cooler it would be to sit on the balcony where there might be a slight sea breeze, ‘we could enjoy this outside.’
‘Good idea.’ She turned on her heels and went towards the living room.
Callum slipped on underwear and, grabbing a T-shirt, quickly followed her. She stopped in front of the small sliding door and waited for him to open it, then stepped outside and lowered the tray to the table.
He put on his T-shirt and sat opposite her, wishing she didn’t have to leave. ‘Shall I pour?’
She nodded. ‘Please.’
He handed her a cup of coffee and noticed the plate of fresh pastries from the French bakery down the road. ‘You’ve been out.’
‘I thought we deserved a treat.’
‘What a lovely idea.’ He waited for her to take an almond croissant then took a plain one and put it on his plate. ‘The baker and his assistant are both French and as far as I’m concerned these are the best on the island.’
He tore one of the ends from the croissant and dabbed a small amount of the strawberry jam Tasha had placed next to a small butter dish his mother had insisted he might one day need.
‘This is delicious.’
She beamed at him. ‘It is.’
He ate another mouthful and watched as Tasha drank some of her coffee. She had a thoughtful expression on her face, and he presumed she was as reluctant to leave as he was to part with her.
Instantly losing his appetite, Callum picked up his coffee and drank a little before placing the cup back in its saucer.
‘What’s the matter?’ Tasha asked, frowning.
He stared at her, determined not to show how upset he felt about her imminent departure.
He despised emotional blackmail and had no intention of using it on her.
If Tasha needed to move on and find her next chapter then he had no right to get in her way.
He loved her and wanted her to be with him, but more than that he wanted to see her happy and if returning to England and finding work that she loved doing was how that would happen, then he would do everything he could to help her.
She reached out and took one of his hands in hers. ‘Callum?’
‘Yes?’ He didn’t want to discuss what would happen once she returned to England but knew he had little choice if he was to support her wishes.
‘You know you said I could stay here, if I wanted to?’
Was she about to tell him she wasn’t going? He pushed the hope aside, not daring to believe she was about to change her mind. ‘Of course.’
‘Well, does the offer still stand?’
He smiled. ‘It does. Why?’
‘I’ve been up for hours thinking.’
He hid his nervousness, desperate to know what she had decided. ‘You have?’
She nodded. ‘I’ve decided I’m not ready to leave yet.’
His heart raced. ‘Good. I’m not ready for you to go either.’
She sighed. ‘I’m so relieved.’
‘Why?’ he asked, confused.
‘Well, it’s one thing to offer for someone to stay in your home, but another entirely when they do decide to stay.’ She shrugged. ‘I’d hate to outstay my welcome.’
He laughed, unable to help himself. ‘You could never do that, Tasha. I want you to stay as long as you want.’ He lifted her hand to his lips and, turning it over, kissed her palm. ‘The longer the better.’
Tasha stood and, coming around to his side of the table, pushed it away from him to make more room. Callum wondered what she was doing, when she sat on his lap and put her arms around his neck.
‘I promise I won’t be an annoying flatmate,’ she said, kissing him.
Callum wrapped his arms around her and lost himself in her kiss. If this was how his mornings were going to be from now on, or even if they weren’t, he doubted he would ever find Tasha to be anything other than an ideal flatmate.