8. Callie
eight
Callie
My head pounds as the muffled bickering grows louder, pulling me from sleep. My stomach pitches, and my eyes feel like they are being held down by weights, making it difficult to open them.
“Is she going to be okay?” a man asks, his voice rough and laced with worry.
Is who going to be okay? What the hell happened?
Fog clouds my brain, making it hard to remember, and my throat is dry and scratchy. The sheet beneath my palm is silky, unlike the soft flannel ones I’m used to. The comforter covering me smells like fresh linen instead of lavender, confirming that I am not home and in my bed.
Where am I?
“Callie should be in a hospital,” a woman hisses.
Well, that answers two of my questions. They are talking about me, and I am definitely not at home.
“No,” the man says again.
Eli . I fight to open my eyes and call for him, but all I can do is listen to their hushed conversation.
“She stays here.” His tone is stern and not to be questioned.
My chest fills with comforting heat. He cares.
“Now, please answer my question. Is Callie okay?”
The woman sighs, exasperated with Eli’s stubborn attitude. “Yes. You reacted quickly, and I think it’s safe to say she’ll be okay. But someone needs to monitor her for the next 24 hours and make sure she doesn’t relapse. Anaphylaxis is serious and can happen again after a big reaction. She needs rest, fluids, and to watch what she eats. She’ll be nauseous and tired. If this happens again, you need to promise me you will take her to the hospital.”
Anaphylaxis?
Memories of dinner with Eli at the studio click into place. The cupcake. There was something off about the flavor when I bit into it. It only took a minute before my body reacted and I went into shock. My airways constricted, and my pulse raced as panic swept through me.
Then Eli was there, holding me, soothing me with his voice. “ I’m right here. I’ve got you .” And he did. I remember the sound of his heart beating erratically beneath my cheek as he held me to his chest and carried me to the car.
“Princess.” The nickname he’s always called me sounded different this time. As I slipped to sleep, I knew I was going to be okay because I was with him.
“I swear,” Eli agrees.
“Good. Now, do you know what sent her into anaphylaxis?”
“No. But I have a feeling whatever it was had to be in the cupcake. She was fine; we were talking throughout dinner…” Eli pauses. I can picture him gathering his thoughts, with his jaw tense as he rubs his hand over his chin and stares off into space. “She had two bites of that damn cupcake before I watched her fall to the ground, gasping for breath. I almost lost it. She…” His voice cracks.
I’ve never heard Eli sound anything other than cool and indifferent, especially with me, but last night was different. We talked and laughed. He was playful and sweet. I loved seeing that side of him. The way he stood up for me with DJ Reigns, our dinner, and the playful banter have me feeling some kind of way.
“But you didn’t. You responded in time. Don’t beat yourself up. It wasn’t your fault,” the woman consoles Eli.
My stomach twists with an unwelcome feeling at the thought of them embracing. The two of them sound more than friendly.
Is this woman his girlfriend?
Eli’s voice lowers, and I strain my ears to hear him. “I’m supposed to be watching her, Tay. I failed. She could have—”
“But she didn’t.” I can picture her hand on Eli’s arm, running her perfectly manicured nails down his sleeve, comforting him, and the urge to chase her off hits me hard. “I have to say, it’s nice to see you like this.”
“Like what?” Eli asks, confused.
The woman chuckles. “Tied up over a woman.”
“I’m not,” he retorts, snapping my crush like a silly little twig. Eli will never see me as anything but a colleague. “She’s my client. I’m supposed to be watching out for her, for Hudson. He put me on babysitting duty, that’s it.”
Babysitting?
The word is like a knife to the heart. I’m not a child, but that’s all I will ever be to Eli. How could I think he wanted to get to know me? I’m nothing but a job for him. While I’m not surprised, it still stings to hear, especially after the way he behaved in the booth when we were alone. I thought it was because maybe he felt…
I force myself not to go down that line of thinking. It’s for the best, I remind myself.
“Are you sure that’s all it is?” the woman asks. “You brought her to your home, E. You never do that.”
His home? That bit of information has the butterflies in my stomach fluttering.
“Of course I’m sure. You know I don’t mess around with clients.”
“You don’t mess around with anyone,” she quips like she knows from experience.
I hate her.
“Taylor,” Eli warns.
“Fine.” The woman named Taylor sighs again, dramatically. It’s obvious she has some sort of relationship with Eli.
Or agreement.
Bile rises in my throat. Eli probably has a roster full of women waiting for him to call. I’ve never seen him with the same woman twice, and as far as I can tell, he prioritizes work above all else.
It’s what makes him a brilliant agent. And probably emotionally unavailable.
“As for the cupcake, whatever ingredient they used, she has a severe allergy to it. Since she had a pen on her, she’s aware, so just ask and keep an eye out. You don’t want her to have another reaction. It could be worse next time.”
“Thanks again for coming, Tay.”
“Of course. You know I’d always show up for you. Favor or not.”
My stomach twists again at the way this woman’s sultry voice purrs “always”. Yep. I totally hate her.
“Thanks.”
“I’m going to check on her vitals one more time before I go.” The hinges on the door creak and light streams into the room, making me blink my eyes open. “There you are. How are you feeling, Callie?”
The woman, who I assume is a doctor, presses her warm fingers down on my wrist and stares at her watch, checking my pulse. She’s dressed in a glamorous red satin dress and heels. She must have been at a fancy dinner party before getting the call to come see me.
“Fine,” I croak, my voice scratchy.
The good doctor turns on the bedside lamp, places a stethoscope in her ears, and listens to my heartbeat and breathing. She has long, shiny black hair, almond-shaped eyes, and freckles sprinkled across her cheeks and nose. Her lips are full and pink in the soft light.
She’s exotic looking and gorgeous. Intimidatingly so. The need to check myself in a mirror is strong. Here I am, looking like death, while the hot doctor chitchats with Eli, getting ready to hop in his bed at a moment’s notice.
Knock it off, Callie. I give myself a mental beating for being jealous of the woman who came out of her way to look after me. Eli’s not mine, and he never will be.
“You gave Eli a scare. Do you remember what happened?”
I hate the way she says his name with familiarity. Jealousy is a nasty biotch tonight.
“I do.” I don’t elaborate. She doesn’t need the specifics.
She kindly accepts my answer. “That’s good. Has something like this happened before?”
Memories of my mom and dad rushing me to the hospital as a child have tears stinging my nose. I remember being so scared, but my mom held me tight. She sang to me the entire way to the emergency room. Her sweet voice calmed me down and encouraged me to stay strong. To hold on.
Just the way Eli did.
I lean back on my hands and force myself to sit up against the headboard. “Not since I was a kid.”
“Well, I’m glad you carry that pen with you and that Eli was there to help as soon as he did.” She pats my hand, comforting me to the best of her ability. Her bedside manner is gentle and authentically sweet, making it hard for me to hate her even though I really want to.
“Me too.”
“You need to get plenty of rest and water.”
“I will.” I throw back the blanket, attempting to get out of bed, but Dr. Taylor here is not having it.
She grips the edge of the duvet and covers me again, pushing me back to the mattress. “Doctor’s orders. I can’t have my favorite singer out of commission. I have tickets to see you this fall.”
“Oh… Um. Thanks. I’m sure you and Eli will have a great time,” I mumble.
“Me and Eli? Oh, good lord no, Callie.” She laughs like I just said the funniest joke ever told. “We tried that back in college until I met his ‘intro to legal studies’ study partner and, as people say, the rest is history. I’ve been married to my husband for ten years now. But between you and me…” Taylor lowers her voice and looks towards the door before continuing, “It’s nice to see Eli interested in someone.”
Who? Me? No, no way.
Eli just said he doesn’t think about me like that. It’s something I’ve come to terms with, even if my na?ve heart doesn’t fully agree.
Despite our electrically charged introduction in the hallway, Eli has been a tremendous pain in my ass. He acts like a total dick when I’m around. He constantly insults me with snide remarks, and when he’s not judging me, he’s pretending I don’t exist.
He didn’t this week . My heart pipes up.
But my brain bats that down, reminding me he had no choice but to be in my presence because Hudson had made him “babysit” me. Even repeating the word in my head makes me feel sick.
How embarrassing. I have a crush on a man who doesn’t even like me and thinks I’m a child. Real hot .
I shake my head. “Oh no. It’s not like that. We work together. He’s just being nice.”
“We’ll see.” She gives me an impish smile, like she knows something I don’t.
Eli enters the room, a water bottle in his hand. His shoulders relax, and the crinkles on his forehead disappear as he approaches the bed. “You’re awake.”
“Yeah,” I rasp.
“Here.” Eli hands me the bottle. Our eyes lock as his fingers graze mine, sending a flash of heat through me that singes my nerves and makes my heart speed up.
Dr. Taylor clears her throat. “I’ll see myself out.”
“Thanks again for coming, Tay. I appreciate the house call, and tell Jack I said hi and that I’ll see him at poker night soon.”
“Sure thing, E.” Taylor places her hand on mine and squeezes. “I’m here if you need me. Eli will give you my number.” She looks over at Eli, who nods, a weary look on his face. “And if you can, visit your allergist soon. I left some extra EpiPens with Eli, but you should get your own prescription refilled and let them know what happened.”
“I will. Thank you. I really appreciate you coming to see me.” And I mean it. Dr. Taylor has been nothing but sweet. It also helps that she’s happily married to some guy Eli is friends with.
“Anytime, Callie.” Taylor gives me a finger wave. She pats Eli on the shoulder and lets herself out of his home.
An awkward silence fills the room as Eli rocks back on his heels and grips the back of his neck. “So, um… I brought you to my place.”
My eyes dance around the room at the mention of this being his home. The room I’m in is small and decorated like a little boy’s room, with posters of a baseball player pinned to the wall. The name reads: Cameron Miller, pitcher for the Los Angeles Evaders .
His brother.
Cameron is just as good looking as Eli, but where Eli is serious and intense, his brother looks carefree and playful. A total playboy.
“Thank you.”
“No problem. I didn’t want to take you home and chance drawing the attention of the cameras in case anyone was hanging around outside your place.”
Little does Eli know the paparazzi are the least of my worries. Silla is going to freak out when I’m not home and she finds out where I’ve been. “You can take me home now. Or call Mike to come get me. I’ll be okay.”
“No. You heard the doctor. Someone has to watch you all night.”
“Silla can watch me,” I lie. There is no way in hell I am telling her what happened. She’s been erratic and jumpy.
“No.” He shakes his head, and I know there is no fighting him on this. Eli is stubborn as hell. When he’s decided on something, there is no changing his mind. “I don’t want to hear another word about it. Rest. Then, tomorrow, I’ll take you home. I canceled rehearsals tomorrow so you can rest.”
My throat swells with emotion, and the ache in my chest blooms. “Fine.” My voice cracks and I look away, afraid that he will see too much.
“Hey, look at me.” I feel the bed dip as Eli sits beside me. He uses his forefinger to tilt my chin to the side, forcing me to look into his blue-green eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Nothing. Everything.
A tear leaks out of the corner of my eye, and he uses his thumb to wipe it away.
Ugh. Why does he have to be so sweet?
“Callie, talk to me,” he whispers. “Is your breathing okay? Should I get Taylor back?”
“No, no. It’s just…” I shrug, unsure how much to say. “You keep doing that.”
“Doing what?”
I bite my lip, unsure if I should say anything, but something about the way his eyes are staring back at me has my lips loosening. “Taking care of me. Worrying about me. No one does that.”
Eli frowns. “What about Hudson? Does he not take care of you?” His jaw muscles tick, and I can’t help but chuckle.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Hudson is great. For an agent. But he knows how the music industry works, and his expectations are not the same. With Eli, it’s different. There are moments where it feels like he more than cares for me, and not as a client but as a person.
“What did you mean?” he asks.
If I hadn’t heard him in the hallway, I might say. But right now? He’s not equipped to hear what I have to say yet. Maybe ever.
I look Eli in the eye, hoping he sees past my walls just for a second. “Hudson’s a good guy.” You’re a good guy.
“Calliope,” he grunts my name, and shivers slide down my spine.
“Elijiah,” I whisper his name back.
He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. When they open, the gold flecks in his irises glimmer like embers in a fire. “I hate when you do that,” he confesses.
“Say your name?”
Eli visibly swallows and nods. “Yes.”
“Ditto, Mr. Miller.” Lie .
I like it when he says my full name. It brings back a lot of memories I keep buried so that I can make it through every day without falling apart.
“Such a brat.” Eli scoffs, tugging a lock of my hair.
I wish he would tug more and press his mouth to mine. No, bad Callie. Thinking about kissing Eli is a slippery slope to having dreams of him doing all kinds of dirty things to me.
“I know.”
Eli stands, resting his hands on his hips, looking hot as hell. His shirt is rumpled—three buttons undone, showing a sliver of his firm chest—and his hair is a mess, but he’s never looked sexier.
“Before I forget, can you tell me what you’re allergic to?”
“Oh, yeah. Almonds. Hazelnuts. All tree nuts, really.”
“Peanuts?” he asks, rubbing his jaw in the way he does when he’s thinking.
“Strangely, no, but I avoid them anyway.”
“Good to know.”
I yawn, the exhaustion settling in my bones.
“I’m going to let you get some rest. I’ll be back to check on you. Holler if you need something.”
“Mm-kay.” I sink back into the soft duvet and pillows, breathing in the delicate linen scent. His scent.
Something in me settles, and for the first time in a long time, I feel safe and cared for. Even though I wish Eli would look at me as more than a client, at least I know he’s watching out for me, and that’s more than I can ask for.
Feeling safe in Eli’s company, I let sleep take me under.
Tonight, I’ll welcome the dreams of my agent talking dirty to me right before he defiles me. Tomorrow, I’ll go back to pretending I don’t have a huge crush on my agent and today never happened.
It was good while it lasted.