Chapter Two
CALLIE
The bathroom was steamy and smelled of Marco’s sandalwood body wash.
I wiped a circle in the foggy mirror and examined my reflection.
My makeup was flawless, and I’d twisted my hair into a stylish knot at the nape of my neck.
Hair and makeup didn’t matter to me, but making myself look “presentable” for men was a skill set my mother drilled into me from an early age.
A few days with Marco had turned into weeks, and today was the first day of my internship. Nerves and excitement twisted in my stomach.
The shower turned off and Marco stepped out. “You look hot as fuck, babe.”
I caught the flash of his teeth in the corner of my eye. My self-preservation instincts never kicked in before my first coffee, and I turned to look at him.
Then immediately slapped my hand over my eyes.
“Jesus, man. Cover that thing up!” I tossed a towel at him—ambitious, given my self-inflicted blindness.
I’d seen more than enough of Marco naked during freshman year of college.
So had everyone else on our floor, thanks to his upsetting tendency to streak down the hallway when he’d had one too many Solo cups. The man had no shame.
“It’s okay, Cal. You’re single now. You can look.”
I uncovered my eyes, and the fluffy white towel I had thrown at him was now slung low across his hips. I breathed a sigh of relief. “Pass.” I looked back at the mirror, smoothing my blazer. “How’s Trevor?”
“He’s fine, but you’re still my number one.”
I’d been with Hugh as long as I’d known Marco. We all attended undergrad together and lived in the same dorm freshman year. We’d been friends for years, but when Hugh found out that Marco was into men and women, he suddenly had a problem with how close we were.
I hadn’t let Hugh’s feelings get in the way of our friendship, though. He didn’t own me.
And Marco had always been my number one, too—even when I had desperately hoped Hugh would step up to fill the position.
“I know we need to talk, but this is a huge moment for me. If you don’t want to celebrate with me, that’s on you.”
I felt Hugh’s eyes on my back as I walked down the hall. This was supposed to be a significant occasion, but he didn’t seem to care.
My throat tightened as I strode into the bedroom to call Marco.
“Hey, babe, what’s up?” His warm, bubbly tone made me smile.
“I have news. Big news.” I paused for effect. “I got the internship!”
“Holy shit, Callie! That’s amazing. I knew you’d get it. You’re perfect for that job. We have to celebrate.”
“That’s why I called. Hugh doesn’t want to go out, so I was hoping we could get drinks or something.”
“Absolutely. Drinks, dinner, dancing—whatever you want. It’s on me.”
“You’re the best. Meet me at Gianni’s in thirty minutes?”
“I’ll be there with bells on. Congratulations again, babe. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Marco. You’re the best friend a girl could ask for.”
“I know. Now go get dressed up and ready to party!”
I hung up and gave myself a mental shake. The night hadn’t begun the way I hoped, but I would not let Hugh rain on my Price Industries parade. With Marco, I knew the night would be a celebration to remember.
When I came out of the bedroom twenty minutes later—dressed to the nines with my purse in hand, Hugh hadn’t moved from the couch.
I stood in the doorway and studied his expression, searching for a glimmer of remorse or regret. But his face remained blank.
That was the moment I knew we were over. But how did you end a five-year relationship? Our entire lives were intertwined.
“Goodbye, Hugh.”
I wasn’t sure he heard the whispered words until he grunted in reply, still focused on his game.
The door closed behind me with a sharp click.
I leaned against it for a moment, squeezing my eyes shut against tears.
How did we get here? Hugh had been so sweet and attentive. Now, he couldn’t trouble himself to look up from his stupid video games.
I straightened up with a sigh and headed towards the elevator. As much as it hurt to admit it, Hugh and I had grown apart. And his lack of support during such a monumental moment in my life was the last straw.
I snorted. “I’m your number one leech, right now. Are you sure you won’t let me pay half the rent?”
“I was paying the rent already, anyways. Plus, this is only temporary until you save up enough for your own place. Paying rent here would just extend that timeline. And you know I love having you here.” He leaned a hip against the bathroom counter.
“We haven’t spent nearly enough time together lately.
I’m happy to have you for as long as you need a place to crash. ”
“But—”
“No buts.” He cupped my chin and forced me to meet his gaze. “You’re family. You always have a place here.”
I surged forward and hugged him. “I love you. You know that?”
Leaving Hugh had been the right decision.
It hit me a week into our breakup when I realized I hadn’t missed him.
I received more love, attention, and affection from Marco in two weeks here than I had in the last two years with Hugh—though not the intimate kind I’d been craving for the past few days.
Marco couldn’t satiate that particular need for me.
I stumbled into the apartment just after two in the morning, a little buzzed and a lot determined. I had a plan.
However, my plan had not included Hugh waiting up for me.
I froze as he emerged from the hallway, his expression thunderous.
“It’s after two. Where the hell have you been?” He sounded accusatory.
Despite the lingering buzz of the alcohol, I straightened up and met his gaze steadily. “Out celebrating my internship. With Marco.”
“Of course. Your precious Marco.”
“Don’t start with that jealousy crap again. Marco is my best friend, and he was actually excited for me, unlike you.”
Hugh scoffed, uncrossing his arms and raking a hand through his hair. “I said congratulations, didn’t I? It’s not my fault if my reaction wasn’t over-the-top enough for your liking.”
“This wasn’t about wanting an over-the-top reaction! I wanted my boyfriend to be happy for me, to celebrate this huge accomplishment with me. But you couldn’t even go out for one fucking drink!”
My chest heaved with the force of my words, and Hugh’s face twisted into a scowl.
He stepped towards me. “You think I’m not happy for you?
Of course, I’m happy that you got this internship, Callie.
But forgive me if I’m not jumping for joy at the thought of you being even more consumed by your work. ”
His words hit me like a slap across the face. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that ever since you started this MBA program, you’ve been obsessed. You’re always studying or networking or focusing on your next career move. When was the last time we did something together that didn’t involve your work?”
My voice trembled with anger. “When was the last time you made me feel loved, Hugh? When was the last time you did something romantic or intimate just to show me I was special to you?”
His face reddened, but he didn’t respond. We both knew the truth—our intimacy had dwindled to almost nothing in recent months.
“Exactly. It’s been so long you can’t even remember. I’ve been putting everything I have into my studies and career because that’s where I’ve been getting my fulfillment. You’ve been so disconnected that I don’t even feel like we’re in a relationship anymore.”
He made to reach for me, then jerked his hand back. “Callie, I...I’m sorry. You’re right, I haven’t been as present as I should be.”
I shook my head, blinking back tears. Too little, too late.
“I don’t think ‘sorry’ cuts it anymore, Hugh. We’ve been living separate lives for months. You’re just going through the motions, and I...I can’t keep doing this. I deserve to be with someone as invested in our relationship as I am.”
Hugh’s face crumpled. For a second, I thought he might try to convince me to stay. But then his shoulders sagged, and he nodded. “You’re right. You deserve better than I’ve been giving you.”
The finality in his words was like a knife to my heart, but he was right. As much as it hurt, as much as I still loved him, we had reached the end of the road.
“I’m going to stay with Marco for a few days.” I pushed past him into the bedroom, tossing some clothes and other essentials into my suitcase.
When I exited the bedroom a few minutes later, Hugh was leaning forward on the couch, elbows braced against his knees and hands in his hair. He looked up at me, eyes rimmed red.
We stared at each other for a long moment before he dropped his gaze back to the carpet. I walked out the door without saying a word.
“I do. What’s not to love?”
“So humble.”
Marco grinned. “I try. Now that we’re living together, though, remember to keep it in your pants, okay? I love you, Cal, but you’re just not my type.”
“Is it the vagina? The brown hair?”
“The vagina I’m good with. Brown hair I could handle. It’s that stick up your ass that’s the real boner-killer.”
“Well, you can just go right ahead and fuck yourself.” This was a familiar conversation. According to Marco—and almost everyone else who knew me—I was “too serious” and needed to “lighten up.” Whatever.
“Speaking of fucking, do you think your new boss will keep his hands to himself?”
“Gross! Mr. Price is twice my age.”
“Maybe he’ll ask you to call him daddy.” He winked at me in the mirror.
“You’re disturbed. Truly.” I rolled my eyes, and Marco smacked my ass on his way out of the bathroom.
“Marco!” I lunged and swatted at him. He danced out of my reach, laughing.
“Aren’t you going to be late?” I shouted at his retreating back. While I only had a fifteen-minute walk to the Price Industries building, Marco had a twenty-five-minute bus ride to his father’s advertising firm.
“I’m already late,” he said, stepping out of his room and checking his watch. It was the only thing he was wearing other than the tight black boxer briefs that had replaced the towel. It was a look.