14. Callum
Callum
“A kiss may not be the truth but it is what we wish were true.” — Steve Martin as Harris Telemacher in L.A. Story
M int.
Fucking mint. And this fucking kiss.
My lips barely grazed hers when the scent sent my mind into spiral, needing more.
Like a junkie who got his first hit after years of being sober.
And the next thing I know, my tongue slides over Sophie’s soft lips that she opens up to me, welcoming without hesitation, and the taste of mint explodes over my tongue.
I’ve never tasted anything better. Never felt this desperate need to keep going, to drink it all up. And I never want it to stop. My fingers fist into something soft and silky. My body pressing against something delicate and warm. My cock, rock-fucking-hard against…
Fuck. My eyes fly open. That thought sobers me right up, ripping me out of the haze I fell into, and I pull away from Sophie with a sharp jerk.
Those deep, brown eyes watching me intently, her chest heaving, lips swollen from what was supposed to be a peck for the show. A custom we had to follow and somehow got caught up in it.
I got caught up in it.
Fuck! What the fuck is wrong with me?
I’ve lived for years without this, and now all of a sudden, I lose all sense?
“Ah, it always makes me so happy to see young love,” Anne claps her hands together, drawing our attention away from each other and to her. “Oh, I almost forgot! Do you have the rings?”
“No, not yet,” I tell her.
“Do you want to get the ones we offer? They are just simple, silver bands but they are of great quality and are infused with Loverly Cave spirits.”
Before Sophie can get me into any more trouble I say, “No, thank you. We are fine. So, is it done? Are we married now?”
“Yes!” Anne grins. “All done!”
“Great.” I snatch Sophie’s hand and drag her out of this place, not wanting to spend any more time in here because clearly the local hippies did something to make normal people go a little crazy in there.
I may not practice all their voodoo crap, but I was born and raised here, I know it works.
Sophie bids goodbye to the receptionist as I pull her away, those old Converse of hers making those squeaky noises again, but I need to be out of here before I do anything else stupid.
Getting married and kissing my fake wife senseless is enough for one day.
“Do you feel that?” Sophie asks in a hushed whisper as soon as we come out of there.
“Feel what? ”
“The air has shifted around us. I smell married now.” She wiggles her eyebrows while wearing that I’m-up-to-no-good grin of hers on her face.
I’d say how she smells to me, but I’ll keep it to myself. No need to freak her out when I’m already on the verge of losing it. Not five minutes into this marriage and I’m already realizing this might’ve been the biggest mistake of my life.
This was the only safe option , I repeat to myself. Or is it, remind myself of the fact?
“Do we need to announce this somehow?” She points between us, and I shake my head.
“I’ll be very surprised if Love Hive doesn’t know about it already.”
“Okay, so what do we do now?”
“I’m going back to work. You can go do whatever it was you were planning to do today, and I’ll come later with my stuff.”
“Okay.” She shrugs, accepting my answer easily and almost immediately a burn settles in my chest. It’s a good thing she’s not reading more into it than it is, Callum.
“And if anyone has any questions?” Sophie asks, pulling me from my mental spiral once again.
“We’ll play it by ear, I guess. But let’s keep the line of ‘it was love at first sight’ and all that.”
“Okay then—” Whatever else Sophie was about to say gets cut off by a million dings and rings attacking both our phones simultaneously. The small devices nearly bursting from the onslaught.
“Oh my gosh,” Sophie whispers, her eyes growing wider and wider with each new ding. “How did she find out so fast?”
“Told you, news like that travel faster than wind around here.” I look down at my own phone and find a multitude of questions waiting for me as well. But I ignore them for now, and instead quickly log into my account on the Love Hive and curse.
Love Hive:
Idoforever: I guess congratulations are in order! Love Hive has done it again and it was my pleasure to add those two to the long list of happily married couples in my chapel .
Willoflove: What are you talking about my sweet Anne?
Idoforever: Callum and Sophie’s wedding, of course, what else?
Ninasunshine: Did she just say what I think she said?
CookieJ: Excuse me, what???
PheonixG: Did I read that right?
Burnyourheart: What did you do???
Ninasunshine: I know this is going to be very hard to believe, but we didn’t do anything. Not yet, at least.
Infullbloom: Callum…I didn’t know there were any other Callums in Loverly Cave besides my son.
Idoforever: Um, Lily, dear, it was your Callum that got married today.
Infullbloom: You guys, I think I’m hallucinating, and I haven’t even had one of Willa’s tonics yet.
Idoforever: Maybe you should pop one open, Lily. Because this is no hallucination.
Infullbloom: WHAT???
Jules444: So, mom went into shock. And I guess I have a sister-in-law?
Willoflove: Oh dear, I’ll be there in a minute with my special brew.
Toughtolove: Everyone, calm down! Yes, this is an emergency, but we will get to the bottom of it.
Toughtolove: Tootsie roll? Why are you quiet? This is your best friend, explain how this could’ve happened? Is this a joke?
Therunawaybride: I’m on my way to her house. I’ll report afterward!
Burnyourheart: @PheonixG, intervention time! Meet me at the Police station in five minutes.
Youknowyouwantit: Jacob and I will bring cupcakes!
You’d think something extraordinary happened when weddings happen practically every day here.
“Callum, I…I…have no idea how I’ll be able to lie to her.” Before I can say anything, there’s another ding on Sophie’s phone and she squeaks, “She’s on her way! Clover! She’s on her way already!”
Clover…there she goes with my middle name again, only for some reason it doesn’t irritate me like it does whenever others use it.
Must be indigestion.
“Calm down, just tell her it was like a fairytale or whatever. We connected and all that crap.”
“I don’t even know your favorite color or food or coffee order, Shrek! How am I supposed to make this believable?” She’s spiraling, worrying her lip between her teeth as she keeps glancing at the phone that never seizes to stop with new notifications.
I almost can’t believe what I’m seeing. This isn’t Sophie. This isn’t the girl I know.
“Hey.” I take her shoulders into my hands and bend to get on the same eye-level, seeing pure panic in there. “Where is the girl who doesn’t give a fuck, dances in the fountains and has enough sass in her to power a whole town? What’s with this freak out?”
“That’s a facade. It’s not real. It’s a lie. The real version is a boring nun with gray clothes.”
The fuck?
“Bullshit,” I spit out, angered by her own words. “You are the most real person I’ve ever met, Sophia Lovinski. That’s why I married you.”
“I thought it was because of my love for hockey and because you’d never cross a line with me?”
“Yeah, definitely because of hockey. The list is too long, actually.”
“It is?” The eyes that were lost just a second ago shine again, but it gets quickly replaced with a pained sigh after yet another message from her friend.
I curse under my breath, and abandoning all of my original plans, grab Sophie’s hand and run.
“Clover? Where are we running to?”
“To your apartment. ”
“But I thought you had to go back to work?”
“Screw work, I’m not leaving you alone to deal with this.”
Guilt. Guilt swamps over me like a tidal wave. The one fucking feeling I hate more than anything. The one that’s been plaguing me for most of my life.
But hell if I'll let her drown in this mess all by herself. A mess I created.