Chapter Thirty Sophie
Chapter Thirty
Sophie
After I'm dropped off at my apartment, I quickly grab a bite to eat—thank you, Donna, and your weekly casserole drop off—and then reapply my lipstick.
My reflection smiles back at me in my bathroom mirror, remembering Callum shaving my head.
I had figured Callum would bring over his own electric razor, but instead, he had bought one for me, a really pretty pink one that worked so gently on my head, along with his delicate touch.
His care always floors me, and while I hate comparing him to Paul—because there really is no comparison—I can't help but compare their actions.
With Callum, I feel taken care of.
For so long, six years, and even before that with any man I dated, I've done the caring, the organizing, the ordering, the cooking, and the cleaning. I shouldered that load because I had thought that was just relationships, that I was just showing my love.
But when Callum comes over, he's grabbing our dinner plates and loading them into the dishwasher for me.
When I fell asleep on him during our last hangout, he had loaded some of my laundry into the washer, folded the blankets we used, and tucked me into bed.
The other day, he noticed I was low on toothpaste and hand soap, and picked up the exact ones I like when he went food shopping for himself and his mom.
He picked up those chocolate hazelnut candies for me while he was there, too, just because.
I’ve been experiencing some neuropathy in my feet for the last week, and he bought me some compression socks and rubbed my feet for me while we watched a movie. I feel so cherished and treasured by him. I just hope I can return the favor and care for him.
One day, when I'm on the other side of this, I'm going to make sure that this relationship of ours is always cohesive and symbiotic.
Callum deserves it.
And you know—I think I might deserve his care too.
Grabbing my purse, I decide to walk to Rivers I don't want him to feel bad later, even though this is justified.
My hand reaches out to touch him, and I say softly, "Callum."
The edge in his expression softens when he looks at me, nodding once, like he's telling me he has this under control, that he's okay, but there's also some gratitude in his eyes for pulling him back. He lifts my hand and places a lingering kiss on it before turning back to Elise.