Chapter Four — Alex
I watch Callum’s body visibly relax when he says that. I can almost picture him thinking, Ah, yes. The million dollars. Right. That’s what we’re here doing.
I sense the shift in his demeanor immediately too. There was something almost vulnerable before, but that closes up. Gone.
I could almost sense a sliver of weakness, like he was worried what I was going to think of him. That’s gone now. And the Callum I first met — the Callum I’m used to — comes back.
And just like that, I’m brought back to earth, too.
It was as much a reminder to myself as it was to him.
I can’t get carried away thinking I’m going to be the girl who changes him.
Besides — how do I know he isn’t just telling me this like he tells every other girl?
He probably does. I can’t be stupid and fall for his tricks.
That’s probably how he does it: gets girls to fall for him, devastates them, and then they leave.
They drop out of the games because they’re so hurt.
Well, not me. I know Callum’s game plan. And even though I lost the last game, I came close. I almost beat him in chess. The fact that I came close to winning a game that’s Callum’s specialty makes me think I could do this.
I could really win this whole thing.
And I think he sees something in me, too. I don’t know what it is exactly, I just know that I feel it. And my intuition is almost never wrong.
“Are you done?” Callum asks, looking at the empty ice cream cone in my hands.
I nod. He extends his hand and helps me up and then rolls up the blanket. I follow behind him back to the car. He’s quiet. More than anything, I want to ask him what he’s thinking. But I feel like now isn’t the time. He’ll talk when he’s ready.
We drive back to Callum’s house in silence. When we’re almost there, he turns to me.
“Do you want me to take you home now, or do you want me to administer your punishment?”
I’m caught off guard. I guess I thought it was going to be longer until the punishment.
“It’s up to you,” I say.
“I’ve decided what it is, so we can do it now or later. Or you can drop out. Your choice.”
Something about Callum has definitely changed.
There’s a shift in his presence. I know I should choose later.
Something’s off with him. Now’s a bad time.
But I can’t help myself… I need to know now.
If I don’t, it’ll just be gnawing at the back of my mind until it happens.
I’ll be thinking of what Callum’s planned for me, and it’ll drive me crazy.
“Okay. Let’s do it now,” I say, exhaling.
“Are you sure?” he asks.
There’s something hard about him. I feel like I’m about to make a big mistake, but I steel myself and nod. “Yeah. I’m sure.”