The Resolution of Callie & Kayden(40)

‘Come on, man,’ Tyrel Buliforton, the end back says as I sling my bag over my shoulder and head for the door. ‘You played f*cking awesome. We need to go celebrate.’

I shake my head. ‘Nah, I already got plans,’ I lie because all I want to do is find Callie and hold her, knowing it’ll help me leave the voice of my father behind.

‘For someone who made the winning touchdown, you sure look super depressed,’ Luke Price, my best friend, says as he follows me out of the locker room, zipping up his coat. Luke’s been my best friend since we were kids and has his own problems with his parents. We don’t talk about it, though. I think he saves it for his girlfriend, Violet, just like I do with Callie.

‘You’re not going out either,’ I tell him as we step outside and into the cold.

He shrugs. ‘Partying isn’t … or can’t be my thing anymore, being a recovering alcoholic and all.’

‘You doing okay with that?’ I ask, tugging my fingers through my damp hair as I search for Callie in the crowd of people loitering around, wearing the school colors.

‘Yeah, but I know myself enough to know that I’ll be doing okay just as long as I go home and not out.’ He stuffs his hands into his pockets and then grins as he spots Violet leaning against a post not too far from us. It’s funny, but he never really smiles except for when he’s with her.

I wonder if it’s the same way with me when I’m with Callie.

As if to answer my own question, Callie emerges from the crowd, shoving her way through the last of the people, and a big smile rises on my face.

‘Hey you,’ she says, rushing up to me as some guy hoots and hollers from the crowd. ‘You played great.’

‘Yeah … I could have done a little better, though.’ I wrap my arms around her when she reaches me and I pull her tight against me. Her warmth spreads across my body and I breathe in the peace.

‘You did perfect,’ she whispers in my ear and then leans back. ‘We should celebrate.’

‘I did okay,’ I press. ‘Not perfect.’

Her lips curve to a frown. ‘No sulking or I’ll have to force you to do fun things until you’re laughing so hard you pee your pants.’

I laugh at her, brushing the pad of my thumb across her bottom lip. ‘All right, you win,’ I say. ‘I played perfect.’

Her lips turn upward again and there’s a sparkle in her eyes that matches the stars above us. ‘You f*cking kicked ass.’

I can’t help myself. I bust up laughing. Callie rarely swears so when she does, it’s hilarious. ‘Oh my God, it’s so funny when you say f*ck.’

She grins, but her cheeks turn the slightest shade of pink. ‘I knew that one would get you to laugh.’

‘You always manage to,’ I say, no longer finding our conversation funny but personal and intimate. ‘And actually I was thinking we could pick up takeout and then go hangout at our place.’

‘Our place.’ She says the words slowly, letting them roll off her tongue. ‘That sounds like a great idea to me to celebrate if that’s okay. Maybe Luke and Violet could come hang.’ I glance over at the two of them chatting near the front of the crowd. ‘It might be nice now that you and Violet are getting along.’

Callie nods. ‘Sounds perfect.’ She threads her fingers through mine and pulls me away from the stadium – away from my father’s voice – and by the time we reach the car, it’s disappeared completely.

I just wish it would stay that way.





Chapter 17


#157 Get to Know Your Family Even When It Seems Impossible.



Kayden


Callie and I managed to move in a few things before we had to part ways for Thanksgiving, but between work and school, we still have a ways to go. We do get to spend one night in our apartment together, cuddled up on a blanket and watching movies on my laptop, before she drops me off at the airport so I can fly out to Virginia for Thanksgiving.

I’m not happy about spending the holiday without her, but I understand she needs to go home and see her brother while I need to go see mine. It’s part of growing and getting better, I guess – learning how to do things on your own. I just wish doing things on my own meant I could still hold Callie’s hand because it feels weird without her near me.

Dylan’s wife – who insists I call her Liz, instead of by her full name, which is Elizabeth – is freaking out, trying to get the house in order for her parents’ arrival, while she tries to cook everything all at once. The kitchen smells like burnt toast and the air is heavy with smoke, causing the smoke detectors to go off sporadically.