Callie

Someone had pasted hundreds of glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. Callie stretched out on Ethan’s bed, staring up at the constellations. Cassiopeia. Orion. The Big Dipper. It must have taken him hours of painstaking work to recreate the night sky. Or had the stars already been there when he moved in? Was Ethan the kind of person who would spend hours decorating his bedroom?

Truth be told, she had no idea. She’d only known him for a week. He was still practically a stranger.

So why did she feel this way? Like there was a hummingbird trapped inside her chest. Like her life depended on whatever happened next.

She rolled onto her side and curled up in Ethan’s blanket, soaking in the warmth like sunshine. His scent lingered in the soft flannel. Cedar, soap, and pheromones. What would it be like to fall asleep beside him? To spoon together as they drifted off, skin-to-skin. Breath-to-breath. Heartbeat-to-heartbeat. 

No. She forced her eyes open. That’s not why you’re here.

Why torture herself with a fantasy?  Ethan wasn’t romantically interested. He’d made that painfully clear. He had a fiancée. A perfect life, all planned out until she’d stormed in and ruined everything.

That’s why she’d come. To make things right.

And then?

Then she’d say good-bye.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and flipped on the light switch, then put on her socks and sneakers. No point in getting too comfortable. The problem was, the more she learned about Ethan’s life, the more she wanted to stay a part of it. His roommate Larry had been so sweet and friendly. So quick to cheer her up with his sunny personality. She’d just met the guy, and already she knew she was going to miss him.

Everything about Ethan just fit so effortlessly. That, more than anything, broke her heart.

She crossed the bedroom, pausing at the sound of knocking. Muffled voices filtered through the wall. Larry, talking to Ethan.

Shit. The hummingbird fluttered against her ribcage. She wasn’t ready. All the eloquent words she’d planned to say flew out of her mind, like flashcards scattered in a gust of wind.

She pressed her ear to the door, straining to hear their conversation.

“Who?” Ethan asked. “Jess?”

Her heart sank at the mention of his fiancée. It was for the best though. She needed that reminder before she saw him. Needed to remember why she’d come here in the first place. She took a deep breath before opening the door.

“Hi.” She mustered a smile. “Surprise.”

“Callie?” Ethan stared at her, one eye wide and the other half-shut. Even in the dim light, she could tell something was wrong.

She gasped, noticing his bottom lip was swollen too. “Oh my God. You’re hurt!”

“I’m okay.” He touched his puffy eye. “It looks worse than it feels.”

“No, she’s right,” Larry cut in, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You look like Rocky after twelve rounds with Apollo Creed. I’ll get you some ice.”

He gave Callie a nod of encouragement before retreating to the kitchen.

Suddenly alone with Ethan, her mouth went dry. She took a tentative step toward him. “What happened to you?”

“Rough day.”

Was that sadness in his voice, or something else? Maybe he didn’t want to see her.

But then why was he drifting closer? Why were his eyes drinking her in like she was a glass of water and he’d just stumbled in from the desert?

“Yeah,” she said. “Mine kinda sucked too.”

“But everything’s okay now.” He reached for her hand, smiling like a boy unwrapping his birthday present when she laced her fingers between his. “You’re really here?”

“What do you think?”

“That I’m in a dream.”

“Good one or bad one?”

“The best.” He studied her face, eyes sparkling like blue opals. “You have no idea. When I got to the Pink House and Maya told me you were gone, I didn’t know what to do.”

“You were looking for me?”

“Of course. All day. Ever since you left Belmont.” His smile flattened with concern. “Hey, we should call Maya. She’s worried sick.”

“I texted her. She knows I’m okay.”

He leaned closer. “Are you?”

“Yeah.” She circled his palm with her thumb. “I am now.”

Larry cleared his throat behind them.

“Here’s an ice pack,” he announced. “I, um…” He glanced from Ethan to Callie, his cheeks blushing, and she realized they were close enough to be slow dancing. “I’ll go pick up Ruby.”

“That’s his car,” Ethan explained. “She has a name.”

Larry pouted. “Don’t make that sound like it’s weird or something. You left her on Newbury, right? What’s the nearest cross street?”

“Dartmouth.” Ethan took a step back and patted his pocket. “Shit, the assholes who mugged me stole the car key, but don’t worry. There’s no way they’ll figure out where Ruby’s parked. Want us to go with you?”

“Nope.” Larry winked. “I’ve got a spare. I’ll ask Darsh to drive me. You kids be good while I’m away.”

After the door had closed behind him, Callie arched a brow. “You got mugged?”

“Yeah, and I deserved it. I went looking for trouble.” Still holding her hand, he limped to the couch.

“What happened?” She sat down beside him, gaze dropping to his knee. “You went looking for something for the pain, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” He sucked in a ragged breath. “We can talk about that later if you want. But first, I need to tell you something.”

*

Ethan

He couldn’t take his eyes off her. It was like waking up to find a beautiful songbird perched outside his window. He was afraid she’d vanish if he made the slightest movement.

Part of him still wondered if he was in a dream.

When Maya had told him Callie was gone, he’d felt so powerless. So terrified he couldn’t stop the unthinkable from happening. It was that last phone call with Abbie all over again. He’d been given one chance to save Callie, and he’d failed.

Yet there she was, sitting on the couch beside him. Close enough to touch.

This time, he’d been given another chance, and he wouldn’t waste it.

Her chest rose and fell, lips slightly parted as she waited for him to speak.

Just breathe. Then tell her the truth.

“I didn’t sell your information, Callie,” he blurted out. “I’d never do that. I’d never do anything to hurt you.”

She met his gaze, eyes glistening.

“I wish you could read my mind. Then you’d know.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said quietly. “Even if you were guilty, I’d still forgive you.”

“It matters to me. I need you to believe me.”

“Then I do.” She sniffed. “At some point, you have to believe in someone. I believe in you.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “Is that okay?”

“It’s more than okay,” he whispered into her ear. “Thank you, Callie.”

They stayed together like that, neither one of them moving or speaking, until Callie’s cell buzzed on the coffee table. She got up to check the screen, then tapped a quick reply.

Ethan undimmed the floor lamp. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” She sat back down on the couch, facing him. “So… I didn’t just come to Boston to see you. First, I met with this reporter.”

He leaned forward, wondering where she was going.

“She texted me yesterday, then left five voicemails. Said she wanted to hear my side of the story. She was really insistent. I still don’t know how she got my number.”

“Who does she work for?” he asked, already dreading the answer.

Callie frowned. “Those Prime Dirt assholes. But here’s the thing. There was something, I don’t know, sassy in her voice that made me curious. So I called her from Providence. Turns out she hates that fucking gossip rag even more than I do. She was looking for some big break to ditch them.” She grinned. “I figured we could help each other out.”

Ethan shook his head in amazement. A sassy reporter who worked for Prime Dirt? What were the odds? But how could he tell Callie about the connection? She’d never believe it was a coincidence.

“What is it?” she asked, staring at him.

He swallowed, realizing there was no way out. He was damned if he told her the truth. Damned if he lied.

Lies of omission. They always came back to bite you in the end.

He made his decision. “This reporter. She’s got hot pink hair, right?”

“Right. Her name’s Maddie Sachs.” Callie narrowed her eyes. “Did she contact you too?”

“Yes. But not to talk about you. She wanted to know why I was screwing up my relationship with her sister.”

Callie listened to his confession with a neutral expression. Maybe she hadn’t made the connection yet. Maybe she was just waiting for him to spell it out.

He took a deep breath before pressing on. “Maddie and Jess are sisters. I know it’s a bizarre coincidence. Maddie’s also been covering your story. But we never talked about you.” His shoulders slumped as he realized how ridiculous that sounded. “I know how bad it looks, but I swear I’m not the leak.”

He clenched his jaw, waiting for Callie to curse him out. Or to slap him. Or to storm off.

Instead, she shocked him by grabbing his hand.

“I know,” she said. “Relax. Maddie already told me it wasn’t you.”

“And you believe her?”

“Why would she lie? She had every reason to want me out of the picture. I’m the selfish bitch who tried to steal her sister’s fiancée.”

“Wait.” His mind was spinning. “So you already knew they were sisters?”

She nodded. “Maddie told me all about Jess today. About how you met, and how much she loves you.” A tear spilled down her cheek. “That’s when I knew I’d made the right decision by coming to see her.”

He studied her expression, hating the sadness he saw there. He wanted so much to wipe away her tears. To wrap his arms around her. But he held back, sensing that wasn’t what she wanted. Instead, he stayed quiet and listened.

“This evening, I gave her an exclusive interview. With one condition. I have final say over who gets the story.” She tapped her cell phone. “She just texted to say we’re airing on CNN tomorrow morning. Those Prime Dirt douchebags just got scooped by their own reporter.”

“Your interview.” Anxiety gnawed at his belly. “What did you talk about?”

She leaned back. “I made my confession. Told Maddie the Belmont scandal was all just a PR stunt. That I staged that photo of us holding hands, then leaked my health information to Prime Dirt. The plan was to generate some buzz for the second season of Prodigy. I never thought anyone would get hurt by my stupid little stunt. So I wanted to set the record straight. To clear your name.”

“But none of that’s true!”

She shrugged. “So what? It’s a great story, right? It’s what everyone wants to believe about me, anyway.”

He jumped up from the couch, searching for the phone. “I’m calling Maddie. She has to kill that story!”

“No.” She grabbed his arm. “It’s too late. Besides, I want the story to air.”

He spun around to face her. “Why? They’ll crucify you, Callie!”

“Then let them.” She eased her grip, rubbing his forearm to calm him down. “I don’t care what all the assholes out there think. Let them hate me. Let them plaster the internet with their sicko rants. None of that bullshit matters anymore.”

She looked him in the eyes. “But you matter. After the interview airs, you’ll get your life back. You’ll graduate from med school and start your internship in New York. Then you’ll marry Jess, have beautiful kids, and live happily ever after. That’s what you deserve.”

“But what if…” He pushed a lock of hair back from her forehead. “What if that’s not what I want?”

“Don’t say that,” she whispered.

“Why?”

“You know why.” She blinked away tears. “We can’t be together. It’s impossible.”

“Nothing’s impossible.”

“What about Jess?”

“She deserves to be with someone who adores her…” – He ran his thumb down her cheek, gently tracing her jawline – “the way I adore you.”

“But she’s perfect.”

“You’re perfect.”

She sniffed. “Are you insane? I’m a fucking mess.”

“No, you’re not. Elin. Prodigy. The life you’re trying to leave behind. That’s the mess. But you…” He fumbled for some way to put her resilience into words. “You’re like a songbird in a hurricane, Callie. Flapping your wings like crazy just to stay alive, but still singing the most beautiful songs. That’s what I want. To be with you when the hurricane is over.”

“What if it’s never over?”

“Then we’ll face the storm together. Do you know why Doctor Grieves paired us up?”

Her gaze deepened. “Yeah. I’ve got a pretty good idea.”

“Right. He chose me because he knew my history. Abbie. The car accident. My drug addiction. He knew everything. We’ve both lived through some awful shit, Callie. That’s why he thought we’d be a good fit. And he was right, but for all the wrong reasons.”

He took a deep breath, struggling to put his swirling thoughts into words. “When I’m with you, you don’t remind me of the darkness. You let me see past it to something brighter. That’s what my heart wants. Let me show you.”

He led Callie to his room, stopping in front of the desk to pick up the watercolor she’d given him.

“The girl in this painting.” He showed it to her, pulse racing. “I can’t get her out of my mind. When she’s feeling up for it, I’d like to ask her out.”

Her brows lifted. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah. You know, on a date. Get to know her better. See where things go.”

She studied the painting, smiling. “Sounds like an ambitious plan.”

“It is. She’s way out of my league. But why not shoot for the stars?” He shrugged. “Maybe she’ll give me a chance.”

She nudged his shoulder. “She might. But she’s got some things to work out first.”

“I know. So do I.” His grin faded when he thought of how close he’d come to using again. He needed help, just as badly as Callie did. “But this girl I’m thinking of…”

“Yeah?” she breathed.

“She’s definitely worth the wait.”

***

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