Page 71 of The Light Within
The rumble of his voice, the scent of him, the exact color of his eyes, his height and strength of him as he towered over me came back into focus. How had I forgotten the specifics of these things about him?
We stood facing each other as the people along the street continued their hustle.
“You look beautiful.” Callum’s eyes traveled over me, dropping to my feet before a slow and appreciative crawl back to my face.
“Thank you.” My eyes met his again, a nervous smile tugging at the corners of my mouth at his compliment, but I had no intention of making things easy for him, so I schooled my mouth into my poker face. “So, you wanted to talk?”
I watched for a split second as his eyes wandered over my shoulder to the floor of my apartment.
“There’s no one up there. If that is what you are thinking? I didn’t get back with Ryan. I told you, I can barely stand him, but he has a certain…” I searched for the right words to describe Ryan’s role in my life, “… purpose that is necessary for me right now. Funny how it’s come full circle, don’t you think?”
Callum’s eyes darkened as his mouth fell into a frown.
“Strictly business, Callum.” I turned to walk away without waiting to see if he was following.
Instead, I felt him. The spark of awareness shot through my entire body at the simplest and briefest of contact our arms made as he fell into step beside me.
At the lights, we waited for our turn to cross. On the other side of the street was the park where I had spent a lot of my daylight hours. It was the closest I could get to feeling at Wisteria Pine when I longed for the estate and the entire reason I had taken the apartment I lived in now, despite of the commute to the office.
The woodsy scent had a calming effect on my senses and eased the ache in my heart, even if for a short time. The city noise was almost muted when you reached the center of the park. It was easier to get lost in the tranquility that way.
I had a favorite tree I would sit under, watching as the world and city life moved around me. It wasn’t the same as the wisteria tree my mother and I had shared, but it was the closest I would get without returning to that godforsaken town.
It wasn’t until we passed the gates that either of us spoke, me asking the first question and breaking the silence between us.
“Why are you here, Callum?”
“I want answers,” he stated as a matter of fact.
“You want answers?” I scoffed while glaring at him.
“Come on, Alina. Surely, you can at least tell me the truth about why you ran awayagain.” He muffled the last word under his breath. From the look of guilt in his eyes, he hadn’t meant for me to hear it, but how could I not? We were barely inches apart.
Callum took a seat when we approached the first park bench, leaning back into it before resting his arm along the backrest.
“You owe me that much.” He looked relaxed, and I resented that.
“Wow, you thinkIoweyousomething?” I stood, passive, in front of him while ignoring the people who passed behind me.
Right then, Callum had my single focus, my sight locked and loaded on this infuriating man who still affected me. I couldn’t be sure who I was feeling more frustrated with—him or myself.
“Well, yeah.” There was not even the slightest hint of a smile. He was dead serious.
“You want to do this now? Out here? In front of all these people?” I threw my arms wide, gesturing to the group of women with strollers and infants as they passed, the men in their business suits heading toward the subway. “You, Callum McArthur, are ready to dictate St. Alberts Park as the best place to throw down?” I could feel the heat rising along my neck as the thunder of my heart pounded in my ears.
He thought he owed me nothing, and I held all the answers to his questions. Well, fuck him. I spun on my heel, heading deeper into the park to pace.
Only when his fingers closed around my forearm did my pace slow.
“How about you answer some of my questions, Callum?” I hissed at him through clenched teeth. “Like, what the fuck do you think you’re doing messing around with me while you have a goddamn girlfriend?”
The look of shock on his face was priceless. He’d been caught out, and that expression alone had been worth waiting for.
Without a glimmer of warning, Callum dragged me between the gap in the hedges. On the other side was a part of the park I had never discovered before, but my senses told me it wasn’t the time to appreciate the landscapers’ flare for the topiary.
“Want to tell me what you’re talking about, darlin’? ‘Cause while there is you, there isn’t anyone else.”
“Yeah? Does Tilly know that?” I spat at him with venom.