Page 60 of The Fool
“Can I trust her with you?” he asks with a raised brow, meanwhile Callie is pulling a naughty gesture behind his back. I won’t go into too much detail, but it does involve both her hand and her tongue. My involuntary giggle has him whipping his head around to look at her, but being the expert she is, she immediately pulls a neutral expression and crosses her arms in response.
“Just go, Ben, and stop interfering with my business, will you? Callie, do you know how to unblock my phone?”
“Fuck, no!” She laughs but takes it from my outstretched hand to pass to Ben. “Unblock her phone, will you?”
My stubborn big brother simply stares at it before defiantly crossing his arms, as if daring her to make him. Callie says nothing for a while, and I can see her silence is beginning to make him feel nervous; it’s strangely fascinating to watch.
“Ok, well, Bea and I can go and find someone who can,” she eventually says, heading toward the door with the phone still in hand. “Tell me, Bea, do you fancy nipping to Cam’s house where I know Nate is currently being chastised for his frightful behavior?”
I cover up my giggling with my hand because I know my brother’s purple complexion means he’s nearing boiling point. If I look hard enough, I think I can see steam billowing out of his ears.
Muttering obscenities under his breath, Ben swipes the phone from her hand and begins fiddling with it. After shaking his head in disbelief, he hands it back over, just as three text messages ping through. Cutting Ben some slack, I decide not to read them straight away, instead, I reach up on my tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. I think it softens him a little, even though he’s still muttering to himself.
“Watch out for her,” he says, jutting his chin out toward Callie, who simply smiles with syrupy sweetness. “And Bea, you call me if you need anything. I’ll meet you at Mom and Dad’s on Friday.”
I give him a nod and one more hug before he finally walks out the door with his bag and jacket. When the door closes, I stare at it for a while, feeling a little guilty for our antics. Ben is only trying to look out for me, but perhaps he needs this as much as I do. We both need to get over that night and maybe it’s my turn to save us both from this stasis we’ve been stuck in for much too long.
“That was too much fun,” Callie says, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Now, what do those messages say?”
I press the ‘open’ button on each one of them:
Bea, don’t think I’m giving up on you. N x
Bea, your neighbor appreciated the roses I got for you. I bet you’re more of a wildflowers kind of a girl anyway. N x
Please let me know how you’re feeling today, Bea. I can’t stop thinking about you. N x
“Good, he’s stewing, let’s leave him to it for a bit. Come, my child, I have much to teach you. Let’s do lunch.”
I go against the grain and follow her advice by leaving my phone and all temptation behind.
Chapter 20
Nate
Itchy fingers, a hangover, and a thoroughly bad mood hit me like a ton weight when I wake up. It’s not even the weekend, it’s Wednesday, and I have three back-to-back meetings today. To be truthful, my mood has been at an all-time low since my epic fuck up on Friday night. Put that together with the stripping down I received from Cam and Dad on Sunday, and you can see why I still feel so lousy three days on.
As for Bea, she’s refusing to answer any of my messages. I knew she wouldn’t be coming into work, for Cam and I had agreed to her taking some time off. It was also my idea to swap PAs. We can’t work together, that’s a no-brainer. But it also means I won’t lose her completely; she’ll still be working at Medina, and on my floor too. More than that though, is the fact that she deserves to keep her job, more so than me. She’s right, I have behaved like an entitled prick, only seeing things through my eyes instead of hers.
Before I drag myself to work, I decide to call Callie again, just to make sure Bea is feeling alright, and that things haven’t changed since I called last night. God, even I can hear how pathetic I’m being. I’ve never been the needy party in a relationship before; I can’t say I’m enjoying it.
“What's up now, Nate?” she says in a bored tone of voice. “I’m not with her if that’s what you’re calling for. You know, I’m beginning to feel very used, these days.”
“Shut up! You love being the center of attention and you know it. It’s like a little fucked up love triangle, just the kind of filth you’re into,” I laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
“Well, I’m on my own little filth mission, so no need to call me tomorrow because I won’t be seeing her tonight. I have a date!”
“So, she’ll be alone? Hmmm, interesting,” I say to myself, now beginning to fidget with my pen.
“Geez, Nate! NoWho is he?How’d you know him?Where are you going?This is becoming such a one-sided relationship!”
Guilt attacks me again and I begin to think I’ve been infected with something that makes you completely incompetent when talking to women. I let out a long sigh, shake off my self-centered approach, and try again.
“Ok, ok, I’m sorry,” I rush out, “I owe you dinner, ok? How about Friday?”
Being Callie, she lets me stew for a little while, remaining silent as if she’s considering her options and whether she’s going to give me the time of day. I’ve known her long enough to not attempt first contact when she’s in this mood so sit back and wait. Eventually, my strategy works, and she lets out a long sigh of acceptance.
“Ok, fine, but we’re going to talk all about me, deal?”