"Birdie, say something. What happened?"
"I slipped and fell. I'm kind of stuck now."
"I'm coming in."
"Cal, no!"
But the door is already open and he's looking at me naked in the tub. I pull my legs in, covering my private area, and cover my boobs with my arms, but I'm still naked. And a mess. My wet hair feels all tangled up and I'm guessing I have makeup running down my face that I didn't fully wash off. I'm pretty sure this is the worst I've ever looked. And Cal is here seeing it all.
I'm never going to hear the end of this. Fifty years from now, he'll still be reminding me of this very embarrassing moment.
"Could you hand me the towel?" I ask.
He hands it to me. "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"
"I don't think so." Using one hand, I cover myself with the towel the best I can. "You can go now."
"Do you need help getting up?"
"Oh. Yeah, I might. I'm really dizzy." I chew on my lip. "I don't know the best way to do this."
"Birdie, this isn't a big deal. I've seen you practically naked at the pool. That bikini didn't exactly cover much."
"Let's just get this over with." I wrap more of the towel around me as he comes over to the tub.
"I'm gonna lift you up, okay?" He bends down, his hands going under my arms.
"Okay." I grip the towel, holding it in place
"Count of three," he says. "One, two, three." He lifts me up to standing. "You good?"
"Yeah."
He steps back, keeping his eyes on me, then glances away. "Birdie."
"What?"
"The towel."
"What about it?"
"Just look."
It's still around me, gripped tightly around my chest. But when I look down, I see I've bunched it up so tightly that I left my bottom half exposed.
"Dammit, Cal!" I yell, lowering the towel.
"How is this MY fault? I wasn't the one holding the towel."
I sigh. "It's not. Sorry. It's a habit."
"Yelling at me for things that aren't my fault?"
"Yes," I say with regret. "I didn't mean it. I'm just really embarrassed right now."
"And drunk," he says with a smile.
"Definitely drunk."
"Feeling any better?"
"A little. I could use something in my stomach. You got anything to eat?"
"Yeah, I just went shopping. Get dressed and come down to the kitchen. You can see if there's anything you want."
He turns to leave.
"Wait. Cal?"
"Yeah?"
"This morning you said you didn't have any food. Did you just say that as an excuse to take me to dinner?"
He stands at the door. "Go ahead and get dressed. I'll meet you in the kitchen."
Why didn't he answer my question? Is it because it's true? Did he really want to take me to dinner? Like on a date? Or as a friend?
Cal is really starting to confuse me. For years, all he did was insult me and fight with me and go out of his way to drive me crazy. And I do the same to him. We're almost never nice to each other. But lately we have been, and I don't get it. Why are things changing between us?
"I was thinking we could order a pizza," Cal says when I show up in the kitchen. He laughs when he sees me. "Looks good on you."
I'm wearing his black basketball shorts and a t-shirt from some golf tournament.
"You actually wore this?" I say, pointing to the t-shirt, which is pink with a white logo on the front.
"Hell, no. It was in the gift bag they handed out. I tried giving it to Taylor but she didn't want it."
"So why'd you keep it?"
He shrugs. "In case someone sleeps over."
"Meaning one of your hook-ups," I say, sitting at the counter.
"I don't do hook-ups." He sets a bottle of water in front of me. "Drink this. You'll feel better."
I take a sip of the water. "Why are you doing this, Cal?"
"Doing what?"
"Taking care of me like this. You could've just dropped me off at home."
"I wasn't ready to." He turns and opens the fridge. "What do you think? Order pizza or eat something here? What sounds good?"
"You have cereal?"
"Tons." He opens a cupboard, showing off at least six different kinds. "Which one do you want?"
"Lucky Charms."
He smiles as he hands it to me. "Remember when we used to fight over this when we were kids?"
"Because you tried to take all the marshmallows for yourself."
"Like you didn't?"
"Never." I pour the cereal in a bowl and wait as he gets the milk.
"Liar," he says, holding the milk back when I go to grab it.
"Give me the milk."
"Not until you admit it." He stands across the counter from me.
"Admit what?"
"That you took the marshmallows and then blamed me for it."
Shit, I did do that. I forgot. It was forever ago. I was probably like eight or nine. I can't believe he remembers that.
"I don't know, Cal. It was a long time ago. Can I have the milk, please?"
"My mom wouldn't let me have Lucky Charms again for two whole weeks."
"Really? That's harsh."
"Yeah, and she only did it because you made such a big deal about me stealing all the marshmallows. And then you got Taylor complaining about it, making it an even bigger deal."
"Okay, well, I apologize for eight-year-old Birdie taking your marshmallows. Now can I have the milk please?"
He hands it to me. “Eight, huh? So you DO remember?"
"I didn't until you said it just now." I drown the cereal in milk and eat a big spoonful.
"That looks good. I think I'll have some too." He grabs a bowl and spoon and joins me at the counter.
After our second bowl of cereal, we take our dishes to the sink.
"You can go to bed," Cal says, putting his bowl in the dishwasher. "I'll sleep on the couch."
"So I'm really going to stay?"
"Do you want to?"
I shrug. "It's better than going home and waking up the little monster."
"He's not that bad."
"He is when he wakes everyone up in the middle of the night."
"Well, if you need anything, just let me know." He dries his hands on a towel.
I remain beside him. "I'm not ready for bed. The shower woke me up. Could we watch TV?"
"Sure. What do you want to watch?" he asks as we walk over to the couch.
"Something with fast cars and guns."
He laughs. "You're strange."
"Why?" I sit on the couch, facing the TV. "You know that's what I like. I've been like that forever."
"I know." He smiles as he sits beside me. "It's one of the things I actually like about you."
"My taste in movies?"
"That you're different. You're...unusual."
"That's generally not a good thing."
"I don't mean it in a bad way. I like that you're different. And I like that you don't try to hide it. I've always liked that about you."
Grabbing the remote, I turn on the TV. "I didn't think you liked anything about me."
"A few things," he says in a kidding tone. "Not many."
"How about this one?" I point to the TV. A car is racing down a street while being shot at.
"That works." His arm goes up behind me on the couch.
Normally, I'd ask him to move but I kind of like having him beside me. I even move a little closer when I lift my feet up on the table.
"So what's up with Zach?" Cal asks.
"What do you mean?"
"Are you guys dating now or what?"
"I don't know. We didn't talk about it."
"You hung out with him at the party all night. Kissed him. And he never asked you out?"
"Nope." I keep my eyes on the TV, not wanting to talk about this. Because it hurt that Zach didn't ask me out. I thought for sure that he would. We talked a
lot and seemed to be getting along well, but as the night went on all he wanted to do was make out. He invited me to his room but I turned him down.
"What happened?" Cal asks.
"Do we really have to talk about this?"
Cal picks up the remote and lowers the TV volume as he turns to me. "Birdie, if he was being an ass or did something to hurt you, you have to let me know."
"He didn't do anything." I look down. "He just wasn't interested."
"How is that possible? You looked gorgeous tonight."
"Thanks." I keep my eyes on the table. "It doesn't matter. I wasn't that into him."
"I can't believe he didn't ask you out. Now I'm gonna have to ask him about it."
"Cal, don't." I turn to face him. "I mean it. Just forget it."
"Did you have nothing in common or what?"
I sigh. "He just wanted to hook up, okay? He wasn't looking for a girlfriend."
"Seriously? That doesn't sound like Zach at all. I always thought he was kind of nerdy."
"Nerds like sex too."
"He didn't try anything, did he? I mean, he didn't try to force himself on you, did he?"
"No, not at all. He invited me to his room and when I told him no, he took off."
"So he WAS an ass."
"Yeah. But most guys are so I'm used to it."
"Actually, they're not. You're just dating the wrong guys."
"Well, if you find the right one, introduce us." I turn the TV back up, not wanting to talk anymore, although I do feel better after talking to Cal.
He's being really nice tonight. I like it but it's strange. This isn't the Cal I know.
But I like this Cal. I kind of like the other Cal too. But I'd never tell him that.
Chapter Eight
Cal
"Birdie?" I say in a soft voice, not sure if she's awake. It's after three and the movie just ended. She slept through most of it, her head resting on my shoulder.
"Birdie, you should go to bed."
"Too loud," she groans.
"I'm barely talking," I whisper. "You want to just stay here?"
I'd rather give her the bed but she doesn't seem to want to move.
"I'm gonna go, okay?" I carefully slide over on the couch.
"No!" she mumbles, grabbing my shirt. Her eyes are closed so I'm guessing she's asleep but she's got a damn hard grip for someone who's not awake.
"What do you want?" I ask.
"You," she mumbles, patting my chest like it's a pillow she's trying to fluff.
"You want ME?" I ask, trying not to laugh. I've never seen her talk in her sleep before. This is funny. Makes me wonder what else she'll say.
"Down," she orders, pushing on me, her eyes still closed.
"You want me to lay down?"
She continues to push on me as she lifts her legs up on the couch. As soon as I lay down, she puts her head on my chest, her leg over mine.
"Is this what you wanted?" I ask her.
She answers by snoring. She's completely out.
So I guess we're sleeping here. Together.
I brush the hair off her face and look at her. Her soft skin. Pouty lips. Her thick blond hair. In high school she went through this phase where she colored her hair blue, then purple, then pink. None of the colors looked good on her. I couldn't understand why she'd ever want to cover up her blond hair. Most girls would kill to have that color. Same with her big blue eyes. They're this really bright blue that lights up her whole face. And she has the sweetest smile. That smile can be deceiving, especially when she lets the curse words fly. You wouldn't think words like that would come out of someone with such a sweet smile, but they do, especially if someone cuts her off in traffic.
God, she makes me laugh. I'm smiling just looking at her, thinking of all the stuff she's done over the years. All the embarrassing moments. The strange things she says. Her Birdie logic. Her love of monster truck shows. I've never met anyone like her and probably never will.
I lay my head back on the arm of the couch. Birdie feels me move and her arm tightens around my chest before relaxing again.
Never in a million years would I have ever imagined us like this. Birdie and me? Together? Falling asleep on the couch?
Things seem to be changing between us, but I'm not sure how or why. I just know that things have changed. We're not the same Cal and Birdie we were a few months ago. I always felt a spark with her but I assumed it was anger. Now I'm realizing it's something else. Something I don't want to acknowledge because doing so means I have feelings for the girl I'm not even supposed to like.
I wrap my arm around her and lift up to kiss her head.
"Goodnight, Birdie," I whisper.
When I wake up, I feel Birdie on my other side, wedged between me and the couch. It feels like she's trying to get up.
"Cal?" she mumbles, her hand hitting me in the face.
"What?" I grab her hand and hold it.
"Where am I?"
"At my apartment. We fell asleep."
Her body stiffens and she raises her head to look at me. "We what?"
"Fell asleep. Don't you remember?"
"Maybe." She bites her lip and looks down at her leg which is wrapped around mine. She slowly moves it off me. "Did we um...?" She swallows.
I could tell her the truth, but where's the fun in that?
"We did," I say. "And it was great. You were awesome."
She looks at me, her jaw dropped, her eyes getting huge.
"What?" I say. "You don't remember?"
She slowly shakes her head side to side.
"That's too bad. Because it was definitely something you'd want to remember."
"No." She falls back on the couch, covering her face with her hands. "No, no, no, no."
"Funny," I say with a laugh. "Last night you said the opposite."
She moves the fingers covering her eye, just enough to see me. "What do you mean?"
"You kept chanting yes. Yes! Yes! Yes!" I say, raising the pitch of my voice.
"Oh God." She turns and hides her face in the couch.
I laugh. "Birdie." I pull on her shoulder, trying to turn her around.
"Go away!" She swats at me. "I can't look at you right now."
"Birdie, I'm kidding."
"What?"
"I'm kidding. We didn't do anything last night."
She bolts up. "Jerk!" She smacks me. Hard.
"It was a joke."
"You don't joke about that! You almost gave me a heart attack!" She hits me again.
"Why would finding out we had sex give you a heart attack?"
"Because it's YOU!" She looks like she's about to hit me again so I grab both her hands.
"Sex with me causes heart attacks?" I ask, keeping hold of her hands. "I've never had that be an issue before."
"You know what I mean," she says, struggling to free her hands. "Let go of me."
"Not when I'm in danger of being hit again."
"You deserve it after telling me that!" She straddles me, trying to get a better angle to free her hands.
I hold them up, making it even harder for her. "If I let you go, do you promise not to hit me?"
"I'm not promising anything. Now let me go!"
She tries twisting and turning her arms to free her hands.
"I'm not letting you go until you promise."
"Then we'll be here all day." She pushes against my hands, causing her legs to slip on the couch and her body to collapse on mine.
"Really, Birdie?" I laugh and let her hands go. "If you wanted me that bad, you could've just asked."
"You are SO disgusting!" She gets off me and goes down the hall to the bathroom.
I get up and go to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, I take out the eggs and shredded cheese. When Birdie made that comment last night implying I was lying about not having food at my place, she was right. I only said it so she'd go to dinner with me. It wasn't like I was asking her on a date but I thought she might take it that way which is w
hy I made up that excuse about being out of groceries.
"Want some scrambled eggs?" I ask when I see Birdie coming out of the bathroom.
"I want to go home." She stumbles to the kitchen like she's hungover.
"It's only six-thirty. We should probably wait a little or we'll wake up your family."
"It's six-thirty?" She rubs her head. "Why are we up so early?"
"Because you wanted to get up."
She sits on the barstool next to the breakfast bar and lays her head on the counter. "I think I'm dying. My head hurts so bad."
I open a drawer and take out the aspirin bottle. I set in front of her. "Two of these and a big glass of water and you'll start feeling better."
She sits up and opens the aspirin bottle while I get her some water.
"You'd feel better if you ate something too."
"I can't eat eggs. That sounds really bad right now."
"More Lucky Charms?" I take out the box.
She smiles. "Yes, please!"
I give her the box, along with a bowl and spoon. "You can even have all the marshmallows."
She pours the cereal. "So what really happened last night?"
"You got drunk." I put the eggs and cheese back in the fridge, deciding to have cereal instead. I don't want her throwing up from the smell of me cooking eggs.
"Yeah, but what else? Did I do anything stupid? At the party?"
"Not that I know of." I sit next to her and pour some cereal in a bowl. "I wasn't watching you the entire time. Every time I went to check on you, you told me to leave. You wanted to be alone with Zach."
"He didn't want to go out with me."
"Forget him. His loss. You'll find someone better." I scoop out some marshmallows and toss them in her bowl.
She smiles. "Cal, you don't have to do that."
"Marshmallows help with hangovers. Didn't they teach you that in health class?"
"I must've missed that part." She looks at me. "So how about you?"
"What?"
"Did you meet anyone last night?" She pours more milk on her cereal.
"Not really. I could've, but I wasn't looking to find anyone last night. I didn't want to start something knowing I needed to leave."
"To take me home? Cal, I could've found a ride. You didn't need to ruin your night just so you could take me home."
"My night wasn't ruined. And besides, we have parties all the time. I can get drunk at the next one."
Kinda Hate You: An Enemies to Lovers College Romance Page 8
