"Don't be shy. It's nothing I haven't seen before," he said as he swiveled to face her. His gaze ran over her whole form before he grinned at her.
She squinted her eyes at his smug face. "That was one time and it was a dare." Caly released a loud sigh as she crossed her arms. "Well, why did come in here aside from "rescuing" me?"
"Your guest room has no pillows or even bedsheets." He shrugged, inserting his hands on his pockets. "Where is it?"
Callista let out a curse. She fired her servants so she didn't know where they kept it. Damn, why was her house so big?
"You know what, you can just use my pillows." Caly marched to her bed and seized the pillows and blankets in both arms. "Here."
Castor frowned as he accepted the handful of cloth and pillows. "How about you?"
Caly smiled at him. "It's fine," she replied and propelled him to the door. Her hair was dripping and she felt damp all over that she couldn't wait to get dry.
"No, wait." Castor fast reflexes left her huffing as he dodged her efforts. "You can't even sleep without your pillows."
She grunted in frustration, flicking her wet hair over her shoulder. "Yeah. But I don't mind."
"I'll just sleep here," he mumbled, emerald eyes sparkling in mischief.
Callista's felt her heartbeat doubled. Fucking hell. Why did this have to happen to her? She swallowed. "Cas, I'm not sure that—"
"What?" He brought his face closer that their noses touched. He smelled of smoke and whiskey that Caly's fingers itched to touch him. "What's wrong?"
"Not now," she answered, meeting his keen gaze. She didn't want to lie to him anymore. Caly reached up to touch his cheek. "How about you?"
Castor's surprise was palpable before he shook his head. "Not now."
She nodded. "Okay. Sleep here. As if I could say no to you." Callista shot her a reflection of his smirk before she entered her walk-in closet. She wiped her body and wrapped her hair in the towel before slipping into her underwear and a large tee. She did her skincare routine before she brought out another huge shirt and loose pajamas.
She walked out and tossed it to Castor who was on his phone. Caly sat on the edge of her bed, drying her long hair as Castor crawled beside her. He stood up and displayed the shirt. "Too small."
"That's the only one I have." She jerked her head to him only to look away as he undressed. She heard the clink of his belt and the rustle of fabric, making her ears hot. "Geez. Where's your decency?”
He laughed that sent delicious waves over her body. "You can look. I don't mind.”
Caly's grip on her towel tightened as she crossed her legs. Her bedroom was spacious. There was a sofa set near her balcony and a reading chair to her left which was surrounded by two small bookshelves. If she included her bathroom and walk-in closet, she would have occupied three rooms.
Along with her king-sized bed, there was a lot of space between her and Castor. Despite that, she felt nervous.
She took a deep breath before turning to him. Castor had foregone the shirt as he tied the laces on the pajamas. The hard planes on his body sent carnal images to her mind. Damn, maybe she should take a shower again.
Castor caught her blatant staring. He wiggled his eyebrows, lips stretching into a confident smile. "Do you like it?" he questioned, resting a hand over his defined abs.
Caly felt her confidence returned as he trod into their usual teasing category. She raised a perfect eyebrow. "You know I only have the best."
He locked his eyes on hers. "I'm the best."
She placed her palms flat on the bed. Callista tilted her head backward, letting her dark tresses flowed in silky midnight waves. "Easy to say when you know you don't have to prove it."
"Oh, your majesty," he mumbled. "If you let me, I can prove it." Castor brought two fingers to his lips, his tongue slipping between.
The sight made her combust on the spot. Her brilliant mind turned to mush before she bit her lip, shaking off the lust induced magic. She coughed twice. "Let's go to sleep.”
Caly ignored her pounding heartbeat as she went to the left side of the bed. He could feel his stare on her. "What?"
Castor trodded to his side of the bed. "You never walked away before."
"I'm sleepy," she replied nonchalantly and pulled up the light blue duvet. She tapped the space next to her. "Come on."
Cas remained skeptical but he did join her on the bed. He shut the ceiling lights off. LED lights on the wall remained, basking the room in soft yellow lights. Callista turned to the other side as she forced herself to sleep. Hours ticked by but she was still wide awake.
She grunted and sat straight.
"Can't sleep?" Castor asked beside her.
Caly yelped a little before she frowned at him. His position didn't change at all. "You okay?"
Cas brought up a knee, his head resting against the headboard. "I'm supposed to be asking that question."
She sighed. "Can't our situation be reversed from time to time?"
"Hmm." Castor was silent for a minute. "Do you remember your mother?"
Callista frowned at his question but she decided to answer. Castor talking about his mother was rare. "Not really. But I remember that she smelled of lavender. I can see fragments of her smile and the smell of baked cookies. It's a nice memory."
"That's great," he muttered. "Your mother may be gone but at least, you have fond memories of her." Castor looked at her. "Do you miss her?"
"Sometimes." Caly moved closer to him until their bare arms were touching. "But like I told you. I never felt like I missed anything."
"Why?"
"Because I have you and Amanda, Mallorie, Victoria. But mostly you." Callista could make out his bewildered expression even with the scarce light. "Shopping for prom, brushing my hair, and simply worrying about me. I have people who did what my mother was supposed to do. I can't ask for more.”
"That's great," he said and tucked the strands of hair on her ear. "You're lucky."
"Cas..."
"It's okay. I know that feeling as well, Callista but I..." He breathed through his nose, pressing a thumb on his temple. He stared straight ahead. "I can't help but feel... cheated."
Caly grasped his hand on both her palms as he resumed talking. "I never had a fond memory with my mother. After my brother died, Dad tried everything to make her see that she didn't lose everything. But nothing happened so my father asked me to understand, to be patient, to believe that deep inside her, my mother loved me. That's why I learned gardening and flowers and read all those myths. Because I wanted to get closer to her." Castor clenched his jaw as he forced his words out. "But my efforts weren't rewarded. So Dad moved me to Manhattan before I go crazy.”
Callista felt his hand go cold that she clutched him tighter. Words completely left her but she hoped her actions would at least ease his pain.
"I started to accept that my relationship with Celeste will always be broken and painful. I know I couldn't change it. So when you told me that..." He released a deep sigh. "If my mother finds out that her son is alive, what then? They'll be happy together? They will have the kind of relationship that I never had? And then what? They'll act as if nothing happened? Like I didn't go through all that shit?"
His voice cracked before he blinked his tears away. "I know this isn't Franco's fault but... it's fucking unfair. Once again, I feel like I am not enough. Like I'll never be enough."
Callista's heart broke once more. She couldn't find the right words to say but she listened and squeezed his hand.
"Why did he have to be alive? Why couldn't he stay dead?" The mixture of agony and fury mired his tone before he stared at her. "Am I being selfish?”
"No," she croaked out.
Castor was silent as he gazed at her with expectation. "That's all? Don't you wanna give me amazing advice?”
"Do you want me to?" she asked softly.
"No," he replied before he wrapped his arms around her waist. Castor moved until his head was settled on her lap.
"Not now."
She hummed her approval and caressed his hair until the sun rose again.
***
CHAPTER 38
Callista had finished drying her hair. She put on her cross necklace and changed into a band tee and faux denim sweats. She pulled her hair in a bun and walked to her bedroom, eyeing the sleeping form of her best friend. She yanked the covers off him, revealing his tattooed back.
"Cas, wake up!"
Castor groaned and grabbed a pillow to hide his face. "Yes. Pancakes will be fine."
"What?" She tugged at the pillow to no avail. "It's almost noon."
"Pizza then," he answered and sank his face deeper into the covers.
Caly sighed. Castor had never been a morning person plus the fact that they had talked until morning. "Alright. But you better come down after ten minutes or no pizza for you."
He gave her a thumbs up that made Caly chuckle as she went down. She ordered pizza and headed to the kitchen to drink water.
Thomas entered after a few minutes. The old was in a gardening outfit. He pulled off his gloves and grabbed a glass. "Good morning, Miss. Late night?"
Caly poured water on his glass. "What are you talking about?"
"Castor's car is outside.”
She flushed at his observation and gulped the water. Callista met Thomas' inquisitive eyes. "Nothing happened."
"Okay. But do let me know if he's courting you.”
Caly choked on her drink. "What? Seriously?"
Thomas folded his arms as his voice turned stern. "I like that kid but if he thinks that you're an easy—”
"Hey, hey!" She waved her hands in front of him. "No one's courting anyone. That's not even a thing now. Geez." Caly laughed, feeling her cheeks go hot. His concern was embarrassing but she appreciated it. Her father had never once shown interest in her life let alone her love life. It felt good.
"Miss Caly?"
Callista shook her head. Her heart felt heavy at the thought of her dad. "Thank you for worrying about me, old man. I'm glad I have you."
Thomas looked surprised but he eventually grinned at her. "I'll always worry for you, Callista. And since, we're talking about this... I actually added more security for you. If you want to check—"
"No need. I trust you," she said. Caly still wondered why nobody was coming after her. Since the news about her father leaving town broke, she had expected a lot of retaliation but nothing happened for weeks. She was tempted to seek them out but she didn't want to instigate a fight. So she decided to play defense.
"Okay, Miss. I'll go back to the garden. Those weeds won't pull themselves out." Thomas whirled to the exit when he faced her again. "Oh, one more thing."
"What is it?"
"That blond kid is outside."
"Franco?" Caly tipped her head to the side. Only one day had passed since he dropped the bomb on her and he was ready to talk? "Let him in.”
Callista walked to the foyer. She opened the door and waited for Franco to get to her. The man looked frazzled, wiping at the sweat on his forehead. "Sorry for the wait. I was sleeping."
"It's almost noon," he muttered. Franco had rolled his long-sleeves to his elbows. His white shirt was missing the tie.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"Water? Tea?"
Franco took a deep breath. "Juice. Cold one please."
"Okay. Wait here," she said. Callista went to grab the apple juice from the fridge and got a box of her homemade apple cinnamon cookies. She strolled to the living room and placed the snacks on the table.
Caly didn't sit. She watched as Franco immediately drank the juice in one go. "Franco, what's wrong? Are you ready to talk to Castor?"
"Yeah. I just... it's hard to act like everything is okay. My father thinks..." He clicked his tongue in annoyance. Franco opened his mouth to speak and stopped as a frown settled on his face.
"You didn't tell me that we have a visitor?" Castor exclaimed behind her.
Caly gasped as Castor's scent overwhelmed her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. His warmth made her heart flutter but they had never been affectionate in front of others before. Maybe he had forgiven her? She felt ecstatic and embarrassed at the same time.
"Cas, what are you doing?" she whispered and twisted just enough to pinch his side. "Get your arms off me."
Castor smirked and stepped away from her. His shirt was undone and his hair was messy. He slumped on the couch and went for the cookies. "I thought we were having pizza," he mumbled and put the box on his lap.
Callista bit her lip and looked at Franco. His hands were clasped tight as his eyes stared at a random spot in the table. She didn't know what to do. Franco and Castor had fresh wounds and she doubted that it would start healing soon.
"Why are you here, Franco?" Castor's voice filled the silence.
Franco clenched his jaw. "I could ask the same to you."
Fuck. Caly glared at Franco. She couldn't blame him because Castor had intruded in their conversation before she had a chance to coach him. Her best friend wouldn't appreciate an aggressive approach. At all.
Castor dropped the cookie he was eating, shaking the crumbs away. He faced Franco. "Do you want to have my life that much?"
"What?" Franco scoffed. "I never wished for this!"
"So, that's a yes. You want to be in my life? You want to be family?" Castor spouted in harsh succession. "Does your life fucking sucks that you think you're entitled to barge in and take what I have?"
"No!" Franco stood up and marched to the door.
Caly massaged her temple. "That went well.”
"He started it." Castor let out a sigh and rose from his seat. "He said he never wished for this. So do I."
Callista let out a sigh as Castor walked away. She cursed and followed Franco outside. She saw him near the gardens, walking on a cobblestone path that led to the gardens. She reached him and smacked his arm. "Really?"
Franco rolled his eyes. "What?"
"I thought you prepared a speech."
"Hmm..."
Caly folded her arms and stepped on his path. "I think you have enough time to think so I am gonna ask you again." She met his cold eyes, lifting an eyebrow at his somber expression. "What do you want?"
The sun was so bright that Franco's hair appeared like a golden halo. Callista felt déja vu and unclasped her necklace. She reached for Franco's hand and placed the jewelry on his palm. "I'll give this back to you. This necklace gave me courage a lot of times. Like you said it would. I hope it can help you as much as it helped me.”
"What?" Franco muttered before he sighed, "Never mind." His fingers ran over the jewelry as he sighed audibly. "Castor was right."
"About?"
"I want what he has." He swallowed, lips set in a tight line. "You, his friends, his family... I never had that."
"You can have all of that," she replied and pressed a hand to his arm. "Except me.”
SLICK Page 25
