Unchained Melody

by S. K Munt

  Callie’s eyes spilled over. She’d had an attachment to that song, and dancing, her whole life. Had her mother been musical too? Would she ever know? She turned away from her mother and swiped at the tears. ‘Another day.’

  ‘I understand.’

  Callie sniffled into her shoulder. ‘One of the women wasn’t named Imogen, was she? Or Calliope?’

  ‘No... There was a Trinity, and a Mallory. Both had dark hair and brown eyes, though neither had your coloring. I assume you’ve inherited that from your biological father. Why do you ask?’

  ‘Never mind.’ Callie was frustrated that the painful revelation hadn’t shed light on why Mr Banks girlfriend was all over her. ‘Just a woman in town who looks at me funny. I’m starting to think she’s a fan of yours who resents me...’

  ‘Well I haven’t met a woman by either name, and if this woman does anything weird again, you’re to call the police, okay?’ Callie nodded and her mother fiddled with the treble clef pin on her hat. ‘Do you want to know something funny though?’

  ‘If you can find something funny about that story, I’ll eat my hat.’

  Her mother snuffled a laugh onto Callie’s head. ‘You were found bundled up in the country. Left with no explanation. So being the comic book fan your father is…’ she smiled. ‘Can you guess why we kept the name Callie?’

  Callie thought it over, and then realization hit and she groaned, sinking to the bed, vowing to kill her father. ‘As in: Kal El Mum?! I am going to kill dad!’

  ‘I wanted to at first as well, but he was insistent that it was fate. His enthusiasm made me grow to love it.’ She winked. ‘And you can fly when you want to Callie- you just hold your arms more gracefully than Superman does.’

  Callie pressed her hands to her ears. ‘I’m not hearing this!’

  ‘I’ll stay home with you now,’ her mother said quietly, removing her hands from her ears. ‘I’m so sorry if I’ve upset you. I knew it would. But please, just know that no mother in the world could have loved you like I do, okay sweetheart?’

  ‘I believe you mum.’ Callie said honestly, still in too much shock to absorb the full horror of how her birth mother had abandoned her. ‘I’m glad to finally know- and you have to go to Byron.’ Callie walked to the window, and tore the quilt down. ‘Superwoman doesn’t need a blankie. Or a Cape.’ She turned to her mum and smiled her most fraudulent smile, patting her hat. ‘I have this. And I am not going to eat it because dad has a sick sense of humor.’ She looked out the window to the mountainous grey clouds and looked away sharply, feeling the chills run up her spine. The mystery of her phobia had been solved, and yet one question remained; Why did she always try to run to the storms, instead of away?

  ‘Darling are you certain?’

  ‘Yes. I’ll be fine,’ Callie said in a monotone, even though she wasn’t sure. But it was time she tried to face her fears with the superhuman effort her father had named her for.

  *

  Hunter felt like his world was a snow globe, that someone had taken it off its shelf, shaken it, then dropped it on the floor, spilling everything that mattered to him everywhere and then hadn’t stopped to clean it up.

  He listened to Callie as she lay prone on the trundle bed pushed against the base of his, and repeated what her parents had told her. Told her before taking off, leaving him to deal with! Hunter was mad; mad at Callie’s parents for having kept the horrible story about how her adoption had come about from her for so long for her ‘own good’ only to fuck up and tell her when she was at her most vulnerable already, and mad that his parents had agreed to let the girl he was already not sleeping over- sleep over- without consulting him first and not for one night but four! How was he supposed to keep his word to Ryan and not touch Callie and not be alone with Callie, when she was on his bloody floor with no where else to go, inconsolable and requiring hugs he couldn’t give her without wanting to slide his hands to places that were so perfectly curved that his mouth went dry at the sight of them?

  She’s my Kryptonite… he thought, smiling ironically over the best part of her story; how she had gotten her name. And then lyrics were in his head and he wanted to press his hands to his ears and hum Don McClean to get rid of them, with was a drastic measure at the best of times.

  And that brought Hunter around to being mad with himself; his best friend was crying, for goodness sake, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to look at her for fear that she’d see what a heartless, lustful monster he was becoming.

  He was such an asshole. But Callie was an asshole too! Why couldn’t she go back to wearing her oversized Megadeath T-shirts and baggy cargo pants like she always had before? Why wouldn’t she just take off his damn hat, and stop him from thinking that she wore it not out of triumph, but preference? Possession? Girls wore their boyfriend’s hats and Hunter was not her boyfriend. If he was, he’d be able to tear it off her head, run his fingers through her hair and suckle on her beautifully pouted and cherry-red bottom lip.

  Callie had stopped crying, and was just staring up at the ceiling on her back again, her eyes vacant and red, her nose red. Her lips redder. She had been dressed to chill out at her house; barefoot with thin flannel sweatpants, the kind that sat low and loose on her hips, and a grey and white stretch singlet that was too small for her now. The hem had ridden up above her belly-button exposing her landing-strip flat stomach, and the fabric of the shirt was more transparent where it had been stretched across her breasts, the outline of her black bra obvious beneath; a full black bra, not lacy, like Meredith’s usually were, and for some reason, Callie’s boring underwear seemed like the hottest sight ever, because it proved just how little effort Callie went to- to look like a bloody goddess!

  ‘Callie…’ Hunter sighed. He’d already commiserated. He’d already held her, attempted to play her some Chilli Pepper’s, wiped away tears that continued to flow and had long since given up on being any kind of support and had crawled back onto his bed, on top of his homework, where her flowery scent was less appealing and he was less inclined to try and get a game of footsie going. And yet her scent, her presence was thicker than fog around him.

  ‘I know. It’s hopeless, and I’m sorry for dragging you into it.’ Callie rolled onto her side and blinked at him, her lashes still wet, her breasts snuggling together. ‘Can we just talk about something else? The gig tomorrow night? The damn weather even?’

  Hunter smiled at her, but his smile faded fast. He’d sworn to Ryan that he’d be upfront and honest; that he wouldn’t get himself into a difficult position with Callie and now here he was, staring at her tits, wishing she’d cover them up or expose the whole lot! ‘Can I be honest with you about something Cal?’

  Callie smiled a watery smile. ‘You’re about to trade me in?’

  Hunter chuckled and rolled onto his own side, looking down at her. ‘It’s a bit… it’s worse than that.’ His intestines were in tangles. She was either going to freak over his confession or worse- shrug it off and say: ‘Whatever. We cool,’ and go on with her life totally unaffected. But he had to hope that clearing the air, like a mate, would get him back to seeing her as a mate. Maybe the secrecy of his feelings was making a normal situation seem mysterious and more sexy than it was.

  Callie’s throat flexed as she swallowed. Her eyes betrayed genuine fear. ‘Okay.’

  Hunter sighed. ‘You are my best friend. Well, you and Ryan. And I am never going to trade you in...’ he rubbed his fingertip into brow. ‘But you need to cover up your feet.’

  Callie glanced down at her feet, flexing them. They were long and arched, the toes scarred, the nails sort of dented from years of toe shoes. ‘Because they’re all deformed? I know, it’s gross.’

  But Hunter shook his head. ‘No, it’s the bare foot thing, in general. You are not a barefoot girl, Callie. That is one of the places on your body that I am not used to seeing, and you need to cover them up.’ He pointed to her stomach. ‘You need a bigger shirt too, one that covers that- and the cleavag
e.’ He curled his fingers around a short tuft of his spiky blonde hair and regarded her earnestly. ‘When you have done that; I will hold you. I will listen to you cry and give you advice- hopefully good advice that makes you stop crying- but I can’t even look at you until there’s less to see!’

  ‘What? Why?’ Callie was looking at him like he was a pod person. She sat up, cross-legged, and the sight of her thighs falling open so that the knees almost touched the mattress like that made Hunter groan and roll onto his back- flexibility! He hadn’t even figured her flexibility into his daydreams yet! He was so screwed! ‘Because you’re hot now Callie!’ He bemoaned, covering his eyes. ‘I love you like a mate, and I want to keep it that way. But you need to go back to being a mate and stop looking like- like-’ he dragged his palm down over his chin. ‘Like a girl! Like a girl with beautiful breasts! Like a girl with bare feet that I want to touch with my own bare feet!’

  ‘You are being ridiculous!’ Even though he couldn’t see her, Hunter knew that Callie was blushing. ‘I know things have been out of whack lately and I want to stay friends too, but I’m not going to walk around in a winter coat to make your life easier. We’re friends, and I’m a girl- those are facts and we’ve always been cool with that.’

  Hunter’s teeth clenched when she said ‘Cool’ in that way that drove him crazy again. But Callie pressed on, unawares that she was fanning his flames with a blanket soaked in kerosene. ‘I didn’t try and make you wear a wetsuit the other night at Ry’s place did I?’

  Hunter looked at her, feeling his heart lift a little higher- levitating towards hope. ‘A wetsuit?’ He rolled onto his side, swallowing back his nervous energy. ‘Were you looking at me too Cal?’

  Callie scowled at him. ‘Well I’m not the only one changing. Your body is…’ her eyes drifted down to his chest and two distinct dots of color appeared on her wet cheeks. ‘You’ve always been cute Hunter. I’m not surprised that Meredith’s all over you now, okay?’

  Hunter felt a thrill shoot through him. He wiggled closer to the edge of the bed. ‘Oh?’

  Callie rolled her eyes, tugging on the brim of his cap, wetting her lips. ‘Oh shut up Mr Ego. The point is, I’m not going to avoid swimming with you in case I accidentally drool on your abs. I’m not going to forbid Ryan from singing so I don’t throw my panties at his head! I’m not going to tear every blue or green shirt out of his cupboard so I can look at him without falling into his bloody eyes, am I? Because it’s ridiculous!’

  Hunter felt like he had been slapped and suddenly, he was moving until he was on top of Callie, caging her in with his knees and hands, forcing her flat onto her back. Her eyes widened when her head hit the pillow.

  ‘Ry gets two?!’ Hunter demanded, insulted. Devastated. ‘You cry on my shoulder but avoid his- why? Because heaven forbid he be wearing a blue shirt that brings out his damn eyes?’ He leaned down, nudged the tip of her hat up slightly so she was forced to look at him and asked softly: ‘Don’t you like my eyes Callie?’

  Callie’s pupils grew larger, blacker and when she met his gaze, her chin lifted. ‘Jealous?’ Her dark eyebrows twitched mischievously, the corner of her lip curving in a bemused smile. ‘How do you think I felt watching you slide your hand up Meredith’s leg at lunch the other day?’

  If felt like Hunter was about to spontaneously combust. He reached over to his shelf and slapped on his stereo. The Sneaker Pimps sexy 6 Underground was halfway through, loud enough to conceal what he didn’t want his parents to accidentally overhear him do; get with his best friend.

  10.

  Hunter knew there was no coming back from that moment. The jealousy in Callie’s amber eyes was the sexiest thing he had ever seen and he wanted to see what other effects he could have on her. And he knew the song was a favorite of Callie’s too and seemed to charge the room with tension.

  ‘I don’t know Cal…’ he lowered himself onto her, aligning the parts of him that were causing him to ache, with the parts of her that promised to take the ache away. He groaned and she purred and then, to his absolute glee, she melded her limbs around his. Holding a tight breath, he rolled his hips into hers, forcing his stiff denim jeans against her soft, jersey cotton. ‘... how do you feel?’ He nudged himself against her more forcefully. ‘Like you want to be one of the boys? Or you want me to treat you like the soft…’ he dropped his lips to her jawline and kissed it gently. ‘… delicate,’ he moved lower, to just beneath her ear and inhaled her expensive scent before nuzzling her pulse with the tip of his nose. ‘And delicious girl you are…?’

  Callie made a soft humming sound, turning her head to the side, offering up her neck and Hunter kissed the ridge of her collarbone, letting his lips feather across it until he felt Callie’s hands slip under his shirt and drag it up along his back. Her palms were warm and the way her fingertips traced the indents between his muscles told him that she’d imagined doing that before, and that just made it feel even better! His lips broke away from her skin while he lowered his head to rest against the muscle above her heart, afraid he’d actually pass out from the pleasure of her caress if he didn’t ground himself.

  ‘You’re not answering me Callie…’ he whispered to the shadow between her breasts, kissing the rise of one firm and supple mound. Her head rolled against her pillow as though trying not to wake from a wonderful dream. ‘Do you want me? Like I want you? Do you like it when I look at you?’

  Callie squirmed beneath him, her blunt fingernails tracing down his vertebrae until her hands were on his hips and coaxing them up against hers again. ‘Yes…’ she whispered. ‘I don’t want to but I like it. A lot.’ Her fingers slid under the waistband of his pants and slid across his lower back. Her touch made his heart flutter.

  ‘Why?’ Hunter’s breath was ragged as he moved, bringing them together again, kissing the rise of the other breast. ‘Don’t give me bullshit reasons about me being a safe bet or a good pal this time though Cal; I want to know what’s got you breathing heavy, not what’s got you through my door.’

  Callie lifted slightly beneath him, nudging his head to the side, lifting his silver chain with one hand and then sensually working her lips against the base of his throat where its weight usually lay. ‘Your voice… of course.’ Her lusty gaze left him breathless.

  ‘Mmm, really?’ He lifted his lips to her jaw, whispering huskily into her ear: ‘Better than Ry’s?’

  Callie made a throaty, gasping sound. ‘Yes…it’s my favorite sound in the world, Hunter.’

  Hunter’s dick throbbed in triumph. His ego was like one of those arcade games he wanted girls to swing at with a hammer to see how high they could raise the bar- and by complimenting his voice, Callie had just swung hard enough to ring the bell. ‘And yours is mine,’ he confessed, prodding between her thighs. ‘Certain words you say…’ he panted against her skin. ‘Like Y’all…’ He hummed a moan. ‘Or cool, or hot… I got my first boner because of your voice, back in the ninth grade… know that?’

  ‘No, I didn’t…’she smiled, eyes ardent.

  ‘It’s true. You came up behind me while I was playing the keyboard, thinking I was alone, and you whispered: ‘That’s so hot,’ into my ear and geez- talk about goosebumps!’ He closed his eyes at the memory of how his then tiny penis had experience arousal for the first time- why hadn’t he realized that it was more than just the voice making him quake?

  Callie took one of his hands and oh so gently, eased the tip of one of his fingers between her lips, kissing gently, suckling in a way that translated through to his erection. ‘Well I worship your hands too... they make such beautiful music. I wish watching you play yesterday afternoon didn’t turn me on so much, but it did...’ Hunter watched her, awestruck, as she dragged his fingers down over her chin and guided it into the right cup of her bra. The moment his palm and fingers folded around her supple flesh he was panting. Swelling. Thickening. His eyes closed as he gently caressed her and when she whimpered in assent he throbbed.

  I didn’t p
ick truth/ Because I wanted the dare/ Catch and Kiss/ I’ll follow anywhere/ Spin that bottle for two minutes in heaven/ If the flesh is willing better make it seven/-

  And then Callie was in motion, rolling, and suddenly Hunter was on his back beneath her. She straddled him, reached for the hat on her head, pulled it off, and then tugged it down over Hunter’s own scalp.

  ‘Now that’s hot,’ she whispered, smiling, tugging on the brim of the cap. That little jerk made her bounce on top of him, made him pulse and twitch. Without the hat, Callie wasn’t quite Callie. She was both less, and more. His, not to be treated sacredly, but however the fuck he wanted. Hunter took her hips in his hands and pulled her down, circling his own, making her feel him. Callie’s head slanted back, her black hair cascade of hair tickling the underside of his feet deliciously.

  ‘Feel that?’ He panted. ‘That’s what you do to me now Callie. And you don’t have to play a note for me to get hard around you.’

  Callie dropped her chin to regard him and her hair swung back over one shoulder, obscuring half of her face in a Jessica Rabbit way that had him chomping at the bit. Biting her troublesome lip but failing to hold back the sultriest smile he had ever seen, Callie rose up on her knees, and plucked at the drawstring of her sweats, giving it a gentle, teasing tug.

  ‘If I’m going to let you feel what you do to me…’ she whispered, winding her finger around the tie the way Hunter wanted to wrap her hair around her fist. ‘I need to know that I won’t lose you after…’

  Callie could have been speaking Mandarin for all the sense that statement made coming from her lips. He sat up, cradling her back, using his core strength to keep him up high enough to look into her eyes. ‘What are you saying?’ He demanded, thinking that anything he was imagining was too good to be true.

  Callie looked down at the intersection of their bodies and used her thumbs to push up the hem of his own white tank and then traced the outlines of his obliques. ‘Well…’ She was breathing hard, excitement making her shimmer. She lifted her gaze to his and angled her head to the side. ‘I guess I’m saying that if you have protection you need to get one, turn up the music- and lock the damn door so I can pick dare and wish you a belated New-Year.’