Big Fat Liar 2 (Big Fat Liar #2)

by Cookie Moretti

  There was just something about Cal that fascinated him. When did this fascination start? Probably the day he woke up in Cal's bed, remembering what they had talked about the night before. He had no idea what compelled him to tell Cal about his time in the military...he's never spoken to anyone about it. Not even his brother or parents. Chris thought that he had locked those memories and feelings so deeply inside himself that he was surprised that it had all come tumbling out in front of his new friend.

  Frankly, these strange and confusing new feelings that Cal stirred within him scared the shit out of him. He's never felt an attraction to another man before but if he was being honest with himself, which he wasn't, there was something definitely something about Cal that attracted him. And with each day that passes those feelings were growing stronger and Chris was getting more confused.

  What the hell was it about Cal that was so puzzling? Maybe it's because the other man strangely acted too much like a girl, something that he was familiar with since he had an outrageous gay man for a brother. So was that it? Was Cal lying? He denied it before but what if Cal was actually gay and didn't realize it...or possibly wouldn't admit it to himself.

  Or maybe he's just a really feminine man, Chris thought, scowling at himself in the mirror. He'd met men like that before, guys who acted a little feminine but was actually straight.

  "You're thinking way too much about it, man," he told himself as he set the comb down and turned away from his bathroom mirror. "Thinking way too much." Chris walked in his bedroom and took the pair of black pants from his bed and slipped it on. He was just putting a black shirt on when his doorbell buzzed. Straightening the shirt, he walked out his room and answered the door.

  "So where are you taking me?" Cal asked as soon as the door opened. He stepped inside and turned to face Chris, excitement and curiosity illuminating on his round face. "So? Come on, stop keeping it a secret. Tell me!"

  Shaking his head, Chris closed the door, lips twitching with amusement at his friend's eagerness and impatience. "Good morning to you too, Cal."

  "It's actually already twelve in the afternoon," Cal pointed out. "I'm not too early right? You said you were taking me out in the afternoon."

  "No," Chris grinned, "actually you're right on time."

  "Good." Cal returned his grin. "So where are you taking me?"

  Chris laughed and walked around Cal to get to his kitchen. "It's a surprise. Just be a little bit more patient, buddy."

  "Chris," Cal whined behind him. "You're torturing me on purpose!"

  Chris ignored him, casually walking in his black and white tiled kitchen. He opened the white fridge and took out a carton of orange juice. "Juice?" He offered Cal.

  And like he expected, Cal glared at him. "No thanks."

  Chuckling, Chris took out a glass from a cabinet and slowly poured himself some orange juice. Leisurely, he leaned his hip against the counter and took his time in slowly bringing the rim of the glass to his lips, watching Cal's scowling face the whole time.

  "I know what you're doing," Cal growled, miffed. "You're teasing me again. I am not amused." Huffing, Cal crossed his arms and continued to scowl at him.

  Chris finished off the orange juice in the glass and turned to wash it in the sink, turning on the water and rinsing off the glass with deliberate slowness. Humming pleasantly, he grabbed the white towel on the fridge and dried the glass with it. Still humming, he opened the cabinet back up and placed the glass inside. When he turned around to wash another cup from the sink, Cal had enough and cried, "Chris!!"

  Laughing, Chris raised his palms up. "Okay, okay, I get it." There was just something too amusing about irritating and teasing Cal. "You wanna know where I'm taking you."

  Cal brightened. "Where are you taking me?"

  "To meet my folks."

  Cal reared back and blinked in surprise at him. "Y-you're folks? You mean your...parents?" Cal's cheeks turned pink.

  For some reason, Chris felt his own cheeks reddening. To cover up his sudden embarrassment, he shrugged and tried to look casual. "Yeah, remember that I told you that they have their own Deli?"

  "Oh." Cal composed himself. "Yeah, right. I remember now. So you're taking me to..."

  "Eat there," Chris finished. "They have really good subs, healthy too."

  "Oh." Cal smiled brightly. "I'd be happy to finally meet them."

  An awkward silence descended in the kitchen. Clearing his throat, Chris walked around Cal and asked, "So, you ready to head out?"

  Cal nodded, suddenly looking shy. "Um...do you think what I have on is okay?"

  Chris paused and studied Cal's clothes. Strangely, they almost matched. Cal too had black jeans on but he unlike Chris, his shirt was grey. His hair is growing, Chris realized. Gone was the silly bowl-haircut look and it its place was a more feminine looking version, hanging down to Cal's chin.

  "Uh." Chris cleared his throat, strangely feeling uncomfortable. "You look fine. Probably should comb your hair back though. It makes you look a little girly with it hanging down like that."

  "Oh." Cal reached up and petted his hair. "Um. Okay."

  "I'll go get the comb." Chris briskly walked out the kitchen and into his bedroom. He returned a few seconds later with a black comb in hand. "Here," he said, stepping closer to Cal, "let me show you how to do it right."

  Chris placed the picks of the comb against Cal's forehead and combed his dark auburn hair back in three smooth strokes. He had lost himself in the concentration of making Cal's hair look neat and perfect that he was a bit startled when he looked down to find Cal's eyes staring up at him in wonder.

  Chris paused and stared right back. Huh, Chris thought. Cal actually has pretty eyes. Never noticed that before. His friend had huge chocolate brown eyes with a hint of gold around the iris. They were strangely fascinating to look at.

  "C-Chris?" Cal blinked at him. "You okay?"

  "Huh? Oh." Chris stepped back and smiled sheepishly. "Done."

  "Thanks." Cal swallowed and lowered his lashes, staring at the ground.

  And that's when Chris realized that after losing a little over twenty pounds that Cal was actually pretty cute in a cuddly way. If he lost more weight and actually went down to what his weight should be, Cal would probably be very attractive in the way his brother, Abel, was. In a feminine way. Probably even more so.

  Whether that was bad or good, Chris wasn't sure. A lot of girls go for the feminine looking guys. And a lot of guys, Chris thought, not liking where the direction of his thoughts were going so he simply stopped thinking about it.

  "Come on, buddy." He jerked his head towards the door. "Let's head out."

  Cal looked up and smiled at him. "O-okay." He walked passed Chris to the door. Opening the door, he paused and looked back at Chris who was staring after him. "Coming?"

  Chris blinked and quickly nodded. "Yeah. I'll...I'll meet you downstairs."

  " 'Kay," Cal smiled tentatively at him before slipping out and closing the door behind him.

  Chris stared at the closed door and for the first time wondered if Brenda has been right all those weeks ago. Did Cal actually have a crush on him? Chris frowned. If that was true, then did he mind that Cal has a crush on him?

  Chris grabbed his keys and wallet from the counter, the thought of Cal having a crush on him slightly disturbing him. He placed the black comb on the counter, frown turning deeper. On the other hand, maybe he was just thinking way too much about things again. Cal probably just looked up to him.

  "Yeah, that's right," Chris told himself out loud, opening the front door and walking out. "He just looks up to me. Poor guy probably has hero worship." Chris locked the door and walked down the hall. He paused by the stairs leading downstairs and stared at Callie's brown door.

  "Chris?" Callie called out from below the stairs.

  "Hero worship," Chris repeated. Whistling, he spun the loop of the key chain around his finger and descended down the stairs.

  ****

  I'm me
eting his parents, Callie thought, freaking out in the inside.

  She sat in Chris's passenger seat as calm as can be but in the inside, she was jumping around like some looney cartoon. Oh my god! I'm going to meet his parents! Hah! Take that Brenda! Even Brenda hasn't met Chris's parents yet, something she knew that the other woman had been hinting at Chris that she wanted to do.

  Chris had been informing Cal about his relationship with Brenda, admitting that the woman was starting to bug him with all these expectations. So why was he still with her? Callie had no idea. She just wished that he would dump the other woman already.

  "My folks opened up the deli about ten years ago," Chris was telling her, something that he'd told her months before but she let him continue. "Dad wanted to open up his own sandwich business and Mom went along for the ride."

  "Your parents sound great," she told him.

  "They are. Best parents in the world, when they're not bugging me for grandkids that is."

  "My parents suck," Callie admitted. "You though my sister and fiance were snobs? You should meet my mother and her husband, my step-father."

  "You must miss your real father a lot," Chris said with empathy.

  Callie nodded, feeling a lump in her throat. "Y-yeah. He was the best dad in the world to me. He never pointed out my imperfections and instead loved me for me. When he died...I thought that I'd die too."

  "Did you hate your mom for remarrying?" Chris asked. He was surprised that Cal was finally opening up a bit more about his family.

  "Actually, no." Callie shook her head. "I knew that she was lonely. I think she must have loved my father in her own way. She even kept his last name even though she remarried. Annie Picket-Greene. Richard wasn't happy with it but there was no changing her mind."

  "That was decent of her," Chris commented.

  Callie stared out the window, remembering the day her mother had announced that she was getting remarried. "I didn't hate my mother for wanting to get remarried but I did resent her a bit for marrying Richard of all people. He was my dad's close friend and business partner and I hated him. He would always praise my sisters but me? He'd treat me like furniture. Seen but not heard."

  "The guy sounds like a major ass," Chris agreed, turning the car around the corner. "What did your mother see in him?"

  "She was lonely," Callie said. "And I think marrying Richard made her feel closer to my dad though we never actually talked about it."

  "Your folks must be rich."

  "Yeah, old money but all the money in the world couldn't bring my father back."

  "I'm sorry, Cal."

  Callie glanced at Chris and gave him a tiny smile. "Thanks."

  Chris stared at her a few seconds longer before focusing his eyes back on the road. "You know," he began, "your dad sounds a lot like mine. You'll love him."

  "Chris, if he's anything like you, I know I will."

  That caught them both a little off guard and everything was silent in the car for a couple of minutes before Chris cleared his throat and sent a charming grin at Callie. "I know, I'm awesome right?"

  Callie chuckled. "Yeah."

  Ten minutes later, they arrived in front of C & A's Deli in downtown Seattle. Callie stepped out the car and closed it behind her, staring up at the red sign above the subway shop. "What does the C and A stand for?"

  "Christopher and Abel," Chris told her as he walked around the car. "Pops named it after my brother and I."

  "That's so sweet," Callie smiled. The deli looked nice and cozy tucked between two grocery stores.

  "Come on," Chris bumped his arm against hers. "Let's go in and I'll introduce you."

  Callie nodded and followed him. The bells hanging above the doors jingled as they entered the building. Callie inhaled the scent of subway sandwiches with a smile. The shop was partially full with customers and Callie spotted a man and woman standing behind the counter.

  "Chris!" The woman with dark blonde hair up in a bun smiled brightly. Callie guessed her to be Chris and Abel's mother. She was a beautiful woman in her late forties, hardly showing any sign of aging. She wore the stores red and black uniform, red shirt and black pants along with a white apron. She even sported a black hat that had C & A in gold letters at the front.

  She looks like Abel, Callie thought, watching the older woman walk around the counter to hug her youngest son. Both Abel and his mother were beautiful in a classic sense.

  "Son." The older man standing behind the counter strongly resembled Chris. So this is what Chris will look like when he's older, Callie though, admiring Mr. Walker. He was a very handsome man with sandy blonde hair that had hints of grey in it. He had the same devilish smile that Chris had. Like his wife, he too was wearing the shops uniform and hat.

  "Hey, Pops," Chris nodded to his father. "How's business going?"

  "It's going," Bradley Walker winked. "What brings you here?"

  "I wanted to show my friend your deli." Chris nodded to Callie. "Cal, this is my beautiful mother, Eliza Walker and her old fart of a husband, Bradley Walker."

  "Oh you!" Mrs. Walker batted a hand on Chris's arm but she had a smile on her face. " Chris, stop messing with your father."

  Chuckling, Chris wrapped an arm around his mother's waist and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Mom, Pops, I'd like you to meet Cal Picket. He lives right next door to me in my apartment."

  "So you're Cal." Mrs. Walker beamed at Callie. "Abel's told us so much about you."

  The smile on Callie's lips froze. "A-Abel?" Great, what had Abel told his parents about her?

  "Abel beat me to it, huh?" Chris scowled. "What did he say?"

  "Oh nothing," Mrs. Walker waved a graceful hand, reminding Callie of Abel. "He just told us that you have a new friend and you're helping him lose weight."

  "Yup." Callie nodded. "That's me."

  "Eat some of my subs," Mr. Walker grinned at her, "and it'll help you lose weight fast."

  "Stop advertising, Dad," Chris mocked, "we're here to eat anyway."

  "Good!" Mrs. Walker stepped back from Chris and hugged Callie. "It's nice to meet you, dear."

  "Um. Thanks." Callie hugged the older woman back, looking unsure. Eliza Walker smelled like roses. And she also smelled like a mother. When was the last time her own mother hugged her? Callie couldn't even remember.

  "What would you like?" Mr. Walker asked her. "We have all kinds to choose from. Pick any and it's on the house."

  "Thanks, Pops." Chris walked up to the counter and studied the slices of meat from behind the plastic window. "Cal, come here, buddy, and order yours."

  Callie walked around Mrs. Walker and took her place beside Chris. "Hmm." She peered through the plastic window. "Um...how about a Salami sandwich?"

  "Great." Mr. Walker opened the bread pantry. "What type of bread do you want?"

  "White please."

  "You should get wheat," Chris told her. "Less calories."

  Callie glared at him. "I hate wheat bread, you know that."

  Chris scowled at her. "There's nothing wrong with wheat bread."

  "It tastes funny."

  "That's cause you're not used to eating it."

  "Hey!" Callie poked a finger at his arm. "I thought this was my celebration? Which means I get to pick what I want to eat. So I'm picking white bread."

  "Fine," Chris surrendered. "But don't get used to this."

  Callie stuck her tongue out at him and he chuckled. Smiling, Callie turned her attention back to Mr. Walker and froze when both Walkers were staring at them from the other side. Mr. Walker had a puzzled look on his face and Mrs. Walker was smiling at her as if she was in on some secret.

  Blushing, Callie quickly looked back down at the salami. "Um. Salami with white bread, please."

  They spent over an hour at the deli. Callie laughed at the stories Mrs. Walker told her about Chris and Abel's childhood. Chris looked tortured but he didn't ask his mother to leave. Callie could see right through him. He adored his mother and Callie was starting to adore h
er too. Mrs. Walker was like Abel. Funny, witty and outrageous. By the time Chris said that they should go, Callie was a bit reluctant to depart.

  "Don't worry, dear," Eliza Walker hugged Callie one last time as Chris walked over to say goodbye to his father. "We'll meet again."

  "It was really nice meeting you, Mrs. Walker." Callie told her honestly. "Chris and Abel are lucky to have a mother like you."

  "Aw," Mrs. Walker smiled. "Please, call me Eliza. Mrs.Walker makes me feel so old." They shared a warm laugh. "You take care of my boy now, okay? Sometimes I worry about him."

  Callie nodded, feeling odd that Chris's mother would tell her this. "Okay. I'll look out for him."

  Mrs. Walker-Eliza, grinned. "I'm sure you will. You know, Abel told me all about you."

  Callie nodded again. "I know."

  "No, I mean," Eliza leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "I mean ALL about you." Then the older woman giggled. Giggled!

  Callie's eyes widened and stared at her. "You...you mean...everything?"

  Eliza nodded. "He didn't tell my husband but he told me."

  I knew it, Callie thought. Abel had told his mother ahead of time that Callie was indeed in fact, a woman. No wonder Mrs. Walker had drowned her with attention all this time.

  "I think it's so romantic." Mrs. Walker sighed dreamily. "Well, not the lying to my son part but the other part."

  "W-what other part?"

  "The part that you're so in love with him that you'd do anything to be by his side. Even pretending to be a man." Eliza patted her shoulder sympathetically. "Poor dear. I should bash my son over the head for mistaking you as a man. Why, you look like a girl!"

  "It's cause I lost some weight," Callie admitted. "Guess the more weight I lose the more womanly I look."

  "And Chris still doesn't know?" Eliza shook her head. "Shame on him."

  "You won't tell him?"

  "No, don't worry, I won't. I promised Abel and I don't break my promises to my sons." Eliza smiled. "And besides, I'm going to enjoy seeing Chris's face when he realizes what a true gem you are. I like you, Cal."