by LS Anders
The rest of what Tegan said trailed off as the guy made his way back upstairs. It was lost on Vehn anyway as he grabbed for his phone, reading Callie’s latest text.
Callie: that is so sweet. i miss you too. I don’t want to take a shower or change the sheets cause i want to keep your scent on me for as long as possible
Vehn blew out a harsh breath, relieved she was feeling the same way, but not totally relaxed because she had stopped texting and had taken a little while to send one. He needed to stop being so freaking paranoid. There were any number of reasons for the delayed response.
Vehn: i know what u mean. tuesday night is a long way away.
Callie: yes it is. can’t wait to see u again☺
Vehn: me too.
Callie: guess i better get some sleep. got to work tomorrow. Hope your shoot goes well. i’m sure it will cause it's you
Vehn: aww thx☺ g’night Callie.
Callie: g’night.
Vehn slipped his bare feet into his Scooby Doo slippers and made his way upstairs to join Tegan, unable to wipe the stupid grin off his face.
“‘Bout fucking time,” Tegan bitched as Vehn stepped out onto the terrace. “Are you fucking kidding me with the slippers?”
“Nope, this is serious business. I’ll get you a pair for Christmas. Believe it or not, they make these in your big-ass shoe size, too.”
Vehn flopped down on the couch, Scooby's ears bouncing as he shook the foot resting on his knee. Tegan glared darkly at the flopping ears.
“Don’t be a hater, T. Embrace the Scoobage,” Vehn said, kicking up his chin.
“You’re an idiot.”
“What are we drinking?” Vehn asked, rubbing his hands together, ignoring Tegan’s remark.
“It’s your party, bro. What do you want?”
“Let’s have one of those,” he decided, nodding towards the bucket of iced down beers Tegan had brought out with him.
Tegan snagged a bottle, popped off the top, and handed it to Vehn before taking a seat in one of the matching chairs with his own beer. His unwavering laser-beam stare was locked on Vehn the entire time.
“Didn’t mom ever tell you it was rude to stare?” Vehn questioned Tegan’s scrutiny. “What’s up with you today? Did you lose your comb or something and that’s making you all bitchy?”
“How is this shit with you and the fangirl working out?”
Vehn let him change the subject... for now. Clearly, Tegan wasn’t in a sharing kind of mood and seemed to be even surlier than normal. That blonde definitely had him by the back of the neck. Vehn knew he would have to work his way up to a convo about the latest between him and Rayna.
Might not hurt to get a few beers in him, too, before he broached that particular subject. This had been his first opportunity to question Tegan about what had happened with her at the Halloween party. They had gone from being all warm and snuggly to not really talking in the time it took him and Callie to get each other off.
“Fucking awesome!” Vehn took a long pull on his beer. “She’s nothing like you said she would be. I think the mask I was wearing when we met had everything to do with it. She gets me, you know?”
“Pfft. What, that you’re a dick? Did she actually agree to another date?” Tegan’s surliness was running thick tonight.
“Yep. I wanted to talk to you about that. I’d like to bring her here for dinner Tuesday night, and then a little slumber party. You know, if you don’t mind. But it’s cool if you do. I’ll just think of somewhere else to take her that’s not public. I don’t want you to feel weird.”
Vehn was doing everything he could think of to keep Callie off the press’ radar. If he had to hide her away from those soul-sucking vultures in order to protect her, he would.
She had opened up to him during their late-night conversation about some issues she had dealt with because of her ex-boyfriend. From everything she'd said, he had gathered that she had taken a mental beating from that prick, but he had a sneaking suspicion there was more to her story than what she had already said, leaving him desperate to find out all of it.
What was freaking him out was the closeness he was already feeling for her in the incredibly short period of time he had known her. He could totally see himself married to her, too, which had never happened with any other woman. He wanted her with him full time as soon as possible, even though that sort of scared the shit out him.
The connection he felt was a very real and tangible thing, and he was going to do whatever he could to preserve it so it didn’t get severed from any outside sources. Which meant he was going to have to keep up a juggling act between their work schedules, places to take her on private dates, and staving off the media until she was more comfortable with being in the public eye.
He hoped after his retirement that some of the limelight would diminish and she wouldn’t be so overwhelmed by the instant fame that was sure to come once people found out they were an item.
He realized she found his life surreal; her inner struggle was written all over her face. He had gone through much the same thing when all this began for him 10 years before.
The media was a good thing when it came to making your career, but it could be a serious ballbuster, too. Although it was inevitable, he didn’t want Callie to have to deal with any shitty articles written about her, but unfortunately she would have to learn to shrug it off. He had a feeling there were some underlying self-esteem issues created by that ex of hers, which wasn’t going to make things any easier for her if she decided to stay with him.
No! Not if, there is no if. Callie was his. End of! He was just going to have to make sure she knew that.
“Do what you want, man. It’s your place,” Tegan finally answered.
“Yeah, but you’re my roommate, and I respect your space.”
“It’s cool. Besides, I work that night until close, and I’ll just grab a bite out, so I won’t be around until long after 9 o’clock anyway.”
“Thanks. I’m trying to keep our relationship as much off the paparazzi's radar as possible,” Vehn explained, peeling the label off his beer. “So, what’s new with you?”
That question got Tegan moving. Abruptly standing, he began pacing next to the terrace wall looking down into the courtyard.
“Nothing much.”
“Really? Is that why you can’t sit still? What’s up with you and Rayna?” Vehn decided to jump in with both feet. Tegan was either going to talk or he wasn't; that was just the way the man worked.
“Nothing.” Tegan ran a hand through his messy black strands. “Just… nothing.”
“But you looked like you were getting along just fine with her at the party. What changed?”
“Fuck me, Vehn! She works right across the hall from me. I can’t keep my goddamn eyes off her, and every time I hear her voice I can't help but look over. I can barely keep my mind on my fucking work!”
Vehn was surprised at how much information and emotion had just poured out of the guy. Tegan was in a bad way if he was willing to spill his guts like this. Usually, he just bottled everything up, and no one knew what was going on until shit had come to a head.
Like with Tracy, for instance. Vehn had no idea how bad the girls’ drug habit had become until she’d lost their baby. That loss had had such a severe impact on Tegan, he had called Vehn to spew his shit.
“Her husband just fucking died, so she’s kind of backed off.”
“What do you mean by ‘kind of’?” Vehn emphasized the last by holding up both hands, quoting in the air.
“You know, I think she wants to be involved with me, but she’s holding back because her husband just died. The one time we kissed was really fucking intense—”
“I want all the details,” Vehn interrupted, leaning forward.
“Not gonna happen.”
“At least tell me when and where.”
“The Monday after the Halloween party. At work. And that’s all I’m sayin’,” Tegan interrupted when Vehn opened hi
s mouth to say more. “Maybe she’s right. Maybe we were moving too fast. My divorce isn’t even final yet. Or maybe it’s just a rebound thing.”
“I don’t think so, T. I mean, you've just said you can’t keep your mind on your work. I think that’s more than a ‘rebound thing’,” Vehn said, quoting again.
“FYI, if you do air quotes one more time, I’m gonna punch you in the throat.” Tegan glared hard at Vehn until he agreed with a curt nod. “Anyway, she’s backing off so it doesn’t really fucking matter, does it?”
“Just give her some time. Don’t give up completely. I think she’s really into you. I could see it at the party and the day I shot photos of Evana’s tattoo. She was checking you out when she knew you weren't looking. That doesn’t seem like an uninterested female to me.”
Tegan set his beer down on the wall’s edge, scrubbing both hands through his hair, pulling hard when he reached the back of his neck. Vehn figured that helped him think and debunked his lost comb theory.
“OK, you’re probably right,” Tegan conceded.
“Let me ask you something,” Vehn started, trying to judge whether his question would piss Tegan off or not. Since the guy was feeling forthcoming, maybe he would get some insight instead of the usual cryptic response that took him hours of reading between the lines to figure out.
“Go ahead.” Tegan cracked open a new bottle, downing half the beer in one gulp.
“Why did you tell Callie about that eyelash incident from seventh grade?”
“I didn’t do it to embarrass you, so wipe that goddamn look off your face.”
Vehn knew Tegan didn’t have a malicious bone in his body. He wouldn’t have told the most humiliating experience of his life to a woman he was interested in unless he had a good reason, but he couldn’t figure out for the life of him what that reason could be.
He had been absolutely stunned when Callie had asked him if he knew what had become of the—as she so eloquently put it—“fucktard trio”.
He couldn’t fathom why Tegan would tell her a story that he had all but buried and forgotten. Funny, just a few weeks before, he had just been thinking and had forgotten the actual reason why they had ended up at the principal’s office and become friends that day and he could have done without the reminder coming out of his girlfriend’s beautiful mouth.
“I told her that story because Rayna asked me to talk to Callie. She was freaking out about your date Saturday.”
Vehn shook his head. “I’m not tracking.”
“Because,” Tegan expelled an exasperated breath, “she was looking at you through star-struck glasses. The only way to make her see you as a real person was to knock you off that damn pedestal and bring you back down to the level of a normal person. If she knew some shit like that could happen to you, then you would look less superhuman to her, and she would feel less awestruck around you.”
“Damn, I never thought of that. Thanks for doing that, even though it’s kind of… fucked up. She does seem more relaxed around me now. You always seem to be there to help my ass out when I can’t seem to do it myself.”
“Don’t mention it. Now, if I could just figure out how to help myself.”
Callie burst through the door of Exotic Ink as if someone was hot on her trail, startling Avie. The newspaper she was reading shimmied in her hands.
“Jesus, Callie, you scared the shit out of me. What the hell is wrong with you?”
Callie pulled the door closed behind her blocking out the blast of cold air and specks of swirling icy rain. “Cold weather makes me want to cuss.”
“And how is that different from every other time?”
Callie stamped her feet shooting Avie a bird. “Please tell me you have something hot and ready for me.”
“You’ll have to call your boyfriend for that.” Avie laughed, brushing her magenta colored ponytail off her shoulder.
“Hey, hey, hey! That conversation needs to end right there, ladies!” Tegan hollered from the door of his work space.
Avie and Callie snickered to each other as Callie removed her heavy coat. It was just sooooooo much fun getting Tegan all riled up. Just mentioning anything sexual or about his roommate would start him shushing.
Just the day before, Tegan had walked in on a conversation between her and Avie regarding the calorie count of semen, and he had taken off like a bat out of hell. She couldn't blame him, though; it really wasn't suitable conversation for mixed company, but she and Avie had laughed all day about the speed with which Tegan had vacated the room.
“You want coffee or hot chocolate?”
“Hot chocolate, please. I love you, Avie.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Avie hopped down off her stool and folded her newspaper, leaving it on the desk before heading to the hidden kitchenette behind the reception desk.
Callie hung up her coat in the closet and made her way towards her work space, glancing down at the newspaper as she passed. Stopping abruptly and taking a step back, she leaned in to get a closer look at the visible article. Making certain the kitchenette door was still closed, she read it quickly and hurried to her room to text Arin.
Callie: idea 4 party! i know it’s early but all male review next month posted in the times.
Arin: yes! Let me get a head count and see if i can make arrangements to go.
Callie:
Callie sent up a silent prayer to the powers that be that Arin could get enough seats for the show. An all-male review would be a totally rockin’ bachelorette party!
With the funky mood that was making the rounds in the studio, they all needed a night out of fun and debauchery, Rayna especially with the Tegan situation, and now Evana was walking around like she was in a zombie trace. Callie had no clue what was up with her.
“What up, Callie?” Cale swaggered by only to stop short, taking in Callie’s overnight bag. “Well, well, well what have we got here?”
“Bye, Cale. Nothing to see here,” Callie said, shoving the bag and her purse inside the console table.
“Gonna be an overnight date, eh?” Cale teased, straddling and grinding his hips against the doorframe. “So there’s a little bowchickabowbow in fantasy boy’s future.”
“Cale, stop humping the doorway,” Avie instructed in a bored tone, like it was an everyday occurrence, and handed Callie the steaming cup.
“Yummy. Thanks, Avie.” She inhaled the decadent aroma before taking a tentative sip of the hot liquid.
“Welcome,” Avie said, tugging on Cale’s arm to get him moving. “Come on, Cale. Leave Callie alone.”
“Maybe I can hump you instead,” he offered, following close on her heels.
Avie’s squeal was followed by a throaty giggle that traveled the length of the hall. Undoubtedly, Cale had gotten his hands on her.
“People, please! This is a place of business,” Tegan growled.
“That’s right, and this is my business, so go mind yours,” Cale retorted.
Callie grinned sipping her hot chocolate, briefly closing her eyes, enjoying the now familiar banter between the studio’s only two male employees.
It was truly amazing how Tegan had seamlessly integrated into the shop. Once he had gotten moved in, he had become instantly one with the group.
Tegan was doing extremely well for himself. His reputation had spread quickly, and the feature Evana had placed on the studio's website, along with photos of his work, only added to their already overflowing business.
Callie had managed to work in two additional people yesterday despite her busy schedule, and Rayna had come in on her day off taking the bulk of the walk-ins.
Tegan was booking up fast and didn’t look like he would be able to accept walk-ins for much longer. They most certainly couldn’t keep up this pace. Given his current mood, maybe it was good for Tegan to stay busy. His usual stoic personality had taken a turn toward the surly side, and Callie was afraid that if he and Rayna didn’t hook up pretty soon, the guy was going to go postal.
It was
beyond her why those two hadn't already gotten together. They would make such a great couple! Tegan was this huge muscular badass motorcycle type, and Rayna was this shy, doe-eyed sweetheart with the body of a swimsuit model.
Callie glanced at her watch and took a fortifying breath. Almost time to open. Once Avie turned on the sign and the first client broke the seal on the day, it was going to stay crazy busy until they closed the doors.
They really needed to hire another artist soon. She had talked briefly with Evana the day before about how soon was too soon to replace Brent as they ate sandwiches standing up at the break room counter. Evana's idea to have the shop close for lunch hadn't lasted more than a few days. Everyone just stayed way too busy to make that happen.
Evana had mentioned another applicant she had passed over for Tegan. She'd said she had based her final decision on the fact that Tegan had showed more versatility. This other guy was really good at traditional, which they still needed. She also mentioned he had a uniqueness about his work that set him apart from the other applicants that she thought would benefit the shop.
Callie's cell let out a bing, alerting her to a new text. No way it could be Arin already securing a table for the party. The club the event was being held at wasn't even open yet.
Nope. It was from Dylan. Callie smiled at the 3D emoticon jumping up and down in celebration.
Dylan: just 8 hrs until vehnage!
Callie: i know! i can’t wait to see him again☺
Dylan: so happy 4u.
Callie: me 2 thx.
Dylan: now get ur ass 2 work and don’t forget to tell me all the gory details tomorrow.
Callie: lol! yes ma’am.
Callie laughed to herself, taking a moment to scroll back through the texts she and Dylan had shared about her new-found relationship with Vehn the night before.
She so missed that girl. She really needed to take some time off and go visit her. Maybe take Vehn with her, too, since he would be soon retired from modeling and his schedule wouldn’t be so chaotic.
