Page 56 of My Fake Fiancé

Callum gestures for me to walk in step with him as we walk around the corner and stop at a little diner. He holds the door open for me and lets me walk in first. Again, I am shocked at his politeness. I thank him before making my way into the restaurant. A hostess leads us to an open booth and I slide in on one side and Callum slides in on the other.

The hostess sets our menus down and then tells us our waiter will be right with us. I thank her politely and then pick up my menu, feeling a bit hungry. I look over the menu, not really paying attention, my mind too distracted by Callum’s sudden change in behavior.

Callum clears his throat. “So,” he begins. I put my menu down and look up at him, bracing myself for more ridicule or taunting but he looks almost apologetic. “Juli, I am so sorry for how I have been acting recently. I was a complete dickhead. You know how jealous I can be. Seeing you with that guy just made me so angry.” His hands curl into giant fists but he lets out a breath and uncurls his knuckle. “I overreacted. Badly too. I was a real jerk.” I nod my head in agreement and he laughs a bit. “Hey, you don’t have to agree. But okay, I really was. And I have been trying to get better at controlling my temper.” He pauses and looks up at me, looking into my eyes. His eyes pleading with me. “I want to try to work on us. I miss you, Juli. I love you, you know that. And I am sorry for how I treated you. I really want to try to make this work.”

I look at him, my jaw dropping once again, completely dumbfounded. “I…I don’t know what to say,” I tell him honestly. “I guess Tatyana knocking you on your ass really helped straighten you out.”

Callum chuckles and runs his hand through his hair. “Yeah, you could say something like that.” He reaches across the table and takes my hands in his. “Baby, I know I’ve been a lot of work in the past, but I’ve been taking a hard look at myself and I know I can be better for you. We were meant for each other.” He squeezes my hands gently. My mouth is open but I can’t seem to form any words yet. He looks at me, waiting then he notices our waiter coming over to the table and he squeezes my hands once more before letting go. “Just think about it for now okay? We can order our drinks and food then we’ll talk more about it?” He says as a question and I nod, accepting.

The waiter approaches the table and introduces himself, we tell him we are ready to order and he writes down our cravings then tells us an approximate time for our food to be ready then he goes off to get our drinks ready. Once he leaves, silence falls over the table. I look across at Callum and he is watching me quietly.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” I put my hands in my lap and play with my fingers nervously.

He nods, understanding. “I know, it’s a lot to take in. And I know you’re with Kurt right now,” he laughs rudely and rolls his eyes. “I don’t know what you see in that guy. But I respect that you’re in a relationship but I am still here for you. I love you and I need you. And I am willing to fight for you.”

I sit back in the booth to process. He was not respectful before. He was creepy and acted like a stalker. Maybe he really has changed, but it hasn’t been that long since he was a jerk so I don’t know if he could change that quickly.

I sit up and place my hands on the table. “So, what is your plan?” I ask, wanting to know his intentions.

“I want to be with you.” He states plainly and I am about to speak but he cuts me off. “And I know you’re still with Kurt but I don’t think he’s right for you.” I huff, annoyed at being interrupted and annoyed that he is making assumptions.

“Look, Kurt and I aren’t together anymore but you don’t need to insult him.” I scold myself for being so quick to defend him. I sit back, trying to relax. I gesture for him to continue.

“Oh, okay,” he sits up a little taller. “Let me take you out.” I laugh and look around the room. “No, no. This doesn’t count. Like a real date. We used to go out on dates all the time and then I stopped taking you out. I stopped showing how much I care about you. I want to do this the right way. Okay?” He leans forward. “Come on, you know you want to. You’re intrigued.” I laugh again as he keeps pressing me.

“Fine, fine. Just shut up already.” I smile, giving in too easily. Pushing aside the thoughts of doubt. I need to get my mind off Kurt and maybe Callum has changed. I really liked him, and I still have some sort of feelings for him. So, I allow myself to give in. “One date, we will see how that goes…” I trail off, not knowing how to finish the thought. He lifts his fists triumphantly, cheering. I quickly shush him, laughing. “Shhh! Everyone is staring!” I scoot down in the booth and cover my face, blushing a little.

He laughs happily and then thankfully he shuts up and our food arrives soon after. We eat our food mostly in silence, with a few generic conversations taking place. We catch up on a few things, he tells me about different gigs his band did while I sit quietly and listen. When he notices I’m not really talking, he tries to get me more involved in the conversation. I start to notice different ways he has changed, but one meal isn’t enough to convince me. Once we both finish, he pays for our food before I can say anything.

“Thank you,” I say when I notice he has paid.

“It’s no problem.” He waves away the thanks and puts his wallet back in his pocket. “So, I’ll pick you up outside your apartment tomorrow at 7?” I smile and nod.

“That sounds good.” We both get up and make our way to the door.

“Alright, well, I’ll see you then.” He leans in and kisses me on the cheek and I let him, leaning into him slightly.

I watch him walk away and he turns around and smiles giving me a little wave. I smile and wave back then he turns back around and continues down the street, rounding a corner before disappearing from my sight. I take a moment to process everything that just happened, and then I begin my walk back to the apartment, completely giving up on my run.

Chapter 51

Kurt

Driving back to my apartment is a sad and lonely journey. I turn on the radio to try to distract myself. My favorite song is on but it doesn’t make me feel any better. I look down at the cup holder beside me and that stupid ring stares back at me, mocking me. I don’t know what I was thinking, giving that to her. None of this was real so why did I think it was a good idea to give her a real ring? I’m so stupid.

My phone starts ringing and I feel my heart leap. Maybe it’s her, maybe she’s calling me to tell me that she made a mistake. I curse myself trying to get my thoughts under control. Damn, I really like this girl.

“Hello?” I pick up the phone without looking at the caller ID, not wanting to be let down right away.

“Hi, sweetie.” It’s my mom. I let out a breath, relaxing a little. I haven’t heard from her in a while and I forget how she was able to calm me down.

“Hey, mom. How are you?”

“I’m well. How are you, honey?” I hear noise in the back of her call but she shushes whoever it is and exits the room. The background once again goes quiet.

I clear my throat, trying to keep the sigh from escaping my lips. If I sigh, she will know something is going on and it’s too soon for me to talk about it, let alone talk to her about it. “I’m okay, Mom. Just tired. I had the day off today but I think I’m going to head into work later.” I tell her the silly things that don’t seem to matter anymore and she seems happy with my response.

“You had the day off? That’s wonderful. Did you and Juliana do something special? How is Juliana? Is she there with you right now?” She sounds so happy and curious about Juliana, I know I can’t tell her what happened. Not yet at least.

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