Page 34 of Elusion

Somehow, I function around Callie for the day. On the inside, I’m a nervous wreck with anxiety as my new best friend. To avoid a coronary, I decide to wait until tonight for any proclamations. It helps … to an extent.

Our last classes of the day end at the same time. She insists I stay for the entire lecture, which proves almost more than my patience can endure. I’m the first one out the door and almost hit a full sprint on the way to the Jeep. Once I drop her off at the dorms, I only need to get through band practice. After that, I can focus solely on her.

She is waiting for me in the parking lot when I get there. The simple sight of her almost has me blurting it all out, but I keep my shit together. I turn up the music to avoid further temptation on our drive. A Nirvana song plays from theImpress Calliemix I created the first night after the party.

“May I?” She picks up my phone.

I nod and smile, knowing she’ll see the name of the playlist.

She shakes her head. “Do you put this much effort into everything you do?”

I choke back a laugh. “Not in the slightest.”

“Then why all the effort with me?” She sets my phone down, turning to face me.

“Because you, Callie Henders, are my muse.”

She sighs. “That’s the smooth answer. What’s the real one?”

Honesty without bearing my soul—a tap dance. “I don’t have one. Not a solid one anyway. I could make up some bullshit filled with half-truths, but you deserve better.” I make my last turn into the dorm parking lot. “I have band practice tonight, but can I come by later?”

“As long as I don’t have to stroke your hair.”

“You just don’t want to admit how much you love running your fingers through my luscious locks.”

She squints with an adorable wrinkle in her nose.

I park at the curb near the door. Her head rests on the headrest, and I call her over with my finger. She leans over the center console. Her lips beckon me, but I stick to the plan and kiss her cheek. “I’ll see you later, beautiful.”

She starts to get out but comes to a hard stop. All color disappears from her face along with an expression similar to last night. I follow the blank gaze, but she stares straight ahead at the rust spot on a truck parked ahead of us.

“Callie?” She doesn’t respond, so I touch her shoulder. “Callie, are you okay?”

She blinks and looks at me with a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll see you later.” She climbs out and gives me a little wave through the window before heading to the building.

Now, just to get through practice.

Our run-through goes without a hitch. We wrap up after a quick change to our set list and a minor tweak to the bass part on a song. Our gig next week should go flawlessly. Benji and I toss around the idea of writing over the weekend while Gavin runs through his adjusted parts on the bass a few more times.

When we finish, Johnny offers me a beer.

“No, I’m heading to Callie’s.”

He lights his cigarette and twists the top off his bottle. “You gonna keep lying to us about her?”

I’m not hiding anything from them. They just haven’t asked about her since my middle-of-the-night realization.

“What do you want to know?” I ask.

Benji steps between us to get to the fridge. “Gentlemen.”

Johnny flicks his cigarette, the ashes landing on the concrete. “She still just a girl you want to bang, and you’re never seeing her again after tomorrow?”

“Of course he’s going to see her again.” Benji smirks as he pulls up a stool. “Calico’s sticking around. I might beat the shit out of him if he fucks this up.”

“You met her once and for, like, a minute,” Gavin says.

“Sometimes it only takes five seconds.” Benji nods at me like I’m supposed to have any idea what he’s talking about.

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