The Lover's Vow

Chapter 6: Callie

"What do you mean you're my boyfriend?!" I stared up at the man from my bed in the hospital I'd woken up in not too long ago. My parents and sister had just left to give us a few minutes alone and I was not only confused but a little scared. I stared at the stranger- albeit a very gorgeous stranger- and waited for him to explain.

He shifted his feet, almost looking nervous, and if I wasn't mistaken, slightly pissed. What he had to be angry about though I couldn't begin to imagine. After all, I was the one in the hospital bed, not him! "I'm your boyfriend," he repeated. He muttered something under his breath that sounded almost like I guess but I let it go because my head was throbbing and figured I hadn't heard him right. I just couldn't believe him- I had never been seriously interested in anyone, and the one relationship I'd had previously was boring enough to the point where I felt content being alone for the rest of my life with only cats as my company.

I tried to concentrate on remembering anything about him but all I got out of it was more throbbing in my head. I groaned and reached up to rub my forehead with a hand I belatedly noticed was bandaged. I hissed in pain when I touched a huge lump on my head, not completely sure where it had come from.

"Callie? You alright?" He sounded concerned, moving a step closer to me and reaching out a hand but dropped it before actually touching me.

"Yeah, I think. My head is just killing me. What happened? And seriously, who the hell are you?" I sunk deeper into my pillows and met his dark blue eyes. I raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for answers even as I sighed on the inside at the intensity in his gaze.

"Well, you took a hard fall yesterday. You... I mean we were walking across the street and you stepped up onto the curb wrong or something. You fell face-first into a parking meter, knocking yourself out. Since you were on the phone with your sister at the time, I picked it up and talked to her. I called an ambulance and, well, here we are." He sat down in the chair next to my bed, running his hands through his thick, just long enough black hair. My mouth dried slightly at the move and I swallowed hard, watching his arm muscles flex. I had always had a weakness for great arms and the slightly careless look. Was it weird that I'd never dated anyone who looked like that? I closed my eyes tightly, trying to get my train of thought back on track.

"Okay, that explains why I'm here. And the headache from hell. But not why you think we're dating." I crossed my arms over my chest. It hurt my bandaged hand a little, but I readjusted their position and that helped. The man's eyes moved over my chest and I saw him swallow hard before quickly moving his eyes back to mine. He ran a hand through his hair again and breathed out slowly.

"I don't think we're dating Calliope Drakos, I know we are." He kept eye contact with me, expression hard. "The doctors said you hit your head pretty hard. I didn't realize it was going to make you forget our last three months together."

My mouth had fallen open when he used my full name, but then he said we'd been dating for three months and I started sputtering. "There's no way! I couldn't possibly hit my head hard enough to forget months, and especially not with someone who looks like you! I mean... I... I don't even know your name! And you sure as hell don't know me!"

He was grinning now, and I almost fainted at the dimples that appeared. Fuck me, dimples were another of my weaknesses. "Well Callie, my name is Aidan. We've been dating for three months. Your favorite colors are teal and lavender. You hate mornings and love sunsets. You have an obsession with books bordering on unhealthy and you're especially interested in poetry. I know that your purple eyes go almost black when you're pissed. Kind of like right now." He leaned closer to whisper, "And I know that you have a birthmark on the inside of your right thigh that you like me to bite right before I eat your pussy out."

I drew in a sharp breath, shocked and turned on. This guy... Aidan... he knew about the birthmark that only my family was privy to. It was an oracle symbol, and all my siblings and I had them in various places. While dating, only one guy had actually been in the position to see the birthmark and he'd never asked about it. Then again, I was pretty sure he'd never actually looked at it since he wasn't too adventurous in the bedroom.

The fact that Aidan not only knew about the birthmark but also the fantasy I'd never said aloud blew me away. I was a very private person, and that right there almost convinced me he was telling the truth. Was it possible?? And if it is, how the hell could I forget something like that happening?

I was saved from responding to him when my parents and Ellinor came back into the room, checking again on how I was doing and all that other caring stuff that family is supposed to do. I answered their repetitive questions half-heartedly, still mostly focused on the source of warmth radiating from the man next to me.

What the hell is happening in here? I glanced back and forth between Aidan and my family, but gave up trying to figure it out for the moment. I was still trying to come to terms with the fact that apparently I had a boyfriend. And that we'd been dating for three months! And that he had met my family for the first time on this hospital trip. None of this was helping the pounding in my head and I closed my eyes, wincing. I felt the air move next to me and assumed Aidan had stood up, confirmed when I heard his tense voice come from above me.

"Callie's had enough for today. We should let her rest and we can all work everything out later." There was silence, and I peeked out from between my eyelids. My parents were nodding, and I saw that my sister was glaring at Aidan. I sighed and decided to talk to her later about Aidan, when I got a moment alone with her. My parents and Ellinor came over to say goodbye, and everything hit me at once. I almost started to cry when my mom softly kissed the top of my head.

"We love you Callie. Let us know if you need anything." My dad and sister repeated my mom's sentiment, and then they left. And it was just Aidan and me again. I could feel him looking at me, but I didn't want to meet his gaze. I was overwhelmed and I didn't want to start crying in front of him. I was confused and in pain, and I hated people seeing it. I was picking at a loose thread on the ugly hospital gown when he softly grabbed my hand and lifted it to his lips.

My watery eyes shot up to his, and I glanced down to watch his lips graze the bandage. I could've sworn I felt the heat even through the gauze, and my heart started beating hard. The move distracted me from my tears. I slowly pulled my hand out of his grasp and after a light squeeze from him he let me go.

"I know this isn't easy for you Callie. I do want to talk more, but I meant what I told your family about you needing rest. I'm going to find your doctor and talk to him about when you can be released, and I'll be here when you wake up." I started to protest and he cut me off. "Don't argue with me right now Calliope. I already turned your morphine drip back up so just stop fighting me and go to sleep."

Usually I'd keep protesting anyway, but I could feel the pain reliever working through my system and my lids got heavier. I nodded reluctantly, and before I closed my eyes I saw a small smile from him. "Th-thanks," I managed to whisper, and I was pretty sure he responded but I was already too far gone to hear what it was.