His Brooding Stare.

part five, yes.

I decided to take a hot shower and let my mind come to a decision about whether or not I should take Callum up on his offer. As the hot water is cascading down my body warming my skin, I stand there making a pro/con list in my head.

Pro #1: free food.

I laugh to myself because of course that's the first thing that pops into my head, especially after the fact Mia told me they were known for some really good dessert, not the fact I'm going on a date with not just the youngest billionaire in Manhattan, but quite possibly the hottest one at that. Speaking of..

Pro #2: a date with the hottest guy in Manhattan

Alright Lena, let's think of some cons..

Con #1: his reputation

Being the youngest billionaire in Manhattan and the hottest brings good and bad press. So of course I've heard the rumors, "man whore", "cheater", "player", "party animal", and the list goes on. Do I really want to associate myself with someone who is seen in the public eye having these qualities? no, not really.

Con #2: always in the public eye

Again, being this well known brings unwanted attention. Especially from paparazzi who are constantly at events and public sightings wanting to take his picture. If I were to go out with him, do I really want to deal with all that attention? How would I feel having my face pasted on every magazine and newspaper in Manhattan? Honestly, I would feel rather uncomfortable. I've lived such an average low key life, do I want that all to change just after a first "date", if you'd even call it that.

Pro #3: new experiences

Even though it got on my nerves slightly when Mia brought up the fact it's been a while since I've dated, and I needed a hot new man in my life, I couldn't help but agree with her. Come to think of it, it has been a while. My last relationship was a train wreck and I was happy to get out of it, but that was 3 years ago. I was young and since then I've only been focusing on my job or myself. It would be nice to get excited about someone again. I don't know there's just something about Callum Parker below the surface
that intrigues me. Something I think the public eye and maybe even people he is close to, which I find that hard to believe he would ever be close to anyone, don't know about. And the idea of getting to know the REAL Callum Parker sounds like an opportunity I could not pass up.

I step out of the shower and wrap the warm towel tightly around my body, and make my way towards my bedroom. I get changed into some loose basketball shorts and an oversized sweatshirt, and throw my body onto my bed. I grab a book from my nightstand and begin to read, I glance over at my digital clock after a couple of minutes and see it's almost 8 pm. Next to my clock I see Callum's business card, I stare at it like it's challenging me to make a decision. I put my book down next to me and grab my phone, I begin to type his number but halfway I delete the numbers and put my phone back down, chickening out. I rub my face with my hands and take a deep breath.

I pick up my phone, dial his number and hit the call button before I have time to change my mind. With every ring he does not pick up, my heart beats faster, and my breathing gets heavier. I'm about to give up when suddenly the rings stop and there's a slight pause before his voice says, "Hello this is Callum Parker"

It takes me a couple of seconds to find my voice but eventually I do and speak into the phone timidly, "Hi Callum, it's Lena." I cannot tell if he's smiling through the phone but his voice sounds happy and a bit surprised, "Well, Hello Ms. Lena. I was hoping to hear from you, I see you got my card." "Yes I did, you're quite the persistent guy." He laughs softly over the phone, "Yes, I can be when I want to.." he pauses shortly before continuing, "...so can I take this call as you saying yes to my dinner invitation?" I answer him back softly, "yes".

"Perfect. I will arrange for the reservations at 8 pm tomorrow night at Le Bernardin, and I will pick you up at 7:30. Also can I have your address so I know where to pick you up?" I'm hesitant to respond, not knowing if I should give my personal address to a complete stranger.."Uhh, yes I live on the corner of Rector St and Broadway in the 71 Broadway apartments." "Alright Ms. Lena I will be at your place at 7:30 tomorrow, I look forward to seeing you again." "Yes.. y-you too Callum, bye." And I hang up the phone. I collapse back on the bed and let out a huge sigh of relief, "well that could have gone a lot worse." I say out loud to myself.

My eyes begin to feel heavy and from the lack of sleep I got last night and my run this morning I decide it's a good time to head off to bed. I put my phone on my night stand to charge along with my book. I crawl under the covers and let myself relax as sleep slowly takes over my body and my eyes slowly drift closed.

The next morning I'm awoken by my alarm clock on my phone, I groan to myself and roll over it reads 9:00 am. I turn it off and lay in bed for a bit while stretching my limbs in the process. I get out of bed and walk outside my bedroom into the living/kitchen area, we live in a loft so basically everything is in an open area except for our bedrooms and bathrooms which is nice. I immediately smell chocolate chip pancakes and the sweet scent of maple syrup. I smile to myself as I let the aroma fill my nose and take a sit on one of the stools by the counter separating the kitchen from the living room. Mia's back is facing away from me cooking over the stove. I say "Good morning Mia, something smells good. Please tell me there's some for me." Mia turns around with a big smile, and an even bigger plate piled high with pancakes, "I think I may have gone a little pancake happy, so you'll definitely be getting some" she laughs.

As we are almost finished eating, we look at one another and sigh heavily as the feeling of being really full overwhelms us. We must have eaten at least 4 or 5 pancakes each, and it sure caught up with us as fatigue slowly worked its way back into our bodies. Mia grabs our plates and takes them over to the sink, she licks her finger that had some syrup left on it and asks, "So did you say yes to Callum yet?" I help her pick up the remaining dishes and begin to place them into the dishwasher, I look up at her and say, "Actually I called him last night and said yes".

What came out of Mia's mouth next was not human, I have never heard a girl scream that loud. She covers her mouth after noticing my reaction of wincing and covering my ears, and stifles her laughter. She says apologetically, "I'm sorry". I laugh in return and say, "It's okay, but I'm going to need your help getting ready." Mia smiles really big and jumps up and down a little. I shake my head and continue to help her stack the dishes and clean up.

Mia ended up helping me pick out a dress to wear and how my makeup should look. The dress I decided to go with my mother had bought me a long time ago and it was just hanging in my closet waiting to be worn. It was just a simple black shift dress that had beautiful lace detailing along the neck line, I paired it with a pair of nude strappy heels, and my hair was down with some softer curls that Mia helped me with. My makeup was simple yet still flattering and noticeable. I had a brown smokey-eye with just a plain nude matte lip. I put on my long taupe colored trench coat and put my personal items in a cross body purse.

I sat nervously on the couch staring at my phone, it was 7:25 and I was anxiously waiting for him to arrive. My phone beeped, alerting me I had a text message. It was from an unknown number but from the text, "I'll be outside your apartment in a few minutes" I knew it was from Callum. I made sure to save his number into my phone before heading downstairs. I gave Mia a smile and a thumbs up before heading down the steps towards the front door.

I was shaking a little bit, my nerves and excitement slowly catching up to me. I saw a black car pull up outside and I took a step onto the sidewalk through the glass doors leading into my apartment complex. Callum got out from the other side of the back seat and my breath instantly caught in my throat. He was wearing an all navy suit with a black dress shirt, black tie, black shoes, and his hair was smoothed out with a couple pieces loose in his face. He closed his button on his jacket and opened the door for me. He then made eye contact with me and smiled, I blushed immediately with one look at him and said "Thank you". As I passed by, Callum pressed his right hand on my lower back guiding me into the back seat and whispered into my ear, his breath tickling my skin causing goosebumps to rise, "You look absolutely stunning, if it's not already obvious".