Day #3
On the third day, I wake up to the smell of homemade pancakes. Calum enters the room carrying a tray with my favorite food and although I asked him to let me sleep, I don't complain. It smells heavenly and I decide that having Calum bring me breakfast in bed is my new favorite way to start the day. He is fresh out of the shower smelling like soap and looking kind of boyish with his messed wet hair. We eat while making plans for the day and talking about life in general. Calum is spending the day helping Mali with last minute details for her party tonight while I'll be with my boss trying to contact new possible clients.
"Can you drop me by their hotel?" I ask Calum once we finish our breakfast
"Oh, so now you want a ride?" He teases me making me roll my eyes
"I can call Elijah" I tease back immediately laughing of his reaction
"Yes, Gia. I can drop you by your boss' hotel"
"Thank you" I give him a quick kiss on the cheek before getting up and heading to take the dishes to the kitchen
"So what time do you need to start getting ready for the party?" Calum asks making me realize he has followed me
"Mali's party?" I confirm "Are you okay with me going?"
"What?" He lets out a nasal laugh "Why wouldn't I be okay?"
I place the tray on the kitchen counter and proceed to wash the plates and glasses. Calum must've cleaned this morning because the living room is tidy with no trace of last night's bottles or cups.
"I don't know. Maybe you want to enjoy the party with your sister" I say with my back turned to him
I think back to Jack's party, the one he didn't invite me for some reason.
"Gia, I invited you to stay here so we could spend more time together" Calum walks up to stand beside me leaning on the kitchen counter "I want you to go tonight"
"Okay" I smile at him with a curt nod and Calum laughs at me
"Why is everything so difficult with you?" He says before kissing my temple
"Well, just because you invited me to stay here doesn't mean you want to spend every second of every day with me" I explain my odd behavior "Maybe you got bored or something"
"How could I get bored of you?" He's still laughing like Jason does when I talk nonsense "G, if you were a song you would be one of those 80's classics that you can listen everyday on repeat and never get tired of it"
Does he really mean that? Its unusual but still such a nice thing to say to someone.
"You think I'm a 80's classic?"
"You are" He nods "Gia, trust me. If I didn't want to see you anymore, you would know"
"Yeah?" I eye him confusedly "You would kick me out? Or you would stop replying to my texts?"
"I wouldn't have invited you to stay here in the first place" He patiently reasons with me "Now, what time do you need to start getting ready for the party?"
"I don't know. I don't even know what I'm gonna wear" I say while thinking about my options. I didn't pack anything party worthy "Maybe like 6 p.m."
"Okay" He chuckles and helps me with the dishes
I made plans to meet my boss in his hotel at 2p.m. so Calum tells me to get ready because he wants to show me something before that. I love that he lets me take my own time while getting ready and doesn't keep knocking on the door to rush me like Jason and Drew. Calum takes me to a cute street fair in Soho where we take a bunch of pictures and walk freely around the busy streets. We eat stuffed brownies, stop to see a young man playing saxophone and spend a lot of time inside a music store because Calum is fascinated in old vinyl records. We have lunch in a small jazz café before he has to drive me to The Beaumont to meet my boss.
"Do you think I should shave for tonight?" Calum asks me once we enter his apartment
My afternoon was boring and uneventful. Bernard and I didn't have much luck with the new clients so around 6p.m. he said I was good to go and enjoy my party. My boss is not that bad.
"Yeah" I agree thinking that Calum would look good either way "Do you think I should shave for tonight?"
Calum gives me a funny look before bursting out laughing.
"That would be nice" I hear him say from the living room and I bet he's smilling
I open my suitcase on top of the bed in hope I could find something decent to wear tonight. I contemplate Facetiming Lis to ask for help if I don't like any of my options.
"Whats that party like?" I yell over to Calum who is somewhere in the apartment "Casual, a lil fancy, too fancy?"
He shows up at my door leaning against the door frame.
"Not too casual but not too fancy" Calum says making me even more confused
"Thats not helpful" I say starting to get stressed out
"Maybe this will help" He tells me
I watch Calum pull something from behind him. He places a large white box on my bed and I immediately freak out.
"No, no, no, no, no. Calum. Thank you but no" I say handing him back the box
"I knew you would make things difficult" Calum says more to himself "Why can't you just accept a present?"
"I can't, Calum" I tell him "It's too much. Thank you. I appreciate it but I can't accept it. No way"
"It wasn't even that expensive" He justifies "Plus, I don't want to arrive at my sister's party with an underdressed date"
Date.
"Date?" I stupidly ask
"Yeah" He charmingly smiles at me "Unless Elijah is taking you too"
I let out a small laugh because he's being silly. I'm going as his date. I'm Calum's date. I remember how jealous I got when Calum took Nia as his date to Andy's birthday party. But now that's me. I'm his freaking date.
"Okay" I give in finally accepting the present
I can't embarrass Calum showing up in my jeans and T-shirt. He places the box on the bed one more time and gestures for me to open it. I look at him nervously before undoing the lace and pulling its cover.
"It's beautiful" I say looking at him in disbelief "Calum, it's incredible"
"Really? Do you like it?"
Does he still have to ask? I launch myself at him pulling him for a forced hug. Calum is quick to lace his arms around me while laughing.
"I love it" I tell him with all honesty "Seriously, I can't believe you did this but I love it"
"Mali helped me choose the color" He admits "I wanted to buy an orange one because that's the color of the dress you wore that nig..."
I don't let him finish because my lips need his right in this moment. I hungrily kiss him trying to express how much I loved the dress and how thankful I am. Sometimes I can't believe Calum is real. He remembers even the color of the dress I wore the night I went back to his house. He's too good to be true. He took his time to go out and buy me a dress. I can't believe he would do something that nice for me.
"Thank you" I say to him once we break the kiss "You're amazing"
"You're gonna look bomb as fuck in that dress" He bluntly says making me laugh
"Well, then I should start getting ready" I say pushing him out the door "See you in a bit"
I take a picture of the dress and send it to Lis before getting in the shower. Calum keeps messing with the music while I wash my hair making me laugh at his choices. The smile on my face seems to be tattooed there and doesn't give it a rest even for a minute. Not when I brush my teeth. Nor when I dry my hair. I do my make up and its still there. I'm still smiling. I hear a knock on the door and tell Calum to come in.
"What do you think?" He asks showing me his choice of suit for the night
Calum is looking as handsome as ever in his dark gray suit and black button up shirt. I can't believe this incredibly good looking man is my date.
"I think I'll have the hottest date of the entire party" I tell him earning a cute smile as response
"Don't know about that" Calum says "Pretty sure mine is hotter"
"Not possible" I fire back before giving my makeup some final touches
I chose to do a smoky black eye with a cat eyeliner and a light rosé lipstick to match my dress. Once I'm satisfied with my work and feeling content with how I look, I put on the dress. It fits like a glove and I feel like a real princess in it. Gladly, I packed a pair of shoes that will look perfect with this dress. I grab my white overcoat on the bed and head to the living room to join Calum.
"I'm ready" I say announcing my arrival
Calum looks up from his phone where he was furiously typing away and eyes me up and down. I'm suddenly shy under his intense gaze. No one has ever looked at me like that. Ever. It's like Calum is trying to drink in every single inch of me. His jaw even dropped a little making me let out a quiet giggle.
"Holy shit" It's what he says after a while "You look surreal"
The way he says it makes me believe his words. I've always had a hard time accepting compliments but not with Calum. There's something in his eyes. Something in the way he looks at me tells me that he's impressed. That he actually thinks I look surreal. And I believe him because it all also feels surreal to me. Calum gets up from the couch and walks up to me. He takes me by the hand and makes me do a spin.
"Have you looked yourself in the mirror?" He asks me still amazed "You're breathtaking"
I could say the same about you.
"Thanks" I can't help but get a little shy
I'm not used to being complimented like this.
"I should be thanking you" Calum says still holding my hand "Every guy in the room is gonna be jealous of me tonight"
"Don't push it" I tell him feeling my cheeks redden "Should we go?"
I might have taken too much time while getting ready and I don't want to make us late. I really love it that Calum doesn't rush me to hurry.
"Yes, let's go" He says checking his pockets for his belongins "Let me just take a pictute of you first"
"Calum" I scold him "Don't be silly"
"I mean it" He insists "Go stand over there"
"Come here you too" I say not wanting to be alone in the picture
Calum points his phone at me taking me by surprise and I try to hide my face. I insist on taking another one but of the two of us and he agrees. He sets the timer on his phone and stands beside me with one arm around my waist.
"Let's go now, we're late" I tell him while putting on my coat getting ready for the lovely British weather
I follow him out of the apartment and down the stairs. I wait inside the building while Calum brings the car. I answer a few texts from my family and from Lis where she says that I finally found a man that treats me right. Once I see the familiar rented car parking in front of the building, I run down the steps and inside the car. This city is too cold.
"You were wrong you know" Calum tells me once I'm sitting beside him
"About what?" I ask having no clue of what he's talking about
"I'll be the one with the hottest date tonight" He says and my heart melts
@callmeLis, @sierradeaton and 308 others liked your photo
georgiavalentyne not too casual not too fancy 💕
@jasonmoore looking decent for once
@sierradeaton ma girl is hot but classy
@callmeLis yaaaaaas Nice dress! Where did you get it lol
@crystalleigh Stunning!
@thatstheDrew Fame has changed you shrek
"You look amazing" Mali praises as soon as her eyes land on me "Calum did a good job picking the dress"
"Thank you and thanks for inviting me" I say into her ear due to the loud music
"Nonsense" She shakes her head as if its nothing "I was dying to meet you ever since Cal told me about you"
I give her a kind smile as response and follow Calum to the bar. Mali's party is in a huge salon very well decorated. It has pictures of her and of her new album cover everywhere you look. Apparently the salon is filled with musicians and producers in the business and Calum seems to know everyone. He stops every two minutes to greet someone and I just stand beside him smiling politely.
"I brought a few bottles of your wine so if you ever want a refil and I'm not around, just ask that waiter" He points to a guy "His name is Alex" Calum instructs handing me a glass of red wine
"Yes sir" I mock him
"Any questions class?" He joins the mockery
"Only one" I say lifting my index finger in the air "Can I kiss you?"
Calum gives me an amused look but doesn't say anything. Instead he pecks my lips taking me completely by surprise. He kissed me in front of all these people.
"You don't need to ask" He says and I love how affectionate he is "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?"
I only nod choosing not to yell over the loud music. Calum leads the way through the busy salon. We sit by a table with Mali's friends, the ones I met yesterday at game night and a few others. We eat and talk and they don't forget to tease me about being a lightweight. Calum has filled my glass a few times already and I may or may not be a little tipsy. At some point he excuses himself to talk to a few people and I continue to chat with my new friends. By the time Calum comes back to our table, Mali and another girl named Yara have also joined us. Mali being the star of the night, a lot of people stop by to congratulate her and of course, Calum knows all of them. He's talking to a girl for a while now. She has blond hair and is wearing a beautiful black dress. I obviously don't know who she is or what they're talking about thanks to the music. They have to stay very close to hear each other and I don't want to say I'm jealous but she's really beautiful.
"I'm gonna get another glass of wine" I call his attention by squeezing his hand
"Okay" Calum tells me with a smile and I take my chance to peck his lips
He said I didn't need to ask anyway. I get up from my seat at the table and walk around the salon trying to find the waiter named Alex.
"Excuse me" I ask another waiter "Do you know where Alex is?"
He looks around the room before answering.
"Not right now but maybe I can help you" He kindly offers "I'm Ryan"
Uh. Nice name.
"I wanted another glass of wine but its an especific red wine that my... My friend brought in" I try to explain "Alex knew which one was it"
"Maybe you can follow me to the kitchen and tell me which one is it" Ryan suggests and I happily nod
I don't know its name but I do know how the wine looks like. If I see it, I think I might be able to recognize the label. I follow Ryan through the room while he leads the way to the salon's kitchen. I try to keep up with his pace in these heels as he exits the salon and walks down to an disconnected site apart from where the party is taking place. Maybe only staff is allowed here.
"Georgia" I hear Calum call me and his rushed footsteps behind me "Georgia"
I stop following Ryan and look over to see him speed walking to where I stand.
"Hey"
"Where are you going?" Calum asks looking kinda nervous
"To get more wine" I say showing him my empty glass "What's the matter?"
"You don't just walk off like that" He says in a hard tone "And don't follow waiters to distant places" The second part he says in a lower tone
"I couldn't find that Alex guy so Ryan offered to show me where the wines are so I could tell him which one is my wine" I justify to Calum because I don't want him to think I was sneaking out with the waiter "I wasn't sneaking out with him"
Calum lets out a small laugh and I can see his shoulders relax.
"I know that" He assures me "You disappeared and I just got worried"
How sweet it is that he was worried about me?
"How cute" I pinch his cheeks "You don't need to worry, I can take care me myself"
"Clearly" He replies and I'm pretty sure he's being ironic "Lets go back to the party?"
"But... my wine" I show Calum my empty glass one more time and he laughs
"I'll ask Alex to get you another glass" He tells me while we walk back to the salon
Calum has one arm around my shoulders while I hug his waist. He kisses the top of my head making me smile before we enter the loud room together. He asks if I want to dance with him to which I'm quick to reply an excited yes. Calum finds a way to keep his hands on me at all times no matter the rhythm of the song. He kisses me tenderly when I make a silly dance move and looks at me attentively when I swing my hips more seductively. We laugh for half of the time and the other half is spent kissing. We don't care about anyone in the room. It's like we are alone in the middle of all these people. That was the first time Calum and I danced together and it felt surreal.