Misfits - Chapter 13 (Patreon)

"You're not eating." I'm startled out of my daze, looking up to see Cal's bright amber eyes studying me closely.

"I'm just not hungry right now," I say. I immediately look away from his gaze, the weight of it burning into my soul. I couldn't look at him after hearing his words from the other night. Who was Cal? Did I even know him? I really didn't. I knew what was on the surface, but that's about it.

"You haven't been eating," he counters.

"I haven't been hungry," I say. He leans back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Did I miss something?" I poke around at the food on my plate, trying to find my appetite but I just can't. When I think about it, I didn't know who Cal was. But I had seen and heard things from him that just don't add up.

When he came and rescued me that night, he had a gun. And a knife. And he knew what he was doing when he held them. Each time I caught him on the phone, he always said "consider it handled." He was always aloof with me when answering my questions. He'd answer them subjectively. And he knew officer Bryan enough to talk to him in a way you just don't talk to cops. Not only that, but his words about my father kept ringing in my head.

"Better warn him about who I am."

Who was he that he was important enough to be warned about? He even threatened that he would kill my father, and officer Bryan didn't so much as flinch at his words.

Callums fingers snap in front of my face and I jump in shock. He's looking at me with a worried expression.

"Rue, where is your head today?" he asks. I look up not even knowing what to say. I knew if I asked him any of the questions that were running through my head he would cunningly redirect the conversation.

"Why do you have a gun?" I ask. I try and work my way slowly into my questions. He doesn't miss a beat as he answers.

"Because I own a lot of expensive things and believe it or not, people take notice." A small laugh escapes my lips. Of course he had the perfect answer. But a part of me felt like he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Why are you doing this for me, Cal?" He lets out an irritated sigh throwing his hands in the air.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I like you? Why is that not a good enough answer for you?" He sounds exasperated.

"Because that's not a good enough answer, Callum."

"Cal." He narrows his eyes at me.

I roll my eyes trying my hardest to control my anger. I know I should be feeling nothing but gratitude towards him, but in all my life no one has ever done as much as this man has done for me. It was killing me to figure out why and he was giving me the simplest answer but it didn't make any sense to me.

"Callum. How can you open up your home, for me to live here with you, when you barely even know me? All because you like me? Can you not see how strange of an answer that is?" I jump slightly as he jerks up from the table causing the chair to loudly scrape against the wooden floor. He presses his fingers to his temples with his eyes closed before finally speaking to me.

"I have been alone all my life. I have never let anyone in. Ever. I saw you that night, and I wanted you. But I saw that you were different. Very different. You were suffering, and you wouldn't let anyone in to save or even help you." He finally opens his eyes. I can see all the emotion he usually kept hidden.

"I don't know what else to tell you. I'm impulsive when it comes to you. I've seen something in you that I want to myself. All to myself. If it were up to me, you'd never leave this house." My eyes slowly grow wide as he takes on a possessive haze. The silence stretches between us before he huffs and leaves the room in a hurry.

I don't know how to feel or what to think. Cal says he's just being nice, but in the span of 2 months, he's come into my life, saved me from my home and now I was living with him. It was a shock how fast everything had happened. I was literally freed from everything that has ever burdened me and he insisted that I stay with him. Maybe I was just overthinking things. It's kind of hard not to when you've been raised the way that I was.

What were me and Cal to each other anyway? He claimed he liked me, and I won't deny I have feelings for him, but I was living with him now. And even though we knew each other I still didn't really know him.

An hour later I decide to go in search of him. The house is silent. It's almost an eerie silence. I can't find him in any of the rooms. I never heard him leave out the front door, but he's not in his room, the guest room, or the living room and I don't know of any other rooms that are here. I want to go searching but I feel a little nervous about searching Callums house.

But in the end I decide to do it anyway. What's the worst that can happen?

I head down the long hallway, passing his bedroom and reaching the door against the far wall. I try the knob but it's locked. Letting out a huff of defeat, I walk towards the stairs and take them two at a time. There's a loft up here. With a TV and a comfy looking sofa, there's also a desk and a bookcase behind it. The room is once again dark in theme, the walls a deep gray tone with hardwood flooring.

I walk around his desk hoping to find something that will give me a glimpse of just who exactly Callum was. I pull open the bottom drawer to find mini mason jars. I pick one up, inspecting it. Why would Callum keep mason jars? I eventually find nothing. So I place it back in its rightful place, and close the drawer back. I reach to open another drawer when I hear a door slam, followed by the back door opening. I have to calm my breathing down. Maybe snooping around Callums house wasn't the smartest thing when he was here.

I rush down the stairs and into the back of the house, heading into the backyard. The cold air hits me hard, and I'm not wearing anything that covers my skin, so I begin to immediately shiver, while looking around for him. But it's empty. He had a pool and there was steam rising from it so I was guessing it was heated this time of year. And a wooden shed in the back. Maybe he went in the shed. I walk towards the shed, expecting him to be in there, and reach for the door handle.

"Princess." A squeal escapes my lips and my heart is hammering against my chest a mile a minute. Callum is standing behind me with a blank expression, my eyes immediately shift to the gloves he has on.

"Cal, don't sneak up on me like that, you scared me!" I say holding my heart. He doesn't smile though. His eyes only shift to the door behind me, and back to me.

"What are you doing?" he asks. His tone makes my smile drop.

"I- I was just looking for you. I thought I heard you come outside and when I didn't see you, I assumed you were in here," I trail off because he doesn't seem to be buying my explanation.

A shiver wracks its way from my body and Cal steps forward grabbing me by the hand and pulling me back into the house.

"You shouldn't be out here in this weather while you're still recovering. It's dangerous," he murmurs. We step back inside and he continues to pull me towards the kitchen.

"Do you want some tea. Or coffee?" he asks. I shake my head a little confused by his reaction to the shed.

"I don't want you poking around in the shed. It's dangerous. Unless I'm with you, it's off limits. Got it?" he says. He doesn't even look up at me as he shuffles around in the kitchen. His mind is somewhere else right now. I can't put my finer on it, but he seems a little.. off.

His phone vibrates, and he answers immediately.

"This is Cal." He pauses, his gaze travelling up to me. He doesn't even say anything, just walks out of the room. I let out an irritated huff, laying my head in my hands. I was stuck here with some guy that was the epitome of secrets. And I had nowhere else to go. So I stand, and head upstairs to Callums loft, inspecting the bookshelf. To kill a mockingbird catches my eye, and I pull it out, and begin reading.

* * * * 

Warmth. There's a warm body carrying me. I can hear the steady rhythm of a heart beating gently against my ear, and I'm falling into the lull of the rhythm. I involuntarily snuggle closer to the warm body, not wanting the comforting presence to leave me.

I've never felt this kind of comfort before. I like it. A deep vibration rumbles through my body emanating from the warm body. Before I know it, the trip is cut short and I'm being laid under soft and really cool sheets.

My eyes are so heavy, I don't want to waste anytime trying to open them. But the warm body is leaving me, and I don't like that. So I grab on tight to it. Its arm maybe.

"You're not making this easy, princess." My eyes fly open and Cal is sitting next to me in his bed. And he's not wearing a shirt. My breathing catches at the sight. I have to remind myself to look up at his face. Which his hair is sticking to his head, wet from a shower.

It takes me a moment but I finally let go of his hand. I keep my eyes trained on the sheets.

"Sorry," I mumble.

"For what?"

"For everything. You're just trying to be nice to me, and I can only be suspicious of you.." I wait for some kind of answer from him, but instead I feel his lips against mine. He holds my head in between his hands as he deepens the kiss. I can feel the light trace of his thumb against my jaw as he works it back in forth in a lazy pattern.

I bring my arms up and around his neck, enjoying the feel of his bare skin against mine. He pushes me gently so that we both fall back on the soft sheets, and I can feel his body on top of mine. I can feel myself getting aroused all over again, just from kissing him and the close proximity of his body to mine.

I should tell him to stop. I have to tell him to stop. Once he pulls away from the kiss, I open my mouth.

"Cal-" A loud gasp escapes me as he latches onto my throat and begins sucking on my skin. Pleasure unlike anything I've ever felt before explodes in every region of my body. A moan escapes my lips. I feel his hand underneath my shirt, sliding up my skin, until..

"Ah!" I cringe in pain. I could feel pain coming from my ribs, but also a sharp pain in my hip. Tears spring into my eyes.

"Shit! I'm sorry princess." Cal quickly begins apologizing, but I don't pay attention as I try and catch my breath.

"I should have been more careful, I completely forgot about your ribs I'm so sorry.."

"It's... ok..." I manage. The room is once again silent while I try and catch my breath. I feel Cal's warm palm against my forehead as he presses my hair back comfortingly.

"I'm sorry princess." He moves to leave but I stop him.

"Wait, Cal... please don't leave me," I squeak out. It was the first time I had asked him to stay with me. I've been trying to be brave, but in the back of my mind I felt like my father was going to wake me up at any moment and all of this would be a dream. Cal would have never existed, and I would still be stuck in that hell hole.

He looks at me with such pity, I feel pathetic for even asking. But he does as I ask. He tucks me in, and lays on top of the covers near me, rubbing my hair soothingly. I make sure to keep an arm draped on him so that I would know he was there.

In my sleepy haze I finally work up the nerve to ask him what had been nagging at me all day.

"Who are you, Cal?" I whisper. He stops his movement and doesn't respond for a moment.

"I'm nobody."