Misfits - Chapter 16 (Patreon)

I wonder what goes through Cal’s mind. I’m standing in the doorway of his bedroom, silently watching him as he packs his things. He was only wearing a pair of sweatpants with no shirt on, so I could see every tattoo, and healed scars that marred his body. I can’t help but wonder what could have possibly happened to him.

He refused to tell me what the other night was about. He refused to tell me why he was so upset when we left and where that burst of anger at the gas station came from. As a matter of fact, we got into a fight about it. I didn’t want to deal with all his secrecy anymore. When I think about it, I didn’t even know Cal’s last name until the owner of the restaurant called it out.

I didn’t know Callum. He was a stranger to me. I’d fallen for the way he treated me, and how he saved me. But I didn’t know who he was. He was so secret, all the time.

“Something’s bothering you.” Cal’s voice travels across the room. He doesn’t even turn to look at me when he speaks. He continues packing things. When I don’t respond he stops his movement and turns to face me. I study his face, trying to figure out who this man was. Who was he really?

He quirks a brow at me and begins making his way across the room to me. Each step he takes caused me to crane my neck to look him in the eye as he got closer. He opens his arms to pull me in an embrace, but I step back.

I ignore the unease brewing in my stomach as his eyes darken and his mood dims. He follows my movement with his eyes. I have to look away from him. I wrap my arms around my body, trying to give myself some form of comfort.

“Cal, I’m leaving,” I say. The room is silent. I take that as my go-ahead to continue.

““I...I don’t know anything about you. I know the other night wasn’t anything I should ignore, and you just choose to tell me that it’s not important and-” I’m cut off when I hear a chuckle. And that chuckle turns into a laugh. A full-out laugh. Cal’s striking smile was stretched on his face as he let his amusement shine through at my words.

“You’re not leaving, Rue.” He turns away from me as if dismissing the conversation. Once I get my wits about me I speak again.

“Y-yes I am!” I shout. Cal tenses and turns to face me. Something dangerous flashes across his face. He leans against the wall, crossing his arms and staring at me in amusement.

“So you’re going to leave because I lost my cool the other night? I told you the guy put his hands on you and I saw you were scared. I just reacted,” he says trying to defend himself. I want to believe him, but the look o his face, while he beat that man, flashes back to me.

“Cal, you won’t tell me anything about yourself! You’re virtually a stranger to me! You tell me not to worry, but you give me no reassurance as to why I shouldn’t!” I say. His smile slowly drops and he takes a look at his watch before sitting on the bed and throwing his hands up.

“What do you want to know?” he asks.

“What?” I’m caught off guard by his sudden compliance.

“I have to be at the airport in an hour. And I won’t be able to do my job properly if I’m wondering if you’ll be here when I come back. So ask away. What do you want to know?”

I open my mouth then close it. I wasn’t expecting him to give in. And now he was sitting on his bed, staring at me with those captivating eyes, expecting a question from me.

“Why did you get so upset at the restaurant.”

“The owner was irritating me.”

“Why?”

“Because he didn’t know when to shut up, Next question.”

“But how did he even know you?”

“He’s a client of my boss.”

“And your boss is Vitale?” I ask remembering the name. Cal looks reluctant to answer but does anyway.

“Yes.” He sits up straighter. I’m about to ask him who Vitale is when he begins speaking.

“Look, princess, how about we put a raincheck on this ok? So far you’ve asked me about my actions and nothing about me personally and I really have to go. I can’t be late.” I slowly nod my head. He told me something which is better than nothing. So that was incentive enough to believe that we would continue this conversation once he got back.

He zips up his bag and heads into the closet, re-emerging seconds later in all black. Including gloves. He grabs the bag and heads out of the room. I follow behind him to the garage.

“There’s plenty here to eat, if you get hungry I got some simple groceries for you if you don’t want to cook. Charge your phone and call if there’s an emergency. James is going to pick you up this week for class.” My stomach drops at the revelation. I was terrified of James. And he hated me.

“We’ll have to teach you to drive when I get back,” he murmurs to himself. He walks over to his mustang, throwing his bag in the back, and walking around to the driver's door. He pulls me in a long and warm embrace.

“I’ll be back before you know it.” He places a finger under my chin, guiding my lips to his. A soft and gentle kiss. He pulls back studying my face closely.

“I’ll miss you,” he says giving me a cheeky smile. I can’t help but smile back.

“I’ll miss you too,” I say. And I really meant it. Cal had become a daily necessity for me. And I hated it when he was gone. Lust clouds his gaze and he dips his head once more capturing my lips between his. This kiss was different. It was more of a need. He wraps his arms around my backside pulling me tight against his body. He finally pulls away from me studying me closely when he speaks.

“Stay out of the shed, princess. Don’t go snooping around.” He says. His tone was so serious, I immediately nod my head, my eyes growing wide. Once he sees that I understand he opens the door to the mustang, cranking the car. The loud roar of the engine fills the room.

He lets down the window giving me a small smile.

“I’ll call you as soon as I land.” I nod my head timidly, the door to the garage lifting. Cal pulls out, leaving me alone in his house once again.

* * * * *

Another yawn escapes my lips. James was driving me with a look of irritation on his face. I didn’t want to say anything to him, I could tell he was irritated by my presence. Cal did just as he promised. He called me once he landed, and he spoke to me on the phone the whole night. Which was why I was so tired right now. James pulled in the yard angry and impatient. And even when I got in the car he was just mean.

“You know, Cal always has his little infatuations. You won’t last for much longer,” he grumbles. I can feel my irritation spike at his words that are completely out of nowhere and uncalled for.

“Why do you hate me so much?” I snap. He chuckles to himself as if he knew something that I didn’t.

“You distract him.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask completely confused.

“Cal is the best at what he does. But since he met you, he’s slacking. And Vitale can’t stand a slacker. But lucky for him, he’s on Vitale’s good side.” He adds that last part as a side note but I still hear it.

“Who’s Vitale,” I ask. James's grip on the steering wheel tightens.

“If you don’t know then Cal hasn’t said anything to you. I’m not going to be the one that tells you. Cal would kill me.” He says that last part as if he’s talking to himself.

I breathe a sigh of relief when we finally reach the campus. I don’t even say anything once I exit the car. I was just eager to get away from him. He made me uneasy and scared. I step into my classroom ready for the day to begin.

* * * * *

With classes over and the sun setting, I walk to the bus stop. There was no way in hell I was going to let James drive me home. Not after the ride, we had this morning. I would rather skip class the rest of the week than have to ride with him again.

I stand in the bus station looking at the bus routes. The nearest stop was about 5 miles from Cal’s house. But it would be better than riding with that jackass friend of his. I head to the bus that has the route and wait on the seat.

Thirty minutes later I’m walking down the paved road that leads to Cal’s house. The air was stinging my cheeks and the sun was getting lower and lower by the minute. I feel a vibration in my pocket and pull out the phone Cal got me. It was Cal calling.

“Hello?”

“Rue, where the fuck are you? What the hell are you thinking?!” Cal’s shouts come through the phone, loud and angry. I have to hold the phone away from my ear while he shouts because he’s yelling so loud.

“Rue!”

“What.”

“Where the hell are you?” His voice is panicked.

“I’m walking. I’m almost home.”

“Why the hell didn’t you wait on James. He was supposed to take you home remember?”

“I don’t want to ride with him, Cal. He’s mean and he scares me," I say honestly. I’m met with silence.

“I don’t care if he scares you, Rue. He’s there to protect you!” he shouts.

“Protect me from what? My father can’t do anything to me without risking life in prison,” I say. Cal lets out an irritated breath.

“Ok, I can’t explain it to you right now. But you don’t need to be walking alone anymore, ok?” he says. I roll my eyes.

“Where are you?”

“I’m almost home,” I say.

“When you get there, make sure you lock up ok?” I nod my head forgetting that he can’t see me.

“Yes,” I say after forever.

“Good. You can’t do things like this anymore princess. I’m supposed to protect you. I can’t do that when you go off and have your own agenda.”

“I’m sorry,” I say after sensing the stress in his tone. He really was freaking out about this. I didn’t think about how bad he would be worried when I was nowhere to be found.

“It’s fine, princess..” I smile a little after hearing him call me that. That meant he wasn’t upset anymore.

“I don’t think I want to go to class the rest of the week,” I say.

“Why?”

I shrug, once again forgetting Cal can’t see me. It was strange getting used to using this phone.

“I don’t know, I just don’t want to,” I say.

“If it’s about James you can tell me, princess.” He urges me on but I don’t want him to be mad at his friend. He obviously trusted this guy a lot seeing as he’s the one Cal chose to watch over me.

“How’s the trip?” I ask trying to change the subject.

“It’s fine. Nothing out of the ordinary. If I get this thing right I could be back in 2 days.” He says.

“How will I know if you did it right,” I ask. I hear him chuckle.

“I’ll tell you, silly.”

The sun eventually sets and Cal stays on the phone with me until I reach the house. Once I’m inside we say our goodbyes and I get ready for bed. Laying in bed was the worst part. My thoughts begin to swim around in my head.

There was so much that I didn’t know about Cal. The fact that he knew how to use a knife and a gun, the fact that he had lots of nice things but never talked about where or how he got them. Each day brought a new mystery.

I immediately head into the kitchen, opening the fridge. Cal had ready-made meals for me, and all I had to do was heat them up. He had thought of everything. The house was so silent without his presence, and quite honestly I didn’t like being in here without him.

I eat my food in silence and take a warm shower. After I get out of the shower I head to bed. There was no point in me trying to snoop or find anything out of the ordinary. Cal had everything important locked up. He wasn’t stupid. He had told me not to look for things. But the fact that he had to tell me meant he had already thought of it.

After I let my thoughts run me ragged I eventually find peace and drift into a peaceful slumber.

Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz.

My eyes slowly crack open. My phone was vibrating underneath my pillow. I pull it out just as the screen flashes telling me I had a missed call. I look at the ID and see that it was from Cal. Before I can redial the phone lights up again with Cal’s name.

“Hello..” I mumble, trying to shake the sleep from my voice.

“Hey princess.”

“Hey... “ I look over to the clock to see that it’s 2:50 in the morning.

“Is everything ok?” I ask. There’s silence on the other end of the line.

“Yeah. I just wanted to hear your voice,” he says.

“Did I wake you?”

“Yeah. It’s ok though... Are you sure everything is ok?” I ask rubbing my eyes.

“I just want to hear your voice. I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” I mumble. He chuckles on the other end.

“You know, I really do miss you, princess. I miss your warm body. You wild curls. Those big, hazel eyes. I miss your beautiful caramel skin, and your soft lips.” I can feel my heart beating louder with each word he speaks.

“But you know what I miss the most.” He pauses.

“That smile. That big, beautiful smile. Because when you smile at me, I know that I’m doing something good. Something right.”

“Cal where’s all this coming from?” I ask. He called me at 2 in the morning, professing how much he missed me. I was flattered and loved every moment of it don’t get me wrong, but he was scaring me.

“Nowhere. I just wanted you to know.” I hear some shuffling.

“I’ll be back soon. Maybe not as soon as I had hoped. “ Disappointment blooms in my chest. I wanted him back. I missed him. I missed his presence.

“Ok..” I all but whisper. I hear him sigh.

“I’m sorry, princess.”

“It’s fine. I understand, you have business to attend to..” I say. There’s more silence between us.

“I’ll let you get some rest. Goodnight, Princess.”

* * * * *

The week passes by. I speak to Cal daily like normal. But day after day I get more and more restless. He told me 2 days. And it’s been 5. The phone vibrates on the counter, and I immediately pick it up.

“Hello?”

“Don’t be alarmed, but I sent some people to the house. They should be there any second.” As if on cue, a knock sounds at the door. I jump as a small tinge of fear courses through my veins.

“Cal...” I start.

“Just trust me, princess. It’ll be ok. Do as they say,” he says. He doesn’t even wait for a response. He hangs up the phone. I’m tempted to call him back, but I think back to his words.

“Trust me.”

I did trust him. And calling him back would show him that I didn’t. I didn’t want that to happen. So I swallow my fear and head to the front door. There’s a group of people standing beyond the large black wooded door.

A woman with some kind of case, and a man with another case, All of them had different shaped cases. And one of them had a large bag with something heavy in it.

“Um. Hi..” I say awkwardly. The woman looks me up and down.

“Are you, Rue?” she asks. I nod my head gingerly clinging to Cal’s words for dear life. Trust him.

A large smile spreads itself across the woman’s face.

“My name is Portia, and this is my team. Your husband sent us here to get you ready for the night.” I don’t even have time to process anything, the woman and her team hurry into the house, dragging me along with them.

About 4 hours later, I’m washed, waxed, and beautified. There were makeup artists, hairstylists, people that had done my hands and feet, given my jewelry, and a beautiful red gown.

It was a tight-fitting dress that hugged my frame perfectly. And the back was completely cut out. The dress draped so beautifully, and lightly caressed the floor. I had no idea where I was going, or what was happening.

Portia handed me a note and with a wave of her hand, she and her team all dispersed from Cal’s home. I open the letter and scrawled in neat handwriting is directions.

“There is a limo waiting for you outside. Get in. -Cal.”

I set the note on the counter, and walk outside. Sure enough, there is a limo. I get in the limo and see where the driver decides to take me, keeping in mind Cal’s words. “Trust me.”

Thirty minutes later we’re pulling into a private airport. Only one private plane sits on the runway. And I can only guess who’s about to step out. Cal steps off the plane, as cool and confident as he has always been.

He’s wearing an all-black Tuxedo. He looks mouthwatering. His hair is pushed back, and he has his cocky aura surrounding him. The piercings in his lips are glinting in the light, and I can make out those tattoos that are peaking out from his collar up to his neck, giving him that aura of danger. He slowly steps down the stairs heading towards the parked limousine I was currently sitting in.

I can’t wait that long though. I open the door myself and take off running in the heels those people placed on my feet. Cal’s gaze meets mine immediately and his eyes widen in shock at me running towards him. I don’t even think as I jump in his arms.

The warmth from his body immediately brings me comfort. A smile forms on my face and I immediately inhale his familiar scent. I feel his warm arms wrap around me, holding me in place and his lips placing soft kisses on my neck. Butterflies are fluttering like crazy in my stomach.

“I missed you so much,” I whisper. And I meant it. He chuckles softly.

“I missed you too princess.”

* * * * *

The ride is quiet, but it’s a comfortable silence. Every time I look up, Cal is gazing at me with an unreadable expression. And every time I look away. I wish I knew what he was thinking when he looked at me like that.

He scoots closer to me in the limo, and reaches out, grasping my hair in between his fingers. The hairstylist had to straighten out my curls, leaving my hair a soft and silky texture that draped down to the middle of my back.

“They took away your curls,” Cal mumbles. His face is hard. Almost in irritation. I immediately reach up pulling the strand from his grasp.

“It’ll be normal again once I wet it,” I mumble. A silence stretches over us once again before he decides to speak.

“You look beautiful, by the way. Curl or no curl.” I look up and Cal is smiling at me. I smile back.

“Thank you... you look handsome.”

“Thank you, princess. I wish I could’ve been back sooner, but things didn’t exactly go as planned. “ He gives me an apologetic smile.

“You’re probably wondering where we’re headed huh.” He says. I nod my head.

“We’re headed to a party. You wanted answers, so I’m going to introduce you to my boss.”