The Choice (a Painful Past)

26

"He tells me that I'm beautiful every day, and how much he loves me. I actually feel good about myself, when he does things like that. I really love him."

She giggled at my dramatism, and shook her head. "I don't know. I've never been in love like that. It sounds amazing though. I think I might be falling for Chad. I've never felt this way about someone before. It's much stronger than just liking him."

I flipped onto my side, so that I could meet her gaze. "Really? That's so amazing! I'm so happy for you!" I exclaimed.

I could see that she did love him. I saw it in her eyes. The way they lit up when she spoke his name, and the way her cheeks would flush, just a little, when she thought about him.

"We'll have to double date soon!" I added, before I sat up. "I mean, if that's okay. Because of what happened with you and Will. I always forget about that."

She dismissed my words with a flick of her hand. "Oh, that's nothing. I haven't spoken to him since all of that went down, but I'm good with pretending like it never happened. Will and I weren't serious, like you two are. Or even like I am with Chad. That's old news. I'm so down to double date! I'll just have to ask Chad."

"YES!" I exclaimed. "I'm sure Will will be fine with it, but I'll ask him soon. It's gonna be so much fun!"

We talked over things that we could do on the double date and planned it for the upcoming weekend.

"As long as there isn't something they already have planned, or need to do, that should be fine. I'm so excited!" Sherri exclaimed.

By the time I drove home, my mind was whirling with all the things we could do next weekend. Mini golf, laser tag, movies, picnics at the springs, and a few other things. There wasn't a big selection in this small town, but I was sure that we could think of something.

It was going to be so much fun! When I pulled up into my driveway, Will was outside with Daniel. He looked up and waved at me, with a smile on his face.

I was so happy to see that he wasn't mad anymore. He met me at my truck, as I stepped out of it, and rested his hands on my hips.

"I missed you." He whispered.

"I missed you, too." I whispered back, and gave him a soft smile.

He leaned in and pressed his lips against mine, moving them against my own. The kiss was heated, but somehow still soft and sweet. I was breathing hard, when he finally pulled away.

His fingers tightened on my hips, before he moved his hands up my sides, under my shirt.

"I wish I could show you how much I missed you." He replied, with his voice deep and guttural.

"Callie." I heard my mom call.

I glanced in the direction of her voice, and found her standing on the front porch, watching me and Will. She had a white apron tied around her waist, and a dishrag thrown over her shoulder.

I stepped away from him, and smiled at her.

"Hey Mom, I just got home. What is it?"

She sent a hard look to Will, then looked back at me. "I need you to come help me with dinner. We're having company tonight. Some of the family is coming over, so it's going to be a big meal. We'll probably eat outside, since the kitchen is so small." She said.

I nodded at her, then turned back to Will.

"Are you staying for dinner, Will?" My mom asked.

He looked over to her and smiled.

"Yes ma'am, if that's okay. Jason and I both will probably be here. Our parents are fighting." He told her.

Her face scrunched up in thought for just a moment, before she sighed.

"Okay. If you two need to, you can stay the night again, but I'm really going to need to talk to your parents. I can't keep letting you stay, if you're dating my daughter. It's just not right."

He nodded at her, but I saw something flash in his eyes, before he answered her. "Yes ma'am. I'll let them know when I go home. Thank you, Mrs. Mary."

"You're welcome, dear. Okay, come on, Callie. I need your help." She said again, giving me a look that I knew to mean "get your ass in gear."

"Coming!" I replied, before I turned back to Will again. "Is she leaving?" I asked.

He kept his face towards me, but his eyes went to the side, as he tried to see my Mom out of his peripheral vision.

"Yeah, she's going in." He whispered.

I sighed and leaned my forehead down, against his chest.

"I guess I need to go help cook. We'll have to talk later." I said.

"That's fine, but we really do need to talk. Now, go cook, before she comes back out here. Your mom scares me." He said, with a wry grin.

"She should scare you." I laughed, looking up at him. "She can get crazy."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss me one more time. "I love you Callie. Never forget that, okay? More than my own life."

"I love you too." I replied. "Guess I better get to it." I motioned back towards the front door, with a grimace. "I'll see you later."

He nodded and grinned. "Okay. I'll just chill out here with Daniel for a little while. He's an annoying little shit, but I love him."

Daniel had ADHD and Italian in his bloodline, from my sister's father. We had never met him, but the lineage was clear in my sister and her kids. They talked so damn fast, that I could barely understand them half the time.

"Good luck." I laughed.

Later, after I finished cooking and helping my mom, and after we ate that amazing food, I walked outside to lie on the trampoline. Daniel was inside playing the game, so I didn't have to worry about him bothering me. Plus, he was still scared of the dark, so that was a plus.

I loved lying out on the trampoline at night, just to look up at the moon and stars. It reminded me of how small we really were, in comparison.

"Hey." I looked over to see Will standing at the bars of the mat.

"Hey." I replied softly. "Are we gonna talk now?" I scrunched my nose up at the idea.

It was so peaceful out here, that I didn't want anything to disturb it.

He laughed at my reaction and nodded

"I think we need to, Cal. Just to clear the air."

"Okay." I sighed, and scooted over so that he could join me.