“Whoa, I missed you too, Cal.”
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispers, still holding me.
It’s nice, and I can’t help melting into her—until she abruptly releases me, takes a step back and then slaps my shoulder so hard it stings a little even through my hoodie.
“What the hell was that for?”
“I can’t believe you left and didn’t tell me.”
Guilt swamps me.
“I’m so sorry, I—”
“You don’t have to apologise. Not again, at least. I get it. I just… I missed you.”
“I missed you too. Come on, before the guys turn up.”
My stomach twists. “They’re here?”
She looks over her shoulder at the mostly empty driveway. The answer is obvious really, but it doesn’t stop her from answering anyway.
“Not yet. But now you’re here, I’m guessing it won’t take them long.”
“How would they kno—” She glares at me with her brow quirked.
She’s right. They always know.
“Come on, we’ve got the house to ourselves.”
Calli grabs some drinks from the kitchen before I follow her up the stairs, keeping my eyes downcast as we climb them, not wanting to look at Seb, even if it is a younger version of him.
“So Seb let you out of his sight?” Calli asks when she falls down on her bed, watching me as I walk to her window and look out at her huge backyard.
“He didn’t have a lot of choice,” I mutter, scanning the treeline as if this person everyone seems to think is following me will just jump out and make himself known.
“I thought you were getting on great in America.”
Spinning around, I glare at her. “How’d you know that?”
She shrugs, not looking even slightly guilty as she confesses, “I eavesdropped on a phone call between Nico and Seb.”
My chin drops. Not because I’m angry at her for doing it—quite the opposite. I’m proud of her.
“What? I was worried about you. I needed to know he wasn’t hurting you.”
I raise a brow and place my hand on my hip. “And you didn’t believe me when I told you I was okay?”
“I did, I did,” she argues. “I just… the guy carved his fucking name into your thigh, Stel, and then proceeded to humiliate you in front of all those arseholes. I just needed to hear it for myself.”
“And what did you hear?”
“Nothing exciting. Nico was more interested in telling Seb about some girl he hooked up with the night before.” She gags. “In detail.”
“Nice,” I laugh. “Your brother is a dog.”
“Agreed. So what happened with Seb? I had a feeling he was going to attach himself to your hip and never let you out of his sight.”
“I’m pretty sure that was his plan,” I say, picturing his face as he stood hopelessly in the middle of our driveway this morning. “I gave him a taste of his own medicine,” I confess when she waits for more. An evil chuckle falls from my lips. “He thought I’d forgiven him because he gave me a few orgasms. He’s a fucking idiot.”