Page 120 of Callan

Whatever it is, it takes away my pain in a flicker of time as I get wrapped in his arms and settle against his chest, loving every moment of it.

19

MACKENZIE

A new Mackenzieemerges from his hug.

Cheeks aflame––the fire has traveled way down, making my flesh pulse between my legs––and lips curved into a smile, I look at him with unbridled passion.

“I’m sorry,” I mumble, fighting the mantel of uneasiness draped over my shoulders.

“What for?”

“I shouldn’t question you like that,” I say quietly, lowering my eyes to evade his scrutiny. “I’m in no position to do that,” I add sincerely, and he smiles.

“I’m glad we have cleared that out.”

I can’t tell whether he’s joking again or not before he draws in a long breath and takes my hand, his touch warm around my fingers.

“Unlike you,” he says, “I wanted to spend the night alone in a club.”

I cock an eyebrow incredulously.

“Alone?”

“Yup,” he says. “I know the bar going crowd. They’re just like me. Looking for the same thing. We get together and feel like one big family––an estranged family that is––and then we call it a night. See…” he goes on pensively. “We’re all running away from something. Or toward something.”

I mull over his answer, my eyes going down again.

“You put a lot of thought into how you dressed tonight.”

“I like to dress nicely. Is that a crime?” he jokes, and my eyes go up to him.

He stares at me with unending tenderness while bringing his thumb to my face and slowly stroking my cheek.

“We’ll go to the club together. This way, you’ll see what I’m talking about. All right?”

His touch dissolves my resolve.

“Okay.”

He smiles, his thumb on my lower lip, his eyes traveling to the street.

“What about a horse carriage ride?” he murmurs, his hand sliding off my cheek.

“Can we do that so late?” I ask, glancing out the window.

“I’m sure we can,” he says confidently. “Let’s go.”

We climb out and walk to the park, where we find a horse drawn carriage, and moments later, we’re on a tour of the park, sliding under vaults of snowy branches, silently appreciating the magic of winter.

The change of scenery makes what happened earlier a forgotten memory.

Living in the moment may be hard, but doing with him is easier than I thought.

He holds my hand while peering outside, slightly disconnected from me and mostly engrossed in the winter story.

Eventually, I get used to him being close yet far away emotionally.

---