Page 99 of Callan

I’ll probably spend a quiet evening at home. Maybe I’ll watch a movie.Or shop for clothes online.

Every year, I buy myself a Christmas gift.It doesn’t have to be expensive.

It just needs to be beautifully wrapped and remind me to take care of myself.

The idea was in the back of my mind last night, but it got lost in the twists of the story that eventually put Callan and me in his car.

I’ll probably skip the ‘buying a Christmas gift for myself this year,’ especially since I got one from Callan.

With that thought, I peel my eyes away from the snowy street and head straight to the bedroom.

16

MACKENZIE

It’sone of the best naps I’ve had in a while.

The room smells nice, the temperature is perfect, and no noise comes from outside.

I slip in and out of a drowsy state, dreaming some stuff that doesn’t make sense, like having Callan’s arms around me, his smile in front of my eyes, his touch on my body, and his voice in my ears.

I’m so concerned with pleasing him for no understandable reason that I’m consumed with anticipation and angst.

So the loud knock on my door finds me teetering on the edge of awareness and kicks my anxiety into a higher gear.

I pull up to my elbows, trying to figure out what’s going on. The light outside the window is grayish dark as the day gets swallowed up by the early evening.

What time is it anyway? Shifting my eyes to the nightstand, I reach for my phone.

Half past four?And it’s that dark?

Soft snow dances across the window.

It’s been snowing for a week now.

Knock, knock, knock.

The tapping against my door is firm and heavy with frustration, and I can’t imagine why.

Has someone mistaken my neighbor’s door for mine?

Quietly, I slide off, push my slippers on, and put my bathrobe on.

They keep knocking. That can’t be good.

Have I done something wrong? Is this an emergency of sorts? Are cops at my door?

I may have joked about it, but this shit is real.

Struggling with the tension in my throat, I muster enough courage to go to the door and confront whoever is so loud and obnoxious.

I peek through the peephole first and turn breathless for a second.

Carmen?

“Yes?” I bark without opening the door.

“Open the door. I need to talk to you.”

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