Callan froze when Emily deepened the kiss. Unable to resist, he kissed her back. Just as he was getting really into it, Emily pulled back.
Before he could recover, she picked up her controller and gave her finishing moves to end the ga.
"Yes!" Emily scread excitedly.
Callan blinked at the screen, then he looked at her slowly.
"You cheated," he said in disbelief.
"I used strategy," she corrected proudly, then burst into laughter. "You lost!"
Callan stared at her for another mont before shaking his head slightly.
"You’re unbelievable."
Emily grinned victoriously and dropped the controller onto the couch.
"Looks like sobody has to cuddle all night."
Callan let out a soft breath through his nose.
For the first ti since she ca into the living room, he looked less shut down.
Emily’s heart softened at the sight.
She moved closer imdiately and slipped both arms around his neck before he could pull away again.
"I win," she whispered smugly.
Callan looked at her face quietly. From her eyes to her lips and then back again.
"You played dirty."
Emily smiled innocently. "And yet you still fell for it."
"I always fall for you," he muttered.
She tightened her arms around his neck slightly and rested her forehead against his shoulder.
"I’m sorry," she whispered softly this ti.
"It’s fine," Callan said, knowing she wasn’t talking about the ga anymore.
"It’s not," she said in softly and she pulled back to look into his face. "I know you heard what I said."
And for the first ti since the argunt started, she could clearly see the hurt sitting behind his eyes.
Emily swallowed hard.
"I didn’t an it the way it sounded. I was upset and I spoke carelessly."
Callan gave a small nod like he heard her.
"Say sothing, please. Tell how you feel," Emily pleaded.
When he didn’t speak, she sighed, "You’re making nervous," she muttered.
"How?"
"You’re being too calm."
"Would you rather I shout?"
"No," she said quickly. "I just... I don’t know. I don’t like this."
Callan shrugged lightly. "You weren’t wrong. That’s exactly how I lived. So you have nothing to apologize for."
Emily stared at him helplessly. "Callan—"
"And hearing you say that..." he paused briefly before shaking his head. "It just felt like maybe no matter what I do, you’ll always see as that version of myself."
"That’s not true," Emily said quickly.
Callan shrugged lightly. "It doesn’t matter."
"It does matter!" she burst out.
That finally made him look at her again in surprise.
Emily’s eyes were wet now.
"I swear I don’t see you that way," she said emotionally. "Do you think I would be in a relationship with you if I did?"
Callan stayed quiet.
Emily reached for his hand slowly. "I’m sorry," she whispered again. "Really sorry."
Callan studied her face silently. Then he sighed quietly and brushed her tears away.
"I’m really not mad. I just..." He paused before speaking again. "I think part of is always scared that one day you’ll wake up and realize you deserve better than ."
Emily’s heart broke a little hearing that.
She moved imdiately and climbed onto his lap before he could stop her.
Callan blinked in surprise as she cupped his face with both hands.
"Listen to carefully," she said softly but firmly. "I love you. You, Callan"
His eyes held hers quietly. Then he sighed softly and leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you too."
They both sat there in silence for a while then Emily yawned, "If we are cool now, can we go to bed? I’m exhausted."
Imdiately, Callan rembered how exhausted she’d been earlier and he sat up. "I’m sorry I kept you up..."
She shut him up with a kiss, "Enough with the apologies for today. Let’s just go to bed."
Callan adjusted as he rose, then before she could attempt to rise, he carried her up.
Emily laughed, "What are you doing?"
"Taking you to the room. You’ve been stressed enough for today," he said as he carried her to the bedroom.
Emily smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder.
When they got to the bedroom, he gently set her on the bed, then he got on beside her.
Emily snuggled close to him imdiately.
They lay in silence for a while, and just when he was beginning to think she’d dozed off, she called his na.
"Cal?"
"Yeah?"
"If I hadn’t figured out what was wrong, would you really have shut out just like that?" She asked, raising herself on her elbow so she could see his face.
Callan was silent for a mont, then he sighed. "Yes."
Before she could say anything else he continued, "Apart from Jamal, you’re the only other person I opened up to fully about my background. And hearing that made feel that maybe I was wasting my ti with you. Maybe I’m deluding myself into believing that we could still work sothing out... ouch!" He exclaid when she bit his arm.
"How can you even think that?" She asked with displeasure.
"Anyone else could have said that, and I wouldn’t have flinched," he said quietly, "if you think that way about ..."
"I don’t. And even when I said it Mari scolded ," Emily said softly. "First, Dr Loma made us fight, then Dan. Is this a sign?"
"Yes. It’s a sign that we shouldn’t have missed the session with my therapist," he said, and she sighed.
"You’re right," she said with a nod, "We are going to be more serious with that. I really want us to work."
" too," Callan said, raising her hand to his lips and kissing her palm.
Emily rested her head on his chest, and was silent for so ti again.
Just as Callan reached out to turn off the lights thinking she was asleep, she spoke again.
"Cal?"
"Hm?"
"Do you really think Dan is a jerk? Or are you just being jealous and possessive?"
"I don’t think. I know he is a jerk. And I’m also being jealous and possessive," he admitted.
Emily smiled as she looked up into his face with sleepy eyes, "I’m not interested in him."
"It’s not that I’m worried about," he said, then when she yawned, he patted the back of her head. "Enough talking. Now go to sleep."
"What are you worried about?" She asked sleepily.
Callan hesitated, contemplating whether he should tell her that he looked into Dan. He wondered how she’d take that.
"He has a history of—" he trailed off when he heard her snoring softly.
He smiled and kissed her temple, "As long as you stay away from him, it’s fine," he muttered as he adjusted so he could go to sleep too.
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