Page 90 of Playing to Win
Chapter 29
ONE WEEK LATER
Callie was curled up on her couch, her iPad perched on her lap, watching season four of Once Upon A Time on Hulu. With all the craziness of her senior year and meeting Kyle, her favorite show had fallen by the wayside. Thank the lord for modern day technology.
Cassie flopped into the recliner and threw her legs over one of the arms. “Press pause. We need to talk about the elephant in the room.”
Callie sighed. “What elephant in the room?”
“The big, fat one that is screaming it’s been a week since Kyle had his surgery and you haven’t seen him since you walked out of his recovery room.”
Callie shrugged her shoulders while she tried to think of what to say. “He was kind of out of it when I saw him in his room, but I thought everything was fine. His parents and sisters got to see him, too, later on. But the second time I went in, when he was actually coherent, it was…I don’t know…weird. He was really stand-offish. I just figured I would give him some space, thinking he just might be wanting to spend time with his family. But I called him twice after that and he didn’t answer. I texted him and he didn’t answer. So I got the message.”
“Which was?”
“Leave me alone. So that’s what I’m doing.”
“Oh, Cal, I’m sorry. Maybe he just needs time for the shock to wear off.”
“Or maybe he’s decided he doesn’t want me anymore.”
“Stop being negative!”
“How else would you explain a one week moment of silence?”
Cassie sat in the recliner, saying nothing.
“Yep. That’s what I think, too,” Callie said with a sad sigh. “Sooooo, I intend on sitting on my tookus for a solid week, eating junk, and catching up on my favorite TV show, and probably gaining ten pounds in the process. Then, I’ll venture out into the real world and try to start sending my resume out there to everyone in the hope that someone takes notice of a former NBA cheerleader turned sports broadcaster.”
“That’s such a positive attitude you have there.”
“I think I’ve earned it.”
“You probably have.” Cassie pulled herself out of the chair and planted a kiss on Callie’s head. “Unlike you, I can’t sit on my tookus and get fat. I have a nine hour summer class workload and the professors are not taking it easy on us.”
“Do you ever not study?”
“Do you ever not ask me that? I’m a law student. I’m never finished studying.”
Callie laughed. She could never be a career student like her roommate. Just thinking about summer classes made her brain hurt. Unpausing her show, she was once again engrossed in the world of Storybrooke and its inhabitants. Elsa and Anna of Frozen were the newest residents this season.
A knock on the door elicited a growl from Callie’s lips. “All I want to do is feel sorry for myself, get fat eating potato chips, and watch my friggin’ TV show! What?” Callie pressed pause on the remote yet again, walked across the room, and threw open the door to see a startled Kyle standing in front of her.
“Oh…um, hey, Curly. Didn’t expect you to be so mad? I can…I guess I’ll just—”
Callie stared at Kyle, dumbfounded by his presence. She knew it had only been a week since she had last seen him, but she always seemed to forget how beautiful a human being he actually was. He was leaning on a set of crutches and sporting a backward Thunder cap on his head, curls peeking out from underneath. He definitely needed a haircut.
He was wearing a sky blue t-shirt emblazoned with the words ‘Keep Calm and Hang On’ with a depiction of a cute sloth hanging upside down on the O of the word on. A pair of gray Under Armour shorts hung low on his hips and hit right at the wrap on his newly-operated-on-knee. A pair of flip-flops completed the sexy as hell, all messy, male athlete look he had going on.
Callie took a gulp and stepped back. “No, it, uh…it wasn’t you. People just keep interrupting my Once Upon a Time watching. I just got aggravated at the interruption in general. I didn’t even know it was you.”
“I know how you are about your fairy tales, Curly. Do you want me to come back?”
“No, you can come in if you want. Nice shirt, by the way.” Callie held the door wide as a signal for him to come in. Giving her a nod, he maneuvered her tiny living room as best as he could on his crutches and gingerly sat down in her dad’s old recliner.
Kyle smiled. “Thanks. I got it at the Dallas World Aquarium with Kolin, my nephew. I took him there last October for his birthday. Saw it and it had to have it.”
“It’s totally cute.”
