Chapter 383: Love Forward
Callan stood alone in the kitchen as he placed the take-out boxes on the island. He had driven out to a nearby restaurant to pick up dinner while Emily freshened up.
He stared at the boxes but did not move until his phone buzzed again.
A na flashed on the screen.
Cindy.
He sighed as he stared at it. She had been calling him ever since he called her earlier to end things with her in front of Emily.
The only reason he had not blocked her was because of what Emily said.
He almost declined the call but decided to answer at the last second.
"What?" he said flatly.
"You hung up before I finished talking," Cindy snapped. "Who do you think you are, Callan?"
Callan closed his eyes. "I told you it’s over, Cindy."
"You don’t get to dump
like that," she shot back. "I refuse. You better be ready to date
and whoever this new girl is. I’m not going anywhere."
He opened his mouth but she cut him off before he could get a word in.
"I will make sure your reputation will be in shreds if you walk away from ," she threatened then the call ended.
Callan exhaled as he stared at the blank screen.
Needing to talk to soone, he dialed Jamal’s line.
He frowned when it rang but there was no response. He tried again but there was still no response.
He muttered under his breath and called Stefan instead.
Stefan picked up on the second ring. "Sup?"
"Jamal is not taking his call. Is he with you?" Callan asked.
"Nope. He’s in a eting right now," Stefan replied calmly. "His phone is on silent."
Callan sighed. "Right. Of course."
"You okay?" Stefan asked.
"I don’t know," Callan admitted quietly.
There was a pause.
"I guess I’m paying for my reckless past," he murmured.
"Hmm. Whatever you do, make sure you handle your ss properly. Don’t run from it," Stefan advised.
"Sure. Thanks. Ask Jamal to call
back..."
"Well, that would be much later if it’s not urgent. Dawn is waiting in his office," Stefan explained.
Callan sighed. "Alright. Just let him know I need to talk to him."
After Callan hung up, he dropped the phone on the counter and pressed his palms against the cool marble.
What could he do about Cindy?
He didn’t want to tell Emily about her. He still rembered how furious Emily had been the last ti Cindy showed up uninvited in the house and ended up fighting with her.
He needed to reassure Emily and prove his love and transformation to her not worry her with sothing like this.
He ran a hand through his hair, leaned back against the island and pressed his fingers to his temple.
His head throbbed.
"Cal?"
He looked up sharply to see Emily standing at the kitchen entrance.
Her hair was damp. Strands clung to her cheeks. She wore loose Mickey Mouse pajamas. Her skin looked soft and clean from the shower.
For a second, he forgot everything.
"You okay?" she asked gently.
He straightened at once. "Yeah. I’m fine."
She studied his face then looked him over. "Why haven’t you showered?"
"I went out to get dinner," he said, gesturing to the takeout boxes.
She stepped closer. "Go freshen up. I’ll set up the table and wait."
He nodded slowly and headed for the door. As he walked past her, she slled her shower gel and a sweet fragrance from her hair.
He swallowed and kept walking.
If only Aria had not ruined the mood earlier he would have hugged her close and deeply inhaled her scent.
Emily turned and watched until he disappeared from view, then she sat on the island and checked if Mari had returned her text yet.
She had tried calling Mari after her shower but the call did not connect and it made her wonder if Mari was always going to disappear each ti she traveled.
When she didn’t see any response from Mari, she decided to focus on setting the table for dinner.
As she did that, she thought about what had transpired between her and Callan for the fifth ti, and decided to talk to soone else about it. Soone she believed might have an idea of how she felt.
She scrolled through her phone until she saw Stefan’s na and then she dialed his number.
He answered almost imdiately. "If you’re calling to talk to Jamal, because he didn’t take your call, the answer is no. He’s not with . He’s busy. I told Callan already."
She raised a brow. "When did Callan call to talk to Jamal?"
Stefan paused. "If you don’t know, then you don’t need to know."
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, I called to talk to you," she said flatly.
"? I’m shocked!"
"Why?" she asked with a slight frown.
He raised a brow on the other end. "Because it’s weird that you’d call to talk to ."
"And why is it weird?" she snapped softly.
"Because we only ever talk when you’re with Jamal. You’ve never called ," he pointed out.
"Yes, I have. On your birthday I called you," she pointed out.
"Well, that was my birthday..."
"Stefan, have you ever called ?" she cut in.
He scratched his jaw. "Not really, but that’s only because I try to keep my distance since you are Jamal’s friend and I’m his assistant. I feel we only get along when we all hang out..."
"Save your excuses. I didn’t call to hear them. I’ve been a better friend to you than you’ve been to . At least I called on your birthday. Have you ever called
on mine?"
Stefan was silent.
"Exactly. So don’t act like I’m the strange one for calling you. You’re the only one that thinks of yourself as Jamal’s assistant. So, lose
with that attitude," she hissed.
"Fine. I’m sorry," he said after a mont.
"Whatever," she muttered. "Anyway, I need your opinion."
"On what?"
She exhaled slowly. "How do you cope with Genevieve?"
He blinked. "I beg your pardon?" That was the last thing he expected to hear from her.
"Sorry it ca out that way. What I an is, how do you deal with her past? Knowing she’s been with other n? Doesn’t that affect you or make you feel so way?"
He was quiet for a mont. "What I’m trying to figure out is what our relationship and her past has to do with you."
Emily let out an exasperated sigh. "I’m trying to figure out how to be with Callan without thinking about every girl he’s touched," she said softly. "You’re the only person I know who is dating soone with a... complicated history. Do you understand what I’m saying?"
Stefan sighed. "Well, the difference," he said slowly, "is that I wasn’t in Genevieve’s life or in love with her while waiting for her to change. I t her knowing exactly who she was and what she’d done. If I sat sowhere dreaming of her while she lived her life then I’d probably relate better."
Emily closed her eyes. "So it doesn’t bother you?" she whispered.
"It does," he admitted. "I’m human. I think about it sotis."
She swallowed. "Then how do you stand it?"
"Do you love Callan?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Then listen carefully. A man is made up of his past, his present, and future. The man you love right now is a sum total of his past. If you truly love him, you’d have to find a way to embrace his past and be at peace with it." His voice beca steady. "I know it’s not easy, but love is not about owning soone’s past. It’s about choosing their present. If you want him, you must understand and accept that he is flawed human. He lived and made his fair share of mistakes before coming to be with you."
She said nothing but her fingers tightened around her phone.
"If you keep fighting the ghosts of his past, you will lose sight of the man standing in front of you," Stefan continued firmly. "You are not in competition with the won he slept with. You are in partnership with the man he wants to beco. The man he can beco with you by his side. If you cannot find peace with that, then maybe you should walk away now."
Tears filled her eyes and she inhaled slowly. "I don’t want to break up with him," she whispered.
"Good. Then choose him fully," Stefan replied. "Not halfway. Not with one foot in fear. You should love him forward. Forgive what you cannot change and build what you can with him. The future is the only place you can win. That’s where your focus should be."
She heard Callan’s footsteps and quickly wiped her cheek. "Thank you," she said quickly. "I have to go now."
She ended the call just as Callan entered the kitchen.
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