Chapter 8

Sulien

The world spun as consciousness slowly returned to me. The sharp pain behind my eyes was a reminder of why I never drank that much. I groaned, burying my face deeper into the pillow. I didn’t have to work today, and that meant I could sleep this off. And that was my plan.

Then it hit me—I hadn't fallen asleep alone last night. I should have woken up with a certain Voltaris brat beside me. I forced myself to roll over, ignoring the throbbing in my head and the churning in my stomach as I scanned the room for any signs of my angel.

But there was nothing. No rumpled sheets, no clothes on the floor, not even a stray blonde hair on the pillowcase. It was like she’d never been here at all.

Had I imagined the whole thing? My mind raced through a series of half-formed memories from the night before—her laughter, the way her body felt on mine, the sound of her moans muffled by the couch cushions.

With a frustrated groan, I fell back onto the bed, rubbing the heels of my hands into my eyes. What I was about to do was a long shot, but I needed to try something.

“Callie!” I called, my voice rougher than expected.

An oppressive silence settled over the room, but after a moment, the door creaked open. I turned toward the sound, to see Callie walk in with a cup of coffee and a bottle of Aspirin in hand. A dizzy feeling of relief washed over me, causing me to fall back. The old springs creaked beneath me, protesting my movements just as my muscles did.

“Good morning, Sunshine,” I croaked.

She chuckled softly as she placed the mug and aspirin on the nightstand before crawling back into bed. Her head found its place on my bicep, and I pulled her closer, resisting the urge to kiss her cheek.

For a moment, I lay there, soaking in the feeling of her body against mine. It was completely different from how I was used to waking up—alone, the bed cold and empty beside me. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so…content. Worse than that, I couldn’t imagine feeling like that without her here.

“Sunshine? What happened to Angel?” she teased, her voice light, almost playful.

I looked down at her, a crooked grin tugging at my lips. “Sunshine is for everyday moments. Angel is for when you’re taking my dick like the good girl you are. And let me assure you, you are a very good girl.”

She shot me a narrowed-eyed glare that caused me to laugh. Crude jokes aside, part of me marveled at how natural this all felt—how easy it was to be with her.

“Keep talking like that, and I’m going to get a spray bottle to spritz you every time you say something like that,” she warned with a smile.

“You weren’t complaining last night when I—”

She cut me off with a gentle smack to the chest. Before she could pull her hand away, I held it in place over my heart, hoping she could feel it pounding against my ribs.

What the hell was I thinking when I even considered breaking up with her? The thought had seemed rational at the time—distancing myself, protecting her from whatever darkness lingered in my life. But now, with her here, it felt stupid, like it’d be easier to live without my leg than it would be to live without Callie.

She squirmed as if trying to free herself, but I tightened my grip, throwing an arm over her chest and holding her close like a child would a stuffed animal.

She let out a frustrated moan before finally relaxing into me, tracing invisible patterns on my arms. I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of her touch. But then, the gentle tracing turned into soft squeezes, each one sending a pleasant shiver down my spine.

I cracked open an eye and looked down at her. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” she mumbled, giving me one last squeeze. “Have you always been this strong?”

“You grew up surrounded by supers, right?” I yawned, closing my eyes again.

She nodded against my chest. “What’s that got to do with you?”

I tangled my fingers into her hair, toying with a few strands as I thought. “Then you should know that supers are a little different than normal people.”

A thought suddenly struck me—was Callie a super? She could read minds, albeit inconsistently, and she was an empath. Both of those were powers, but she was smaller than any super I’d met.

“Yeah, they don’t get sick with normal viruses,” Callie added.

“And most have a genetic predisposition to gain muscle mass incredibly easily.” I reminded her. “But, that depends on their type of abilities. Since mine are physical, I’m in that group. ”

Honestly, there was a whole list of things that made supers different.

She shifted, propping herself up on her elbows to look at me more closely. Her face was so close that all I could think about was kissing her. I really hoped she wasn’t reading my mind right now because that would be embarrassing.

“So, it’s because you’ve been training more?” she asked, slipping the covers down to expose my chest. Her touch was gentle, almost reverent, as she traced the contours of my muscles.

“Partly that, partly because I’m not starving half the time,” I admitted, pulling her back down beside me. I didn’t want to see the expression on her face, not for this conversation. “Until you came along and started forcing me to eat dinner, I only ate during lunch.”

Her body tensed, causing her exploration to come to a screeching halt. “You weren’t eating? Why?”

Her tone was more confused than judgmental, but it didn’t erase the shame. I swallowed hard, trying to find the right words. “Couldn’t afford it. When you’re barely scraping by, sometimes food doesn’t make it onto the list of needs.”

The room fell into a heavy silence, and I braced myself for her response. She couldn’t possibly understand. I’d never been inside her house, but from what I’d seen on the outside, I could tell she’d never had to want for anything. Any advice she offered wouldn’t hold much weight. But when she spoke again, I realized that didn’t matter to her either.

“Guess I’ll need to start getting you breakfast too.”

“Please don’t.” I forced my tone to sound lighter than I felt. “I can’t afford new clothes if I grow out of them. ”

It was a weak excuse, but it was the first thing that came to mind. While it was true that I’d be screwed if I couldn’t fit into my clothes, what scared me more was letting Callie get too close. Right now, I was grateful for her in ways I could never fully explain. If she went any further, I’d risk becoming dependent on her, and that would destroy me when she eventually left.

“I’m not going to leave,” she mumbled, wrapping her arms around my neck.

My heart skipped a beat, and I felt my cheeks warm.

Get out of my fucking head . I thought before tightening my grip on her, pulling her even closer.

“Plus, it’s my job to find you a center placement. I can’t do anything about the fact that your dad’s Necro, but according to my sister, appearance is one of the most important parts of being a hero,” Callie explained. “And my brother said something about bulky heroes being in right now.”

She was trying to help, and in a way, she was. But I had no desire to be a poster child for the hero industry. I just wanted to prove that I could be good. That I wasn’t my dad.

“I think you just like the idea of a big, scary boyfriend.” I laughed, hoping to change the subject.

“You’re not scary,” she snorted. “But the idea of you being able to throw me around like I’m nothing more than a toy does something for me.”

It did something for me too, and if it weren’t for the pounding in my head, I would have shown her that I didn’t need to be any bulkier to do that. But right now, all I wanted was to melt into her.

“If it makes it easier for you to get me a placement, I’ll try,” I relented, knowing I’d do whatever it took to help this process along.

The last thing I wanted was for her to work so hard that she made herself sick. The idea of her exhausting herself for me filled me with a guilt I couldn’t explain.

We were still about three weeks out from the showcase, and while I knew that every major heroing center in the county would be there, I couldn’t help but worry if Callie would actually be able to help me. She was a mind reader, not a miracle worker.

“Can I ask you something?” She said softly.

I nodded.

Her tongue darted across her lips as she stared at me with wide, unblinking eyes. “Once this is all over, and I’ve found a center for you. What comes next?”

What comes next? Wasn’t that self-explanatory? I’d go off and get my year of experience, possibly sign with them as a professional hero, and then my career would begin.

“Like, workwise?” I said, trying to process her question. “...Or, with us?”

Her expression softened to a look of almost soul-crushing vulnerability.

“With us.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

Her question hung heavy in the air as I gave myself a moment to mull it over. I never considered what would happen to us . Maybe that was a bit foolish on my end, but I assumed that whatever we had now could go on forever. But she was right. Sure, my first-choice placements would result in me staying here, but I wasn’t exactly a top candidate, and if my only offer came from the other side of the country, I’d have to take it.

“I don’t want to lose what we have here,” I said slowly, as if buying myself time to think. “I just–I don’t know what we will look like when I’m out in the field, and you’re–”

“Here?”

I nodded, causing her face to fall a little.

“Sulien, before we go any farther, I need to know if you want me in your future.”

“Callie,” I said her name like a prayer. “It doesn’t matter how the showcase goes or where I end up. Every day, for the rest of my life, I will choose you.”

That felt insane, seeing as I’d only known her for about two weeks. But I’d like to think my heart knew better than my brain, and every fiber of my being begged for me to be with her.

“No matter what?” She asked softly, holding up a pinky.

“No matter what,” I promised with a smile, wrapping my digit around hers.

And I meant it. No matter what the future brought, it would be fine as long as I was with her.