realized that there would definitely be other cute boys on campus to distract her from Easy. Maybe Callie could find someone to distract her from the unforgettable Easy Walsh, too. Everything was finally working out just the way it was supposed to.
Instant Message Inbox
TinsleyCarmichael: It’s been more than thirty seconds.
TinsleyCarmichael: Are you still coming over?
TinsleyCarmichael: Julian?
18
A WAVERLY OWL KNOWS HOW TO APPRECIATE MOTHER NATURE—ESPECIALLY WITH ANOTHER OWL .
W
hat am I doing? What am I doing?
Callie paused at the edge of the path to the boathouse, right at the spot where Easy had instructed her to turn off, the sky just beginning to glow orange. Her stomach rumbled a little, reminding her that she was skipping dinner. But she was too nervous and keyed up to eat anything anyway. After practice, she’d raced to shower off the sweat and grime their long practice had left her covered in, then dressed carefully. She had no idea what constituted appropriate clothing for a modeling session in the woods with her ex-boyfriend, and after deliberating for about twenty minutes she’d had to force herself to just get dressed already. Easy had asked to paint her, after all, and so he must want her to show up looking like herself. If that meant wearing expensive, slightly inappropriate clothing, so be it.
And so here she was, in her tight-fitting black Theory trousers, high-heeled pointy-toed boots, and black Vince scoop-neck sweater with a neckline just high enough not to be inappropriate. Her still-damp hair was curling slightly at the ends and making her feel even colder. She zipped her red quilted down vest up to her chin, the rabbit-fur lining making her nose twitch, and stepped off the path, the heels of her boots sinking slightly into the mossy undergrowth. She reminded herself of her resolution with Jenny and how she’d just lied to her, saying she was in a rush to get to the library. She was not going to let this thing with Easy go beyond a friendship. In fact, for that reason, she’d purposely not shaved her legs in the shower—leg stubble always made her feel so unsexy, and she felt like she might need to harness that unsexy feeling when spending time alone with Easy in the woods.
She made her way through the woods, stepping carefully over branches and enjoying the way the dry leaves crumpled beneath her feet. Callie inhaled the fresh, leafy air and wished she were a more outdoorsy person—it might be kind of fun, as long as it didn’t mean she had to wear ugly hiking boots or wear that awful all-natural deodorant crap. She came up to the small clearing that she’d guessed was Easy’s secret spot, and sure enough, there he was, crouched down in front of a bunch of tubes of paint scattered on the grass. She just stood there for a moment, staring at him, taking in the scene. He looked so natural out here, and even from how far away she was, she could read in his movements a relaxed happiness that she only really got to see when he was around Credo.
Then he looked up and saw her, and his face dissolved into a huge crooked grin. “Hey,” he said, standing up and brushing off his hands on his already dusty dark jeans. “What do you think?” He held his arms out to indicate the clearing.
Callie approached slowly, aware that even the sight of Easy doing something so simple as holding his arms out was making all of her old feelings for him come back. Fuck. This was definitely going to be harder than she thought, unshaved legs or no. “It’s nice,” she commented politely. “Where are the flowers?” “Well, it
is
October.” “What, there are no flowers in fall?” she asked petulantly, already feeling herself slide into the slightly contrary attitude that Easy had always gotten off on. She didn’t mean to—it just felt so …
natural
. “That’s stupid.” Easy laughed. His dark blue eyes crinkled up at the edges, and Callie could tell from his expression that he wanted to kiss her,
Instant Message Inbox
TinsleyCarmichael: It’s been more than thirty seconds.
TinsleyCarmichael: Are you still coming over?
TinsleyCarmichael: Julian?
18
A WAVERLY OWL KNOWS HOW TO APPRECIATE MOTHER NATURE—ESPECIALLY WITH ANOTHER OWL .
W
hat am I doing? What am I doing?
Callie paused at the edge of the path to the boathouse, right at the spot where Easy had instructed her to turn off, the sky just beginning to glow orange. Her stomach rumbled a little, reminding her that she was skipping dinner. But she was too nervous and keyed up to eat anything anyway. After practice, she’d raced to shower off the sweat and grime their long practice had left her covered in, then dressed carefully. She had no idea what constituted appropriate clothing for a modeling session in the woods with her ex-boyfriend, and after deliberating for about twenty minutes she’d had to force herself to just get dressed already. Easy had asked to paint her, after all, and so he must want her to show up looking like herself. If that meant wearing expensive, slightly inappropriate clothing, so be it.
And so here she was, in her tight-fitting black Theory trousers, high-heeled pointy-toed boots, and black Vince scoop-neck sweater with a neckline just high enough not to be inappropriate. Her still-damp hair was curling slightly at the ends and making her feel even colder. She zipped her red quilted down vest up to her chin, the rabbit-fur lining making her nose twitch, and stepped off the path, the heels of her boots sinking slightly into the mossy undergrowth. She reminded herself of her resolution with Jenny and how she’d just lied to her, saying she was in a rush to get to the library. She was not going to let this thing with Easy go beyond a friendship. In fact, for that reason, she’d purposely not shaved her legs in the shower—leg stubble always made her feel so unsexy, and she felt like she might need to harness that unsexy feeling when spending time alone with Easy in the woods.
She made her way through the woods, stepping carefully over branches and enjoying the way the dry leaves crumpled beneath her feet. Callie inhaled the fresh, leafy air and wished she were a more outdoorsy person—it might be kind of fun, as long as it didn’t mean she had to wear ugly hiking boots or wear that awful all-natural deodorant crap. She came up to the small clearing that she’d guessed was Easy’s secret spot, and sure enough, there he was, crouched down in front of a bunch of tubes of paint scattered on the grass. She just stood there for a moment, staring at him, taking in the scene. He looked so natural out here, and even from how far away she was, she could read in his movements a relaxed happiness that she only really got to see when he was around Credo.
Then he looked up and saw her, and his face dissolved into a huge crooked grin. “Hey,” he said, standing up and brushing off his hands on his already dusty dark jeans. “What do you think?” He held his arms out to indicate the clearing.
Callie approached slowly, aware that even the sight of Easy doing something so simple as holding his arms out was making all of her old feelings for him come back. Fuck. This was definitely going to be harder than she thought, unshaved legs or no. “It’s nice,” she commented politely. “Where are the flowers?” “Well, it
is
October.” “What, there are no flowers in fall?” she asked petulantly, already feeling herself slide into the slightly contrary attitude that Easy had always gotten off on. She didn’t mean to—it just felt so …
natural
. “That’s stupid.” Easy laughed. His dark blue eyes crinkled up at the edges, and Callie could tell from his expression that he wanted to kiss her,
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