Chapter 50

Calvin’s POV

I decided to get home early from work. I needed the time to prepare for my date with Lily later. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about it. It wasn’t just a regular date; I actually wanted to talk to her about something important, about us. I couldn’t believe I was thinking about this, but I wanted us to be an actual couple. We were already halfway there with the faking, but now I wanted it to be as real as ever. I finally admitted to myself that I liked her. Her child, our child, I was actually looking forward to being a father. It scared me shitless, always had, but being with her since the first trimester made me become attached. I didn’t know how to act around her anymore. Every time I saw her, it became more and more difficult to keep my thoughts and hands to myself. Now I just had to let her know how I truly felt, and I worried she didn’t feel the same way. The end of our contract was near, and now I wished we never made that deal. It was like I could count my last days with her.

I knew I’d always like her. That's why I had tried to push her away in the beginning, but afterwards, I had to turn to her to help Janelle out with the rumors. Spending so much time with Lily made me realize the one thing I feared: I was fond of her and wanted to spend so much more time with her. These days, she and the baby were all that was on my mind. I could imagine so many things already, but all these scenarios would be ruined if she never felt the same way towards me. I needed to make my move now. I could see how many other men liked her and wished to be in my position. I didn’t blame them, though. She was nothing but perfect even when she thought she had many imperfections. To me, she was stunning, smart, and caring.

I pushed aside my thoughts and entered the house, going straight for the bathroom to get ready for the date. After my shower, I searched through my closet for the perfect outfit. I wanted to look good for her, but I wasn’t sure what outfit would suffice. I picked out a suit I had never worn before. It wasn’t too extra but also not too casual. You could tell it wasn’t one I’d wear to the office. I left the buttons as they were. Pretty soon, I’d be sitting in the car, so it wouldn’t make sense to button them now.

I poured a small amount of hair cream in my hands and gently raked my fingers through my hair, styling it as I wanted. I popped a mint in my mouth, even though I had brushed my teeth already, and was out the door. The first stop was the store to pick up some flowers, then I’d go pick Lily up.

~~~

I stood on her doorsteps, a rose bouquet in my hand. I took a deep breath, staring at the door in front of me. Damn, it’d been awhile since I felt nervous for anything. Even in important meetings, I’d still be full of confidence. Without giving it a second thought, my hand lifted, and I knocked on the door. Within seconds, I heard footsteps coming towards the door, and she opened up.

My jaw could drop right there and then; she looked so stunning. Even when pregnant, I was still convinced she was the prettiest woman on earth. The dress hugged all her curves perfectly. She was just perfect, and her hair looked as good as ever, yet when I’d say that, she’d say she barely did anything with it.

~~~

The whole car ride all I could think of was how I’d bring up this subject. I wanted to tell her the moment she opened her apartment door, but I kept myself from doing so. I had to wait for the perfect time, but something told me that didn’t exactly exist. I just wanted to tell her how I really felt about her, our baby, everything.

All these years, I’d been protecting myself. I hated being hurt, so pushing away romance was the easiest way to protect myself. Even when it came to friends, I didn’t make a lot of them. In high school, college, work, I’d made lots of friends who ended up hurting me. But Lily, for her, I’d be willing to risk getting hurt.

~~~

I could tell she too was thinking about what I wanted to talk about. It must’ve been all that was on her mind, and I barely had the courage to speak up about it. I finally went on with it, letting her know how I felt about us.

“We won’t be just entering a relationship. We’re also entering parenthood,” she reminded me. Of course, I knew there was a child involved as well, and surprisingly, I was looking forward to it. To be a father, I just wished I could be half as good as mine was to me.

“And there’s no one else I’d rather do it with,” I assured her, holding her soft, delicate hands in mine. “So what do you say?” I then asked, raising a brow at her. I noticed her lips twitching into a quick smile for a moment. She was about to answer me when everything went south.

I looked over to see the woman I thought I’d never have to see again. Seyra Barlowe, what some would call a succubus. Of course, she came and told her twisted side of the story. I was sure Lily wouldn’t believe her, but then she started asking questions and looking at me weirdly.

It came as a shock to me when I saw her believing Seyra without even giving me a chance to properly explain myself. She just blindly believed Seyra and assumed I came with bad intentions. It didn’t even happen like that. The car ride home, I tried talking to her, but she never bothered to listen. It was as if I meant nothing to her anymore, like she wanted me out of her life completely.

It’s a good thing we signed a contract for that to happen. Now, we just had to hold ourselves to it for a few more days, and I’d be gone for good. I tried waiting. I stayed up the entire night, thinking she’d finally call me and let me explain myself and tell her the full truth, but that never happened.

It hurt me to see how she didn’t trust me at all. She fully believed Seyra and never even gave me a chance to explain myself. On top of that, I didn’t know how to explain to my parents what had happened. Maybe this was good, though. According to the contract, we’d soon have to break up anyways, so this was easing us into it. I was just saddened; part of me had fantasies that this would’ve gone differently. These days, she hadn't even reached out to me. From what I’d heard, she and the others were bonding normally which was good, as long as they didn’t suspect anything yet.

I heard a knock on my door and was taken back to reality. I let the person come in and saw it was Topher.

“Boss, the Huijs will arrive in fifteen minutes instead of thirty. They asked if you were okay with meeting immediately when they arrived?” he asked, standing by the door.

“Tell them it’s okay.” I shrugged. The sooner the better in this case. Topher nodded and exited the office. I felt my phone vibrate somewhere on the table and pushed away my folders to find it. I had a feeling I already knew who it was: Lily. She had been calling me nonstop. I finally picked up and conversed with her. I admit I was a little rude to her, but I felt like she deserved it.

I sent her a quick text letting her know I’d call her back, but right now, I wasn’t looking forward to calling her back. She hurt me. So much time we’d spent together and I had opened up to her, and all this time, she didn’t even trust me. All this over Seyra, still a menace even when we weren’t together…

When I got home, I got comfortable with no plans to head out. I planned on cooking dinner myself and probably watching a game of soccer. It’d been a while since I’d watched a match. Just as I rested my phone on the counter, I saw a call coming in from Janelle.

“Calvin, it’s happening,” was all she said.