Chapter 8
After waiting for about twenty minutes at the tram station, the tram they were supposed to board gets delayed.
“I will forever hate the public transport in Katolis.” Rayla mutters to herself.
“Sorry?” Callum asks.
“N- nothing.” It wouldn’t be good to tell him that she hated the public transport in his home country right?
“I don’t blame you, I hate public transport here too,” He says after a few moments.
Ah, he heard it, didn’t he?
The tram arrives and they get onto it. It was very crowded and all the seats were occupied so they had to stand.
“This is exactly why I hate taking subways and trams.” Callum says, annoyed.
“Me too…” She replies.
“So… your friend, Claudia. She seems nice.”
“She is indeed.” He says.
“I definitely didn’t expect her to invite me to her birthday party so soon.”
“She’s like that. She makes friends incredibly fast. Sometimes I wish I were as confident and good at making friends as she is.”
“Well, you are a good-”
She’s interrupted when the tram suddenly stops, shaking all the passengers. Rayla gets slammed against the glass panel behind her and Callum falls on her. Their bodies touch awkwardly. A few moments pass as they realise what just happened.
Callum pulls back and says, “I’m so sorry Rayla, I- I didn’t mean to do… that. It was… the tr-”
She cuts him off. “That’s alright.” She rushes. “It’s not your fault.”
Just then, an announcement takes place.
“Dear passengers, we apologize for the inconvenience. An issue has occurred and we will depart as soon as it is fixed.”
For the rest of the ride, they don’t talk at all and just stand, trying not to stare at each other. A few minutes later they get down and make their way to the park. They take a seat on one of the benches. It was too silent. Too awkward. Someone needed to start a conversation. Just then, Rayla then spots an ice cream van.
“Hey, uh, would you like some ice cream?” She asks.
“Sure.”
“What flavor?”
“Vanilla.”
“Ugh, vanilla.” She says.
Callum raises an eyebrow and says, “Are you enemies with Vanilla?”
She rolls her eyes. “It’s such a boring flavor. Why do you even like it?”
“Fine, bring me another flavor which you think is good.”
“Okay.”
She returns with butterscotch and strawberry flavored ice creams.
“Which one do you like more? Butterscotch or strawberry? I like both so I’ll take anything.”
“Um, strawberry?”
She hands him the strawberry flavored ice cream and sits beside him.
A few moments pass and she says, “So tell me, what things does Claudia like?”
“You seem very curious about her.”
“Well, I know absolutely nothing about her so I don't know what present to get her.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Claudia won’t mind if you don’t get her anything.” He says, smiling.
“It would definitely not be good if I show up empty handed to the party.”
“Trust me, she won’t care too much about it.”
“But you brought her something. I should too, you know?”
“I have to bring one for her because I’ve known her for so many years.”
“Yet, you needed my help to find a dress for her.” She says with a smirk on her face.
“Okay, what would I know about girls’ tastes in clothing?”
“Fair.”
They finish up their ice cream and decide to walk around the park for a bit.
“So… tell me more about your family. I told you about mine.” She wanted to know this. She had also wondered from the day she had met Callum, why he and Ezran didn’t have any resemblance. Neither did Callum have any resemblance to his dad, who she met a few times before.
“Where do I start?” He pauses for a few moments. “Okay, so, Ezran is my brother, as you know but he’s my half-brother.”
“He’s your what?” She asks. She had never heard the term ‘half-brother’ before. What does that even mean?
“He’s my half brother. You see, a few years after I was born, my biological father died and my mom remarried. Then she gave birth to Ezran which makes him my half brother.”
“Ohh… okay… I’ve never seen your mom before though, does she work regularly?”
Callum goes silent and stops.
“What’s wrong?” She asks, her voice grows soft and concerned.
“My… my mom passed away a few years ago.”
Rayla goes silent. She becomes so shocked, her mouth almost opens. She’s such an idiot! She should’ve known. Neither does Callum nor Ezran ever mention their mother. She should have figured! Even while he was shopping, she had asked him if he was looking for a dress for his mother and he immediately brushed it off.
“Callum, I am so sorry.”
“That’s alright. You didn’t know. I tried to get past it.” His eyes became watery. “But I loved her so much, it took me a while to accept it…”
She felt so bad for him. She’s never lost anyone so close to her before but she could feel his pain. Without thinking, she pulls him into a hug. Callum goes rigid. He clearly did not expect her to do that but hugs her back and rests his head on her shoulder. After a few moments, she pulls back.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s alright.” He smiles.
Just then, Rayla’s phone buzzes and she opens it to see a message from Runaan.
[Runaan] (11:34) Rayla, come home. Remember I only gave you time until lunch to spend with that boy?
She sighs. “Sorry, I have to go now.”
“That’s okay.”
“Thank you for spending time with me.”
“Of course, I enjoy spending time with you. You don’t have to thank me. In fact, I should thank you for being such a great company.”
She chuckles and says, “I know, I’m the best.” playfully.