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CALLIOPE

C rew interrupted us, not that we were heading towards anything sexual, but for some reason, that hug felt a bit more intimate than anything else we had done that afternoon.

I was very wrong if I thought having a door between us was enough to keep things platonic.

Shit, I hadn’t even had a week alone with this man, and we were both ready to climb each other.

I needed to find a way to take the heat down between us so I could figure out how I felt about the situation.

Yes, I was comfortable with sex and my body and wasn’t opposed to an occasional one-night stand if we were both on the same page.

But this could never be a one-night stand, and I wouldn’t be okay if we started something that failed.

I had already grown very attached to Crew.

It’s crazy how quickly you fall for kids when you’re responsible for them.

I could only imagine the hell Sam went through a year ago.

Tom changed Crew and swapped his sweatpants for another pair of shorts. When we returned to the party, they had already brought the food back for round two. When I asked about Britney, everyone avoided my eyes.

Damon finally piped up, “She whined until Jonah took her home.” Jonah lived in the complex, but Britney did not. “She kept complaining about her hair being limp or some bullshit.”

“Someone didn’t have an older brother, and it shows,” I said with a chuckle.

“My older brother made it his mission to ‘toughen me up’ and get me ready to face the world,” Gwen said, “Thank goodness that included getting my liquor tolerance up before I went to college. Not only could my knee connect with a guy’s nuts blindfolded, but I wasn’t going to get blackout drunk at a frat party. ”

“All my siblings went to BU, so I had watchers everywhere, thanks to PJ.”

I caught Tom watching me throughout the late afternoon and evening. As it started to get dark, Mariana began to wrangle the kids, having bribed them with a movie night back at her and Alex’s place. Crew loved playing with the older kids and followed behind them happily.

Tom and Damon worked on lighting a campfire in the large community fire pit, and I snuck off to get my guitar.

When Gwen saw me return with the guitar, she clapped excitedly, “Yes! I was hoping you wouldn’t forget about playing for us! What do you know?”

“I brought my iPad, so I can look up chords and lyrics if I don’t know something. So hit me with what you want to hear.”

It had been weeks since I’d last performed, and I missed it. I also loved when someone requested a song, and I had to learn it on the fly.

“John Denver? Country Roads?” Kayleigh put in the first request.

“Sure,” I said. I had played this song more times than I could count. Usually, no matter who the crowd was, they would sing along with me by the end. By the time the song had finished, the crowd had grown with other residents from the complex, and people were calling out requests for the next song.

I played for another hour before I needed a break to drink some water.

“You good?” Tom asked, sneaking in from behind, snaking his arm around my waist, and pulling me flush against him. I immediately relaxed into him, getting more and more comfortable with his touch as we continued to perform for the rest of his teammates.

“Yeah, just thirsty.”

“Want me to call it for the night? You don’t need to be the source of everyone’s entertainment.”

He’d somehow picked up my exhaustion and gave me an out if I wanted it.

“Yeah, you’re up and out early tomorrow.

It’s going to be a long day.” It was great having Tom around the last few days, but his practices would be ramping up next week, and he’d likely be out the door before Crew and I woke up.

Tom took my guitar, apologized to everyone while he packed it up, and brought it back to his townhouse.

He took his seat by the fire and patted his lap for me to join him.

The other couples had all curled up together and shared stories of the last season.

It’s not that I was bored, but the second my head relaxed against Tom’s chest, I nodded off to sleep.

I don’t know how long I was asleep before Tom gently shook me awake.

“Hey, sleepy girl. Let’s go back home.”

I rubbed my eyes, feeling chilled now that the fire had died down. Standing up, I stumbled a bit while I got my bearings. It always took me a while to wake up, and I did my best to function. “Crew?”

“Yeah, I’ll walk you back and then head back out to get him.”

I nodded, and Tom took my hand as we walked back to our place. When we got inside, he cupped my chin in his hand, our eyes locked. I thought for the briefest moment that he might kiss me, and then he broke the connection.

“Goodnight, Calliope. Thank you for a really great day.”

Once he was gone, the chill that I had started to feel outside completely set in as I turned down the air conditioning. I pulled out long pajama pants and a sweatshirt, brushed my teeth, and curled up in bed. I was out before I heard Tom and Crew return for the night.